#testing his luck

“Two packs of Marlboro.”

The grocery store clerk was ignoring him, his eyes were on Faye, on Faye's ass to be precise, and she was strutting around, aware that she was being watched. Looking for something on a shelf, she had bent over just enough for them to enjoy the spectacle of her shorts.

“Two packs of cigarettes, Marlboro,” he repeated, clearing his throat loudly.

“Huh?” the boy asked without even looking at him.

“Tobacco,” Spike said, waving the hand in front of his eyes.

The cashier turned to the shelf, picked them up, and set the tobacco on the table, at the very moment Faye set the basket full of stuff on the counter.

Faye flashed a mesmerizing smile while handing him the credit card.

Spike stepped back to enjoy the show. One by one, the boy put the groceries into the bags, while Faye flirted and enjoyed herself, leaning against the counter.

“Would you like me to carry your groceries to the car?” asked the clerk when he finished packing all the groceries.

“Okay,” Faye smiled again daintily, falsely and maliciously.

The boy carried a few bags, quite heavy, Faye carried bread under her arm and walked in front of him wiggling her hips, aware of every gesture. He followed her like a lapdog, under her spell.

Spike went out after them, the hands in the pockets, whistling and walking at a slow pace.

When the brat left, after placing all the groceries in the Red Tail, Faye turned around smiling triumphantly and pulled a bottle of extremely expensive whiskey out of her shirt.

“They look at me, but they don't see me,” she said, kissing the bottle. “Idiot.”

“They don't see anyone else,” he replied, pulling the cartons of tobacco out of his jacket.

She flashed a charming expression and high-fived him.

“Anyway, he missed the best part,” Spike said, removing the sunglasses Faye had stolen from the store and wearing them himself.

Faye looked down to hide her blush, despite being fully aware of her good looks, she didn't know how to take the compliments.

“ It is even funnier at poker,” she said, turning around and putting the bottle away with the rest of the groceries. “A little cleavage… a skirt shorter than it should be… and no one looks at my hands.”

“What if someone doesn't fall for your tricks? What if you get caught cheating?” Spike asked, handing her the tobacco, so she could pack it too. “I realized you were cheating me when we first met.”

“Shoot and run,” she shrugged. “Wouldn't be the first time.”

Faye sighed and smiled sadly, it didn't surprise him that she always ended up in trouble. She had learned to survive the hard way, they had woken her up in a wild new world, leaving her to her own fate, with no resources and no tools to adapt in the unknown.

“ Don't move,” Spike suddenly became serious and took a step toward her, slipped his arm around her waist, and placed his hand on the Glock Faye kept in her pants. “Don't look back, look at me.”

“What's wrong?” she asked with a serious expression and stood on guard.

Spike leaned over and with his free hand gently cupped her face and kissed her.

“You're an idiot,” she said as he broke away from her, giving a small shove. “You scared me, asshole.”

“Let's get back to the Bebop,” Spike chuckled as he raised his eyebrows and turned his back on her, walking back to the ship.

Turning on the intercom, he saw through the camera that she was putting on her make-up. She was totally focused, applying her lipstick with exquisite detail.

“That color is hideous,” Spike finally said for the sake of saying something, so she could tell he was looking at her, though he was sure she knew, that she always knew when he was looking at her.

“ Well, you've got it all over your face, sweetheart,” Faye replied without taking her eyes off the mirror as she ran her hands through her hair.

“Touché” Spike laughed, turning on the Swordfish's engine and moving into gear. “Faye?” he asked when they had been flying for over half an hour in absolute silence.

“What?” she kept staring down the road.

“You would marry me?” he asked, his voice laden with irony.

“What? Excuse me?” she looked at him through the camera and burst out laughing. “How can you ask me such things? Do you want me to crash?”

“It's a rhetorical question,” Spike maneuvered to bring the aircraft up to her height.

“Why the hell would you want to get married anyway?” she said, looking at him through the window and grimacing in disbelief.

“Why not? Weddings are fun,” Spike replied, slightly offended.

“Spike, all our friends are dead, it would be the saddest wedding in the universe,” Faye sentenced, shooting him a skeptical look through the phone.

“You're a real romantic, aren't you, Faye?” he commented sarcastically.

“We wouldn't even have witnesses, Spike,” she sighed.

“Ed and Jet?” Spike asked. “Takes two people, doesn't it?”

“Ed's underage, she can't,” Faye tapped her fingertips on the camera screen.

“Then we'll wait until she's older,” he sentenced earnestly but with a mocking look on his face.

“Sure, Spike, whatever you say,” Faye said in a sarcastic tone.

“What a poor sense of humor you have, my dear,” he said, smiling broadly.