If you're still wanting numbers for the short fic thing - 26 or 43!
Guess who found time to write? SPOILERS - IT ME.
43. Why Are We Whispering?Post T&T, Pre AJ, No established relationship. Phoenix/Maya
Maya swayed against Phoenix, her heels wobbling dangerously on the asphalt as they crossed the road back towards the office building from the Gatewater Hotel. He sighed to himself, tightening his arm around her shoulder so she straightened up slightly, stumbling as she tried to regain her footing.
She peered up at him, slightly unfocused through her thick bangs. A smile spread across her lips.
“Hello Maya,” he replied, exhaling with an edge of disapproval.
“Hi…” she said again, smiling sheepishly and leaning her head against his shoulder.
Phoenix turned his attention away from her greetings and toward helping the significantly inebriated Master of Kurain up the small step from the gutter to the sidewalk. She clutched at his dress shirt and giggled as she wobbled on her heels again.
“Wow, I shouldn’t have worn such high heels,” Maya said with an airy laugh.
“Well, you probably shouldn’t have drank an entire bottle of rum, either.” Phoenix muttered to himself, under his breath.
“Huh?” Maya asked, teetering again as she spun on her heels to look at him.
“Nothing,” Phoenix said, shaking his head. “Let’s just get you inside.”
She reached up and tugged on his bow tie, unraveling the neat knot.
“You’re so cute, Nick.” she giggled. “You’re cute when you’re mad at me.”
“I’m not mad at you,” Phoenix said automatically, although it was bordering on truth. He was annoyed at the very least.
“You so are,” Maya said, pushing ungracefully through the office block door and heading for the stairs.
Phoenix followed behind her, saying nothing. He watched at she slipped off her black heels, dangling them from her fingertips and skipped over to the stairwell like a drunk gazelle. She stopped at the foot of the first flight of stairs, turning back to him with a pout.
“Well obviously I am in no condition to climb all those stairs.” Maya accentuated with a flourish of her free hand towards the stairwell.
“I thought you said you weren’t drunk.” Phoenix smirked, crossing his arms.
“I never said that!” Maya countered. “Wait, did I say that?” she frowned, trying to remember.
“I believe you said it multiple times, rather loudly at the reception ten minutes ago when I was trying to get you to put down your drink and leave.” Phoenix shrugged as he supplied her with the missing information she sought.
“Honestly Nick,” she slurred, putting her hand on her hip. “That doesn’t sound like something I would do.”
Phoenix chuckled to himself as he joined her at the foot of the stairs. Annoyed or not, she was pretty funny when she was drunk.
“Come on,” he said, offering his hand. “I’ll help you walk up.”
Maya exaggerated her pout.
Phoenix stared back at her impassively, sighing as he realized where this was headed.
“Carry me?” Maya squeaked in a tiny voice.
“No way.” Phoenix replied flatly.
“But Nick,” Maya whined. “It’s too far, I’m soooo tired.”
“Maya you know I have a bad back. I can’t,” Phoenix refused again.
“Pleeeease?” Maya pleaded. “It’ll be just like the old days.”
Phoenix grunted under his breath. He had two choices right now. Carry the damn girl up the stairs or stay down here all night arguing with her about it. This was not a battle he was going to win.
“Fine,” he sighed, shaking his head.
“Yay!” Maya cheered, bouncing on the spot.
Phoenix moved closer and turned his back to her. He braced himself as she clambered on to his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Surprisingly, she wasn’t all that heavy. But he now faced a new problem as he immediately became aware of the proximity of her body to his. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the sensations of her soft curves wrapped around his body. This was not the time to be having thoughts like this.Begrudgingly, he took a step and began to ascend the stairs.
“You know, Nick.” Maya began, the heat of her breath making the hairs on his neck bristle. “You’re always there for me. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re just the sweetest guy ever. A girl could fall in love with a guy like you, you know.”
Phoenix’s heart back flipped in his chest.
“Well, no one has yet,” he responded self deprecatingly, playing it cool.
“That’s because ninety percent of the time you look like you’re homeless.” Maya laughed.
“You say homeless, I say comfortable,” Phoenix said. “I like those clothes.”
“Yeah, but you wore a suit for me, didn’t you.” Maya smiled, tracing her finger along the collar of Phoenix’s white dress shirt and grazing sensitive skin of his neck at the same time. Phoenix didn’t know if that was intentional. He didn’t want to know. It took every ounce of his control not to groan at her touch.
“I’m the lucky one,” Maya continued with a sigh. “I get to see how sexy you really are.”
“Maya, stop. You’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying.” Phoenix pleaded softly.
“What?” Maya teased. “It’s true. You are sexy. You always have been.”
She traced a fingertip along his earlobe. He jerked away, letting go of one of her legs to swat her hand away from his ear.
“Maya, don’t.” he said, a little more firmly.
Losing her balance without his hold on her leg, Maya’s body swung sideways. She clutched at him to prevent herself from falling but in doing so, knocked Phoenix off balance as well. He pulled her against himself to break their fall, his back hitting the stairs with a thud, winding him temporarily. He grimaced, letting out a grunt.
“Oh! Nick, are you okay?” Maya asked, blinking down at him.
“Yeah, I…” he stopped, the pain in his back forgotten. His arms were locked firmly around Maya’s waist. Her cheeks were flushed, chest heaving up and down with each breath (and quite the nice view as well, given the low cut cocktail dress she wore). Her lips. Her lips were so pink, so plump, so close…
His breath caught in his throat as she licked her lips, as if she had known that’s what he was thinking about. Then she laughed, and tapped him on the nose.
“Oh good. Thought you broke your old man back there for a second,” she laughed as she rolled away from him ungracefully and crawled up the remaining two stairs to their floor. Phoenix let out the breath he had been holding and stared at the ceiling before pulling himself to his feet with the railing.
Taking the last couple of steps up, he found Maya slumped against the wall, eyes closed.
“Come on, Maya. The office is just down the hall.” Phoenix said, gesturing toward the former Wright & Co office.
“Too far.” Maya complained. “I’ll just sleep here, goodnight Nick.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Phoenix said, leaning down to drape her arm over his shoulder and pull her to her feet. He took her shoes and pulled her up and shuffled the two of them towards the office. He unlocked the door and prodded Maya to push her inside.
“Ohhh I love this place.” Maya sighed, spinning around as she entered the office. “It still feels like home.”
“Okay,” Maya whispered loudly as he maneuvered towards the stairs. “Why are we whispering?”
“Because my daughter is asleep upstairs,” Phoenix replied.
“Ohhhhh,” Maya nodded, understanding. “Sorry Trucy. I promise I’ll tear your Dad’s clothes off quietly…”
“Maya, stop it.” Phoenix huffed. “You’re drunk.”
She backed Phoenix down the hallway, his back hitting his bedroom door at the end of the hall.
“I’m sober enough to know what I’m doing. Just drunk enough to have the courage to do it,” she drawled seductively, placing her hands on his chest.
“Maya don’t… please don’t do this. Not now.” he frowned, taking her hands in his and pulling them away from his chest. He turned around, opening the door.
“Just let me get some sweatpants and I’ll go sleep on the couch. You take my bed,” he said, heading into the room.
“Stay with me,” Maya pleaded, climbing on to the bed on her knees, while Phoenix rifled through his bedside drawer for the aforementioned sweatpants.
“We both know that’s a bad idea.” Phoenix said, shaking his head and avoiding those sparkling green eyes that would win him over in and instant.
“Nick…” she said again, her voice barely a whisper. Her tone caught him off guard and he looked up at her, finding her kneeling on his side of the bed. Despite every part of his brain screaming for him to get the hell out of that room, his body moved of its own accord toward the edge of the bed, stopping in front of her.
She rose up on her knees and reached out for him. He couldn’t have pulled away if he tried. Her fingers curled into the too long hair at the nape of his neck, pulling his head down to hers. He had expected fireworks, heat, explosions - isn’t that what they said would happen in the movies? But kissing her was like waves crashing against the shore. Natural, powerful, overwhelming. No fireworks, no fire, nothing but the pull of her tide and he felt like drowning. Her lips were soft and sweet, but demanding. He tamped down a surge of jealousy as he wondered where she had learned to kiss like this. His fingers reached up to trace her delicate cheekbone. Why did this absolute goddess choose him? How was he worthy?
The smooth slide of fabric as she slid his unraveled bow tie from his collar snapped him back to his senses. This girl was drunk. He stopped her hands as she moved to unbutton his shirt.
“Maya, we can’t. Not like this.” he breathed, regretting the words as they left his lips but knowing it was for the best.
Expecting her to argue again, he was shocked when she nodded in agreement. Gently, she cupped his cheek with her hand and smiled, looking him directly in the eyes.
“When I make love to you, Nick, I want you to know that it’s 100% my decision. Not a bottle of rum.”
He blinked, surprised at her forwardness before swallowing hard and nodding in reply.
“But stay.” she added. “Hold me.“
He nodded quickly, not sure what to say as emotion flooded through him.
She stared directly into his eyes as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, her fingertips grazing the bare skin of his shoulders as the thin fabric slid away. Unable to tear his gaze from hers, he unzipped the back of her dress, tracing a line down her spine as the fabric revealed the skin and lace beneath. She shivered beneath his touch and he felt a surge of power that he didn’t quite understand. Clad only in the tiny scraps of lace she wore underneath that devastating dress, she crawled under the covers. Phoenix slipped out of his shoes and dress pants and got into bed beside her. Immediately, she snuggled up against him. He stroked her hair, listening to her breathe until she broke the silence.
"You know I love you, right?” she asked, simply.
“You won’t remember this in the morning.” he whispered.
