[NSFW] [MLM] Rivals To... Something More [Assassin Listener] [Cold Respect For You] [Enemies To... Lovers?] [Reversible Dominance] [Sexual Tension] [Sex] (Patreon)

Hello everyone!

I've been meaning to write another smutty story for AGES, and I've always wanted to return to Kaden's original audio and redo it since I'm not 100% with how it has aged.

This is a written re-imagining of the “Rivals To Something More” audio on Patreon, with revised dialogue, reworked power dynamics, and a Blossom who can actually talk! I'm considering continuing this written series; writing it the first time was a lot of fun! Blossom and Kaden's 'enemies to lovers' dynamic is a great playground for dialogue.

Mild Content Warning

The story begins with the MC tied up and captured by Kaden, but all adult content is done with the MC's explicit consent. (In other words, nothing is done while the MC is unable to defend himself or against his will).

That being said, the opening may prove a little uncomfortable for some readers.

It all began with me carrying out a hit and waking up in a dark basement I didn’t recognize… Up until that last bit, the job had been like any other. 

It took a week to prepare, and only 10 minutes for me to carry out. Not my finest work, a little on the slower end for me. But the target was dead without a struggle. You would think I could have called that a win, but that’s the thing about this line of work… no matter how intensely you prepare for an operation, you’re only human. And human fallibility is always susceptible to the bullshit whims of fate.

I had scaled down the side of the building and slipped into my getaway driver’s car. I didn’t know his name, and we both liked it that way. He did the driving, I did the killing, and we both got paid. It was a happy existence for both of us.

Unfortunately for him, he got his first taste of my side of things that night. As soon as I had slipped into the car, I had half a second to comprehend that he was slumped against the seat before I began to get woozy. The air freshener had been laced, and although I managed to put two and two together a moment later, it wasn’t soon enough to avoid inhaling the fumes.

The part I remember the most vividly, for some reason, was the confusion I felt in my delirium while passing out. I tumbled out of the car, and my soon-to-be kidnapper caught me and eased me onto the ground. At the time, I thought he was just being creepy for kicks, but I’ve come to realize he was making sure I didn’t bash my head against the pavement when I landed… He may be an assassin, but he can be surprisingly gentlemanly, all things considered. 

After nodding in and out of consciousness, I woke up tied to a chair in a stonewalled basement with a single barred window. It was raining outside, and the moon was peering in and out of the clouds. The basement was dimly lit, and other than the chair I was bound to, the place was empty.

The first thing I did was attempt a sleight of hand to get out of the restraints, but the guy who tied the knot knew how to make that sort of thing difficult. I couldn’t get the rope to nudge even a little on my first attempt.

“Oh, good, you finally decided to wake up.”

A voice came from the stairs up; someone was lurking in the shadows. A pale young man about my age, with loose black hair and tired eyes, dressed in a black coat and a tight bodysuit, was slouching on one of the steps, a plastic water bottle by his side and a hand resting on a wooden chair. 

As he stood up, dragging the chair behind him, I realized I had seen him before.

“Don’t bother, you aren’t getting out of those. And don’t try anything with the chair either. It’s secured to the ground.”

He put his chair down in front of me, the back facing me, and leaned against it, meeting my gaze with a cold intensity. I returned his stare, not showing even a flicker of weakness.

“...And my gun?”

“Your gun and your knives are in the corner of the room. I have to say, I’m impressed with how much stuff you had on you.”

“Thanks. I appreciate a nice compliment from the man who kidnapped me.”

He rolled his eyes, letting out an annoyed sigh, almost as if he was offended.

“Relax, you’re not in any danger. I only want to talk.”

I raised an eyebrow and tugged at my restraints again, this time with a lot more subtlety. “You needed to tie me up to talk?”

“If I hadn’t done that, you would have tried to kill me.”

“You’ll have to forgive me for being a little trigger-happy; I was recently kidnapped and tied up in a strange man’s basement.”

He let out a dry laugh, then crossed his arms, leaning further against the chair.

“Alright, then let me get to the point. I’ll be blunt… The vigilante assassin by the callsign “Pale Blossom,” otherwise known as Blossom. That’s you, isn’t it?”

My heart skipped a beat. He knew my alias, which meant he was either a rival, a part of law enforcement, or an acquaintance of a past target. Either way… at best, that meant I was going to be killed, or at worst, I was going to be locked up.

Despite that, I held his gaze and kept my expression neutral. Very carefully, while keeping the conversation going, I began to work on undoing the restraints with the tips of my fingers.

“...I kill a friend of yours?”

He laughed again. “You didn’t even try to deny it. Smart,” he said. “It just so happens the last guy you killed, Rodney Deliver? A face for some unethical experiments masquerading as a charitable organization? He was also my target. You stole my kill.”

I shrugged. “You’re butthurt about a stolen kill? A word of advice, kiddo; if you want to survive in this line of work, you lose either the ego or your life.”

“Sure. But here’s the thing… We know each other, don’t we? Kind of…”

I stopped fiddling with the knot. “...I thought I recognized you. You’re Kaden, from college, right?”

He nodded. “I’m flattered you remember me, considering how much time I spend in the back of class. And to think that a punk like YOU was the Pale Blossom… expect the unexpected, I guess.”

I tilted my head to the side, studying the room, trying to see if there were any loose nails or exposed wires I could use to my advantage. “...While I’m not surprised the quiet kid is involved in some shady shit, I’m a little surprised a college punk is killing people in his free time.”

“I could say the same about you, Blossom. Rent isn’t cheap, and mouths cost money to feed. I gotta make a living somehow, and as it turns out, I’m just good at taking names...” He nodded to my weapons, stashed in the corner of the room. “…You understand, don’t you? We happen to have a particular talent, you and I.”

“Sure. And evidently, I'm a better killer.”

His eyes sparkled with admiration, catching me off guard… my surprise might have even been visible on my face. That was probably the first time he got my mask to slip... 

“You are. And I’ll admit, even though you belong to a rival company, I like you. A lot.”

He scooted closer, leaning forward with a clear excitement. Something about him getting closer to me had me strangely… nervous? But not in the sense that I was afraid. I felt my breath shorten, and my heart was beating ever so slightly faster.

Even in that moment, tied down and trying to escape, I was suddenly more aware of completely trite things. He’s looking at me… How does my hair look right now? Did I drool while I was out?

Intrusive thoughts in the back of my mind couldn’t help but quietly whisper, “...Hey, now that we have a closer look at him, he’s actually kind of hot.”

“Shut the fuck up, don’t start admiring my kidnapper.” I snapped back, internally.

“But aren’t sad, shady boys totally our type?”

“Yeah, when they don’t have me tied up in a dingy basement.”

Kaden quickly drew a single-edged combat knife from his sleeve and began tracing the flat end along his palm.

“I have a lot of respect for Blossom and his talents. You’re good at what you do, and you’ve cleared some pretty horrible people off the streets. The average person is a lot safer thanks to you, even though you’ll never be thanked for it.”

I leaned back, keeping my composure but unsure what to make of his sudden fanboying… Or the quietly growing urge to take a peek at his body. “...Thanks. I’m flattered you appreciate the way I murder people.”

“Oh, don’t give me that dry sarcasm, Blossom. We both know what you do isn’t sporadic murder. It’s vigilante justice. You’re a blade, and society is a garden. You do the weeding so the pretty little flowers get to bloom, right? We’re similar in that regard.”

I kept working at the knot, the first set of bindings almost free. Behind him, I could see a half-hammered-in nail embedded in the wall, the rim still peeking out… The same way his collarbone was peeking out of the neckline of his shirt, along with a concealed knife in a holster pressed up against his ski-

“I said, shut UP! In case you haven’t noticed, he’s drawn a knife!” I snapped to myself again.

“Yeah, he seems pretty good with it too… Now we’re wondering what other weapons he’s hiding in there.”

…I did, admittedly, want to see what was under his coat. To see if he had any other concealed weapons I needed to worry about, of course. No other reason.

“You’re not a monster, Blossom,” Kaden said. “You’re a keeper of the peace, in your own way.”

He looked to the side and sighed before sitting up straight.

“... Basically, what I’m trying to say is, I’m a fan. And a pretty big one. Which is why I have a proposition for both of us.”

I quietly untied the first knot and let the restraint fall into my palm. Keeping eye contact with him, I ignored the urge to glance down at his skin-tight pants and gave him a challenging look. “I’m listening.”

“We both know each other’s true identities. We can go about killing each other, sure… But I’d rather go about our daily lives as if this never happened. I have a college course I’d like to finish so that I might have a future that doesn’t involve me killing petty crimelords, and I’m sure you do too.”

...I didn’t respond.

“...Alright then. The point is, if you promise to keep quiet about my identity, I’ll keep quiet about yours. You can walk out of here, and we can keep living our lives and weeding the garden as we should.”

I studied his face very closely. His expression seemed sincere, to the point where I actually hesitated to believe him. This offer seemed too convenient not to have an ulterior motive, but… I’ll admit I wasn’t in the most focused headspace, the dark shadows under his eyes and the way his loose hair dangled over his intense stare and dark eyes were strangely cute to me…

…Putting that aside, the second binding was almost loose. I needed to stall him.

“...Well, ‘Kaden’. You make a tempting offer, but how can I possibly trust you to keep your word? My identity is blackmail material. I don’t like to leave it in the hands of a stranger.”

“Come on, I know you aren’t that dumb. I’ve had several opportunities to kill you tonight. The Pale Blossom is someone I greatly admire, and I think you’d be a valuable contact. Plus…”

He trailed off, his own mask slipping for a moment. His expression betrayed the slightest hint of hesitation… he wasn’t sure whether to finish his sentence. 

“Plus what?”

“...Nothing.”

“What were you about to say?”

“Nothing important.”

“Bullshit. You want me to seriously consider your offer? Plus, what?”

He looked back at me, his expression completely neutral again, and said with complete sincerity: “...Plus, I really like you.”

I stopped undoing my knot.

“...You mean you like my work?”

“No, my feelings for you are entirely romantic. You were my first love. I’ve had feelings for you for about a year now.”

“AHA! He’s GAY! He likes men, and he’s hot! We should definitely ask him to take his big hands and start  manhandling us!”

"Oh my god, shut up!!"

“You have me blushing like a schoolgirl every time we pass one another in the hallway...” He continued. “…and I’ve longed to meet with you as a lover, and an equal forever.”

…I’ll admit. His hammer-like bluntness had me at a loss for words.

“…I may be an assassin, Blossom, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to having feelings.”

“Exactly! See, that’s what we’ve been trying to tell ourselves ever since we started training.”

“Why won’t you be quiet? I need to focus on killing this asshole, not getting in his pants!”

“My guy, think about it, we’re lonely as hell, and we have been for years. Seriously, when was the last time we let a man touch us? Hold us? Cuddle us? …Make love to us?”

“It… HAS been a while…” 

“Right?”

“…Wait, no, that’s not important. Stop thinking! I can’t listen to you and think of a way to escape at the same time!”

“Then stop thinking and let ME do the answering!”

I used every ounce of willpower to push my thoughts aside and lowered my gaze to Kaden. “Okay, so let me get this straight… You like me?”

His neutral expression didn’t change, nor did his emphatic replies. “What? Is that really so hard to believe? Men are hot. Strong men are incredibly hot. And last I checked, you certainly qualify…”

He put his hands together and said with complete sincerity: “...I am hopelessly head over heels for you.”

…I couldn’t help it. With the man in front of me and the sudden confession, my thoughts leapt ahead of my better judgment. My face coiled into a coy smirk, and I blurted without thinking: “Really? Then, why haven’t you used this situation to your advantage already?”

He sighed again as I undid the last knot on my restraints. “I wasn’t going to do anything without your consent. Because consent is very important… Despite how arousing the thought of us in the throes of passion is.”

“Huh, awfully considerate of you to draw the line there, and not at killing people.”

Finally, his face turned red, for the first time. His expression didn’t change, but the subtle glow in his cheeks revealed all I needed to know. 

“Shut up,” he exclaimed. “Sex is a lot more intimate than an assassination… And I still haven’t heard your response to my proposal.”

I loosened the ropes, holding them in place, ready to make a dash for the nail in the wall.

“…Alright. You have a deal, Kaden.”

“Good. If I cut you loose, are you going to do anything stupid? Because I’d rather not ruin our relationship from the word go.”

“I won’t do anything stupid.”

I don’t fully recall what happened next; it all happened very fast.

I can say that adrenaline kicked in right as he leaned over me to undo the restraint. In the microsecond it took for him to see they were already loose, I slammed my body against his, causing a dry gasp of air to escape his lips. 

I was at the nail in seconds, using the exposed blade to quickly rip through the restraints, and turn just in time to catch a strike from him.

Our struggle lasted for longer than either of us expected. We were both well-trained, but our skillsets varied. Our strength was evenly matched; each jab I threw his way, he would block and return in equal measure, forcing me to rely on quick evades and redirects wherever I could.

Eventually, it got violent. He flipped the sharp end of his knife into a proper grip and took deadly swipes at me. I ducked and dodged, acutely aware that one mistimed movement would mean a very slow, very bloody death for me.

Both of us were breathing heavily, our energy running out. We were both trained to end a fight as quickly as possible and expend the bare minimum energy. Neither of us was trained to handle long engagements, and against an experienced opponent, it was taking its toll on us both.

Finally, after what seemed like the longest brawl of my life, a swipe to my throat gave me the opening I needed to weave under the strike and dart my hand into his shirt, drawing the concealed knife and swiping at his neck. He narrowly avoided the slash by stumbling back, and I lunged forward, grabbing his knife hand by the wrist and slamming it against the wall, pressing my blade to his throat.

Our eyes were locked, our gasps heavy, our legs shaking… the fight had taken everything we had.

I had him pinned by the wrist, his knife hand immobile, and his own blade pressed against a vein.

He exhaled, then smiled.

“...Shit. wheeze I’d always wondered how I’d hold up against you, Blossom.”

“...I’ll admit, gasp you’re not half bad… been a while since… wheeze someone gave me that good of a fight.”

“Yeah… shame it had to… wheeze end in a draw…”

“...What?”

Click.

I looked down to see my silenced handgun in his free hand, pressed against me. 

I groaned.

“...With wheeze my gun, jackass?”

“You stole my knife, gasp.”

My heart was pounding, all too aware that my life was a trigger pull away from ending. Even if I cut his throat, it wouldn’t kill him right away. He would still have plenty of time to pull the trigger, an effective death sentence for us both.

“So… what’s it gonna be, Blossom? I’m not afraid to die, are you?

“No… in this line of work, wheeze it’s an occupational hazard.”

I pressed his knife harder against his throat. Unsurprisingly, I felt the barrel of the gun dig deeper as I leaned closer to him. We both inhaled sharply; we were so close that I could feel his short breaths against my face. His lips were parted ever so slightly amidst his panting, and sweat trickled down his temple. He was trying not to let me notice how tired he was.

We were both exhausted, our eyes locked into a pair of delirious stares as we waited to see who would give up first. I could feel his pulse pounding against the edge of my blade, his breath quickening. My body felt like it was on fire, and my chest tightened with each passing moment. 

His hand squirmed under my grip, his gaze drifted down to my lips, then quickly back to my eyes. We exchanged a look…

…And then.

“...Fuck it.”

I leaned in and kissed him.

…Kaden will tell you that he was the one who leaned in and kissed me. One of us is wrong, and I sure as hell don’t think it’s me. Because all I was thinking in that heated adrenaline-filled moment was; 

“…Damn it, I can’t not fuck this man.”

It was followed up by a series of very passionate kisses. I let go of the knife and grabbed his face. He, in an admittedly impressive display of gun discipline, flipped the safety on, dropped the magazine and tossed the gun to the side, taking me in his hands as well and going right back to kissing me.

I slipped my hands into his coat and pressed my body against his, not breaking eye contact for a second. “Don’t think this means you’re off the hook, I’m searching you for weapons.”

“Fine… I’m all yours.”

He was free rein for me. My hands wandered over his body, finding hidden knives, concealed firearms, and even improvised explosives. I was impressed by how much he managed to hide on his person.

Eventually, I found my hands wandering under his belt. A slight pant escaped his lips.

“Ah… Blossom, that’s not a weapon I have concealed in my pants. No matter how hard you try to remove it, it’s not going anywhere.”

“If it’s something I can’t disarm, I’ll have to get a good feel of it instead.”

I made short work of his belt buckle and slipped his pants down.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw his cock bounce out… and seeing it slowly grow longer and harder as I slid my fingers across it made me more and more excited… I’ll admit, I was having a hard time controlling myself.

“We’re getting an erection.”

“Shush, let me work.”

I wrapped my hands around him and began to feel along his warm cock, sliding up and down along his impressive length. He sat back in an admittedly cute lean, propping both of his hands behind him and watching me fondle him.

Through shaky breaths, he asked, “...You seem to like it.”

“I’d give it an eight.”

“What would it take to make it a nine?”

I thought for a moment, then leaned down and made sure to keep eye contact with him as I licked his tip. He let out the softest moan as it twitched, and a small drop of precum began to ooze out.

“...Having it inside of me would be a nine. Make me cum, and I’ll give it a ten.”

“You’re on. Get on your back.”

I gave him another lick.

“Make me.”

I don’t really remember what happened next. He moved a lot faster than I expected him to. I pushed back, but in the end, he had me pinned to the floor by my wrists, arms above my head, face to face with him.

I remember catching my breath, unexpectedly turned on by how forcefully he had just manhandled me, and glancing back down at his penis, still hard and dripping. 

I attempted to pull my arm out from under his iron grip, but he simply pushed me back to the floor and leaned into my ear.

“Don’t. Save your energy. You’re going to need it.”

…I conceded.

“Yes, sir.”

He ran one hand down my arm and rested it on the side of my face.

“Good boy.”

…I was acutely aware of the massive bulge in my pants by that point.

Kaden moved down my body, still keeping me pinned by one hand.

“Let’s see… you’re still in your dress clothes for your hit on Rodney, but beneath all of that, you’re wearing a skin-tight zip-up suit. Good for infiltration, as the skin-tight texture makes little noise and reduces the odds of getting snagged on something…”

He deftly took the zipper and began to pull my bodysuit apart.

“...but it unzips easily, and leaves very little to the imagination.”

Within seconds, the bodysuit was open, and I felt the cold air of the basement kiss my bare skin. He looked at me, a subtle glint of desire in his eye.

I turned my gaze to the side, arms still above my head. “Stop staring and touch me already.”

I expected to feel his hands on my cock, but instead he leaned forward and planted a kiss on my neck.

“Wh- H-hey!”

I tried to put my hands against him, while he continued to kiss my neck, sliding his tongue across and around my skin… I had no idea my neck was so sensitive. 

Waves of pleasure began to rush throughout my body as his hands travelled down between my legs, fondling my balls and teasing me with his fingertips. I was panting, shocked by how good it felt to have someone handle the most sensitive part of my body… I didn’t hate the feeling…

He lightly nibbled on my neck as he pleasured me, and whispered into my ear again, “That was a cute noise.”

“Fuck you...”

“I want to hear it again.”

I’ll admit it… he was good. He has since informed me that he was winging it the entire time. I’m not sure how true that is, but if that was his first time… let’s just say he raised the bar, and then only ever surpassed it.

I was in total euphoric bliss as he used his fingers to tease me, playing with my balls before finally treating me to carefully calculated strokes. I was panting, on the verge of an orgasm, but trying desperately not to show it.

“Fuck, he’s really good.”

“Yeah… now I’m glad I didn’t kill him.”

“Should we just let him bring us to an orgasm? It would feel amazing letting someone else take care of us for once.”

“...Hell no, I can’t let him think he can control me. I’m making BOTH of us cum!”

Partway through a partially involuntary moan, I slapped both of my arms around him and flipped him onto his back, with myself riding on top of him.

“Whoa! Blossom!”

I leaned forward, making sure I had his undivided attention.

“Alright, enough of the teasing. I’m going to ride you now.”

“...Yes, sir.”

My clothes had been stripped off me by that point. It was easy enough to take his dick in my hand and guide it where I wanted him most...

The sensation of being stretched out for the first time in ages was indescribable. He was hot, and slippery … it felt fantastic having him inside of me. I could feel each twitch of his cock, and every pulse running through his body beneath me.

Experimentally, I raised my hips and dropped them, getting a feel for him. As expected, a warm wave of pleasure ran throughout my body, and he let out a soft moan. I couldn’t help but let out a sound like a mixture of laughter and a breathy exhale.

“Fuuuuuhuhuhahaaa, I missed this.”

I started to move on top of him, feeling him slide around inside of me… The first minute felt incredible, but I quickly realized I was doing all the moving; he was sitting stock-still, his jaw hanging half-open.

“...Kaden, sex typically involves some degree of movement.”

“...Yes.” He rasped.

“You planning on moving anytime soon?”

“You’re straddling my waist.”

I looked down, realizing my legs were locked tightly around him, likely somewhat inhibiting his ability to breathe.

“...Oops. I think that was a reflex.”

I loosened my leg lock, and he let out a sharp exhale, the magnitude of which I could even feel with him inside my ass.

He took a second to catch his breath, then grabbed my waist with both hands, and smirked playfully.

“...Okay, time to get that ten rating.”

He thrusted upwards, and I couldn’t stop my body from arching backwards reflexively, my eyes widening before my mouth curled into a smile, tears of joy streaming down my face.

‘Amazing’ doesn’t feel like an apt enough word to describe the sensation. It was… Orgasmic, dare I say.

Each movement was hitting all of the best spots inside of me, and my mind was going blank.  I took his hands in mine as I rode on top of him, both of us moving in sync with one another as I felt the pleasure welling up more and more.

I was laughing, enjoying myself for the first time in months. I felt my stoic facade dropping. I remember my mind was a rush of emotions, most of them the type of incomprehensible jargon brought on by really good sex, such as “Yessss…”, “Fuuuuuuck”, and “Moooooore”...

But somewhere, far in the back of my thoughts…

“...This feels good.”

“It does…”

“I feel like I don’t need to act like an emotionless robot.”

“We don’t…”

“Letting down that mask is scary, though… but I really want to.”

“We should… Just for a bit.”

“...Okay.”

I leaned forward and planted a kiss on Kaden’s lips. He put his arms around me, our tongues intertwining as he continued to thrust into me while we made out.

He was going deeper, and I could feel my orgasm welling up… I was about to cum any second now, and I could feel that he was too.

I pulled away just far enough to formulate words. “Kaden…?”

“Y-yeah, I’m getting close too…”

“Go ahead, it’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

I leaned forward again and wrapped my arms around him, sliding my hands into his coat pocket one more time and coiling my fingers around one very well-concealed gun.

“...Yeah, cum inside of me.”

His panting got more intense. Both of ours did. I felt his cock thrust further in, rubbing against me, each movement bringing a wet squelching sound, turning me on more and more. My breathing got heavier, I felt my head begin to spin, and then…

“~I’m cumming!”

“Me too-!”

He gripped me tightly as we both came at the same time. My first burst hit him in the face, making him wince and let out an absent-minded laugh while still caught up in his own orgasm. Then the second two hit his chest, and the last one dropped onto his belly.

I let my eyes droop as I relaxed my body, letting out one last droning moan of pleasure as I felt him fill me up.

I looked down at him as he loosened up, his cock still twitching inside of me, and gave him a coy smile.

“...Alright, I’ll give you that one. Nine point five.”

“Haah… Oh yeah? What exactly were you unsatisfied with?”

I winked before quickly whipping the gun out of his jacket and pressing the barrel to his forehead, cocking the hammer. “...Your carelessness.”

His expression turned to surprise for a split second before he let out an annoyed sigh and rolled his eyes.

“...So that’s it? We just have sex after I express my undying admiration for you, and now you’re going to paint the walls of my hideout in my blood?”

“You got anything you want to be relayed to a loved one?”

“...I have no regrets. At least it was Blossom that got to do me in.”

He put both hands on the barrel of the gun, as if daring me to take the shot. “Make it quick.”

I kept the gun pointed at him, and he kept his hands resting on the barrel as his hot cum began to spill out of me… I smiled and stood up, more dripping out onto the floor as I twirled the gun in my hand.

“...You passed.”

“What?!”

I flipped the gun’s safety on and offered it to him.

“You’re cute. And you’re pretty good at sex. I’d hate to kill a worthy rival this early in the game.”

He smiled, and slowly stood up, taking the gun from me and looking me over one more time.

“You’re so damn hot when you talk like that… It helps that you’re naked.”

I rest a hand on my hip and gesture to my clothes in the corner of the room. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get dressed now.”

“Go ahead. I’ll unlock the door.”

And so, I collected my gear and got myself dressed up again. Twenty minutes later, we were both standing under the roof of a derelict building, staring at the midnight rain while I waited for my driver to come.

Kaden lit a cigarette and offered me the pack. I held up a hand.

“I’m good.”

He took a long inhale and held the cigarette as he puffed out the smoke in a long, contemplative manner. His dark hair fell partly over his eyes, giving him a cold, almost emo allure that was both frightening and enticing. 

“We should tell him we appreciated the chance to be vulnerable.”

I cleared my throat.

“...It was good to meet you, Kaden.”

“Likewise, Blossom… It’s going to be really hard to pretend we don’t know each other when we pass each other in the halls…”

He turned his head to look at me, still holding the lit cigarette.

“...Or anywhere else, if you ever want to pick this up again.”

“...You mean have sex again?”

“That was the first thought on my mind, yeah… But I’m also down to just, I don’t know, go on a date or something and try not to kill people for ten minutes.”

“That does sound nice…”

I saw the headlights pull into view.

“...I’ll think about it.”

---

A year has gone by since then… We did end up meeting a few more times. And almost every time it ended in bloodshed. Not between us, blood from other people.

In this line of work, things never go the way you expect… You have to prepare for the unexpected at all times…

But that’s the thing about this line of work… no matter how intensely you prepare, you’re only human. And human fallibility is always susceptible to the bullshit whims of fate.

No sooner had this thought crossed my mind again than Kaden let out a long groan as he turned over in my lap. I took my hand off his head and parted his hair from his half-open eyes.

He blinked. 

“...What are you thinking about?”

I laughed.

“Something I probably shouldn’t say out loud.”

“Tell me.”

I look up at where our coats hang by the door, and over at the couchside table where our knives lie side by side.

“...I was thinking about our first meeting.”

He laughs.

“Ohhh… Hehe, yeah…”

He rests his head in my lap again.

“...I think about it a lot.”

“Me too…”