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CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
This chick is literally insane.
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"Whoopsie-daisy!" Aki exclaimed as she pretended to trip over her own feet, feigning that she was intoxicated once again. But before she could stumble to the ground, Chuuya managed to catch onto her, keeping her on her feet. The sound of the pair laughing (very forcibly) made the heads of the two guards standing in front of Mr and Mrs Nanako's suite turn to face them. They were on a restricted floor—hence why they were pretending to be heavily under the influence, so that the armed men wouldn't open fire immediately. If they pretended to be normal civilians, there was no way they were about to shoot them.

"Stop right there!" One of the guards yelled, a pair of aviator sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose. Who the hell wears sunglasses indoors? Aki thought to herself. Idiots who want to make themselves look cool.

Chuuya faked innocence, pointing at his chest and widening his eyes, "Who us? Is he talking to us?" He slurred his speech ever so slightly to make the lie more believable.

"Yes, we're talking to you. This is a restricted hallway, you can't—"

"My apologies, sir," Chuuya apologised, stepping towards the man, his arm still tucked under Aki's, pretending that he was supporting her. "My wife and I were simply looking for the restrooms. You know how women are, they always gotta pee. Tiny fucking bladders and that shit." He lied, gesturing dismissively with his free hand, but the moment he did, the assault rifles in the guards hands lit up red before flying out of their hands, clattering against the wall.

The guards gasped, "Wha—Gifted!" The one on the left yelled, reaching into the back of his trousers to extract his backup gun. But the moment his fingers grasped it, Aki extended a hand, a small burst of seismic energy leaving the tips of her fingers. It made the gun slide out of his grip, landing a few feet down the hallway.

"Sorry, boys. But we can't let you do that." Aki said, settling her hands on her hips, a big thrilling grin on her lips.

Chuuya took a step forward, his outstretched hand still glowing red. Within a second, the men were pinned to the double doors, also surrounded in the red hue. The man with the sunglasses grunted, "You—you aren't getting away with this!" He yelled, like some kind of Scooby-Doo villain, much to the pairs amusement

Ali chuckled, approaching him as Chuyya stood behind her, keeping the men pinned in place, "Actually, we are," She gloated. "I took out all of the security cameras—there's no way for anyone to ever know we were here." It was true. As she and Chuuya had walked through the building, Aki had made sure to destroy the cameras using her ability before they could ever spot them. It was the perfect crime.

"You son of a bitch." The other man hissed through his teeth, his feet dangling off the ground.

Aki tilted her head, "That is no way to talk to a lady." She tutted as the red hue glowed brighter around them, making them gasp for air. Within a second, they were unconscious and Chuuya released his ability, allowing their bodies to hit the ground with a thump. He hadn't killed them—there was no need. They weren't exactly renowned criminals, just some low-grade bodyguards. They weren't any kind of threat to the Port Mafia.

Aki dusted her hands, clapping them together, "Well, that was easy," She chirped before pulling the keycard out of her bra. She waved it in the air, giving Chuuya a grin. "Now, time for the heist." She said with excitement, waving the keycard at him as he approached.

"You're having way too much fun with this." He said, snatching the keycard from her hand. But he couldn't deny that he was enjoying it to. He always enjoyed missions—they gave him a thrill that nothing else in his life could compete with. But he wasn't about to let Aki know he was as just as crazy as she was.

Chuuya slipped the keycard through they key-holder, watching as the small circular light turned green. He pushed the double doors open, taking a few steps inside. A whistle left his lips as he took in the suite—it was all kinds of fancy, even for someone who worked with the Port Mafia, "Damn, I imagine this is where most of the Bosses money went." He said, sliding his hands into his pockets, crossing the open-planned room.

Aki stepped in after him, closing the doors behind her, "Shit, you wanna just forget the mission and live here for the rest of our lives?" She suggested, heading straight for the circular spinning sofa in the middle of the room. She threw herself on it and then began spinning it in circles as if it were a teacup ride at a carnival.

Chuuya scoffed, "No thanks. I'd kill you after a day." He refused, blue eyes scanning his surroundings. If I were a safe, where would I be? He thought to himself.

Aki stopped spinning and flung her arm over the back of the sofa, "You kill me? I'm the assassin, remember. I'd have you killed within the hour." She confidently told him, lips twitching into a smile. Though, she did feel slightly dizzy from all of her spinning.

Chuuya's eye twitched, "How could I forget," He said under his breath. "Now get off your ass and help me find the safe." He ordered, turning to face her with his hands in his trouser pockets. Aki looked him up and down—he looked pretty good, standing there and giving her orders.

"Don't have to," She said with a nonchalant shrug before pointing across the room. "It's behind that ugly-ass painting." Chuuya's head snapped in the direction of where she had been pointing, his icy stare landing on the painting in question. It was basically just a splash of neutral colours on a canvas—a toddler could have more artistry in their pinky-finger. That is pretty fucking ugly.

Chuuya crossed the room as Aki leaned on the edge of the sofa, reaching across for a mint out of the bowl in the centre of the glass coffee table. She opened up the wrapper and popped it in her mouth before immediately screwing up her face—the mint was incredibly stale. She spat it out, straight back into the bowl. Clearly, they were for decoration.

Chuuya took the painting off the wall, his lips parting when he spotted the metal safe built into the wall, "Holy shit," He breathed out before whipping around to face the woman who had gone back to spinning around in endless circles in the sofa. "How did you know it would be there?"

"Because it's where I would put it," She said as she brought the spinning chair to a halt. She stood to her feet, not even a tiny wobble in her step. "And it's pretty fucking obvious—it's in like every heist movie to ever exist." She added, giving a shrug. That was exactly why she'd hidden her secret burner phone behind the painting in her bedroom, it was so stupidly obvious that no one would ever think to look.

Chuuya felt like she was calling him stupid without saying those exact words. He turned away from her, facing the safe, "Well, do you have any idea how we can open it? If I use my gravity, I might crumble the entire wall. It's not exactly subtle." He said, settling a sassy hand on his hip as Aki strode towards him, her hips swaying in her skintight dress.

"Lucky for us, I am very good at being subtle." She chirped, stopping in front of him. Chuuya thought she had the subtlety of an elephant in a room.

She put her hand on the spoke of the safe whilst closing her eyes. A small rumble filled the room, shaking the ornaments on display. Within a blink of an eye, the spoke shattered into pieces, blowing air towards Aki and Chuuya, their hairs moving in the breeze, "Yay!" Aki exclaimed, pulling the safe open now that she had broken the lock whilst Chuuya stared at her in bewilderment. He was used to using his ability in full force, since it was typically used for combat—but it seemed that Aki knew how to use her ability in small bursts. It was impressive to say the least.

The open safe revealed stacks upon stacks of money, along with a handgun, a vintage bottle of wine and documents for the casino, "There we go, mission accomplished thanks to my greatness." Aki gloated, taking a step back, her hand pressed to her chest.

Chuuya blew out a puff of air, "And I suppose I did absolutely nothing to help?" He assumed in annoyance, narrowing his eyes at her.

Aki chuckled, "Don't worry about it, you were really pretty to look at in your tuxedo," She flirted, giving him a wink. He made sure to keep his heartbeat under control. "And I suppose, you weren't that much of a lousy fake-husband." She added, giving him a closed smile, her eyes shining into his.

Chuuya rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well you were a pretty shitty fake-wife." He fired back at her.

"I was an amazing fake-wife." Aki corrected.

"Shitty," Chuuya sang as he reached into the safe, beginning to count the stacks of cash. He overcounted on purpose, deciding it was best to take more that what was owed to his Boss, that way, it would be harder to be tied back to the Port Mafia. "Amazing fake-wives wouldn't pull my hair and stomp on my feet." He argued, simultaneously flicking through the money, counting it at an impressive speed—but that made sense. Chuuya Nakahara was rolling in money, and that had given him the ability to count cash at an abnormally quick rate.

Aki rolled her eyes, "Suck my dick, short-fry."

Chuuya threw a wad off cash directly at her with full force, but she caught it effortlessly in her hand, "What have I told you about taking the piss out of my height!" He exclaimed angrily, always being quick to go from zero to a hundred within a second. Especially when it came to his height.

Aki rose the cash to her nose, giving it a sniff. God, she loved the smell of money. She looked up at him through her lashes, "I don't remember. I kinda zone out when you speak." She told him, a sweet smile on her lips.

Chuuya glared at her, "One of these days, I'm seriously going to kill you."

There was a wad of cash sitting on Mori's desk. He sat behind it, staring at the money with a pleased smile on his lips, a glass of wine between his fingertips, "I knew I made the right decision putting you two together." He was saying to Aki and Chuuya who stood in front of him. They had completed their mission without any faults—no one was any of the wiser, having zero suspicion that the money had been taken by the Port Mafia, since Chuuya had made the decision to take more than what was owed. That way, it threw them off.

"Well done, the both of you," Mori praised, reaching out to take one of the wads of cash between his gloved fingertips. He flipped through the notes. "Akira, we have set up a bank account for you—your payment for this job should be in your account within the hour." Fuck yeah. Aki had never truly had her own money. The assassins at the Double A were never paid for their jobs—the money went straight to the organisation. Of course, their expenses were paid for, but it wasn't the same as having her own money. She couldn't wait to buy more snacks.

"You're too kind, Boss." Aki gushed dramatically, putting her hand over her heart.

Mori offered her a closed smile, "You may go—and feel free to take the day off tomorrow. You worked well together today, that deserves to be awarded."

Chuuya nodded, "Thank you for your generosity, Boss." He thanked, taking his hat from his head and putting it to his chest. He bowed slightly, closing his eyes—a sign of respect. Aki was thrilled to have money and a day off but she wasn't about to join in on the ass kissing.

The pair were dismissed, finally being able to part ways, but before they did, Aki stopped the redhead, "Wait, before you go," She spoke up as Chuuya attempted to head in the opposite direction. He was planning on heading straight to the office to catch up on some paperwork before calling it a night. Chuuya glanced at her form over his shoulder, making Aki turn her gaze to the ground. "Look, I haven't forgot about how you covered for me with Kana, and I—"

"You don't have to thank me," Chuuya spoke over her, turning to face the woman. He screwed up his face. "Actually, I'd prefer it if you didn't. I think you thanking me could actually make me drop down dead on the spot." He added, making her roll he eyes.

"I wasn't going to thank you, dipshit," She hissed, sticking her nose in the air. She squirmed a little. "Well, not with my words anyway. I mean, it's not really a thank you either way—it's just to show my appreciation," She was stuttering slightly. It made Chuuya look at her as though she had sprouted a second head. Aki's eyes widened, "Don't look at me like that! I am not thanking you!" She exclaimed, gesturing with her fist.

Chuuya reached up, rubbing his forehead, "Then what are you doing? Cause this shit is giving me a serious headache." He complained, massaging the skin above his brow.

Aki was growing more and more frustrated as the moment went on, "I just—I need you to come with me. It'll only take a second." She was staring at him pleadingly, almost looking vulnerable. Her eyes weren't narrowed or annoyed—in fact, they were all wide and doe-like.

Chuuya blinked, "Okay?" He said unsurely.

Aki sighed before turning sharply on her heels, "Just—follow me." She didn't give him much of a choice, marching off at high speed. She was telling him to follow her, though it seemed like she was simultaneously trying to lose him. Chuyya was confused beyond belief. He didn't understand a single thing that was happening, but he couldn't deny that he was curious.

They walked down the hallway before cutting down the flight of stairs at the back-end of the hall, in the opposite direction of the elevator. Chuuya kept himself a few paces behind as he followed her, acknowledging how tense her shoulders seemed to be. What the hell had her so stressed out? He reached up, unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt and loosening his tie as he wondered what the hell her issue was.

They left the stairwell, entering the hallway were some of the Port Mafia members were housed. Aki swung open the door to her room, leaving it wide open, "Come in. I have something I want to give you." She said, crossing her bedroom in large strides as Chuuya hovered by the door.

"I'm not so sure I want to." He said unsurely. He didn't know how he felt about being alone in her bedroom with the trained assassin, especially not with her shifty behaviour. That woman had at least five different personalities and he never knew which one was in control.

Aki glared at him from over her shoulder, "Nakahara, get in the room." If I die, I'm haunting the shit out of Mori, Chuuya thought to himself. After all, it was his Bosses fault that he was involved with the raven-haired assassin in the first place.

He stepped over the threshold.

Aki reached down the side of her bed and Chuuya stiffened, contemplating the possibility of her drawing a weapon. If she did, he would destroy her with his ability within a second, no questions asked. But instead of pulling out a weapon, she held a gift bag between her hands that had the word 'Welcome' written across it in a bubbly font.

No, this is worse than being murdered.

Aki crossed the room towards him, "I reused the gift bag from Mori—but the gift is from me." She told him, offering the bag to the redhead.

Chuuya eyed her suspiciously, "Is it a bomb?"

Aki glared at him, "Open the damn gift, Nakahara." She ordered sharply.

Chuuya sighed and took the bag from her dainty hands. It was a little heavy. He reached inside, his fingers curling around the neck of a bottle. His lips parted. He pulled out the bottle, examining it—he realised pretty quickly it was a bottle of wine; a very expensive vintage one.

Aki stepped back from him, "I really appreciate what you did for me—however, there is nothing I hate more than being indebted to someone. So if you ever do it again, I will murder you, dismember your limbs and throw you in the Yokohama river," She said all within one breath, her cheeks flushed, feeling flustered and frustrated. "So, take this bottle of wine and drink yourself into oblivion. Better yet, choke on it." Why the hell is she getting so angry? Chuuya thought to himself in disbelief. She was giving him a gift, yet her tone held venom—and she wouldn't meet his gaze. This chick is literally insane.

And then he noticed something.

He took a step forward, gripping the neck of the bottle, "Hold up—are you fucking blushing?" He asked her in surprise, taking in how her cheeks were tinted pink. She was trying to hide it by keeping her head down, allowing her hair to fall on her face, but he had picked up on it either way.

Aki's head snapped upwards, a ferocious glare on her face, "I'm not blushing! My cheeks are red because I'm mad—"

"Mad? Why the hell are you mad?" Chuuya demanded.

"Because you infuriate me!" Aki yelled at him, throwing her hand up and taking a step forward. "You covered for me and it—it took me by surprise, alright? I don't like being surprised. And I sure as hell don't like owing anyone a debt! So next time, just do us both a favour and mind your own damn business!" She continued yelling, her cheeks only growing hotter. If her Boss had seen her right then, she would have been punished for such an outburst of raw emotion. A few days in solitary confinement perhaps.

Chuuya mimicked her, stepping forwards, gesturing with the wine bottle, "That's fine by me! I was only covering my own ass anyway!" He shouted at her, the back of his ears heating up.

"Good!" Aki screeched.

"Good!" Chuuya repeated in the same tone.

They fell silent.

Chuuya's gaze diverted to the bottle of wine in his hands. If he smashed it and then stuck the edges in his carotid artery then he would drop dead and he wouldn't have to deal with being around the maniac standing in front of him anymore. Bliss. It would be utter bliss. He would have his peace and quiet again. Or he could simply just smash the bottle over her head, taking her by surprise before using his Gravity Manipulation to take her out. Hmmm, the possibilities.

The longer her stared at the bottle, the more he recognised it. He perked up, "Wait," Aki's back straightened out, "Isn't this the wine from the safe?" He questioned, turning the bottle in his hand to show to her. Aki turned away, like a child being accused of having their hand in the cookie jar. It was all Chuuya needed to know she was, in fact, guilty of gifting him something that belonged to someone else. "You asshole! You didn't even buy this!" He yelled accusingly.

Aki marched up to him, her eyes wide with annoyance, "What do you want me to do! I don't have any money yet!" She exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her hands. "Don't be so ungrateful! I went through a lot of hassle to bring this back here without you noticing!" She shouted at him, waving her fist in his face.

"God, you are so deceitful!"

"Cry about it!"

"You're the one who looks like they're about to cry!"

Aki took a grand step towards him, making their chests almost touch, "If you don't want it then just give it back!" She demanded, holding her hand out for him to place the wine bottle into.

Chuuya spun away form her, turning his back, "No, it's mine." He refused, greedily holding it to his chest. She might not have bought the wine herself—but it was vintage, right up his alley. He planned on having a glass whilst reviewing paperwork.

"Then take the wine and get lost, asshole!" She exclaimed, giving his back a rough shove.

"Already leaving." He bitterly chirped, heading for the door.

"Good!" She repeated her word from before.

"Good riddance!" Chuuya yelled back before slamming the door shut on his way out.

Aki stood there, seething on the spot. She was surprised the floor hadn't crumbled beneath her from pure rage. Fucking Chuuya Nakahara.

AUTHORS NOTE.

these two crack me up. that is all.

— taylor xx