Title: Almost

Genre: Angst/Romance

Word count: 334

Rating: K+

Warnings: Emotional manipulation

He didn't need to have idle hands in order to be the devil's servant — if such a fellow existed. He did his best damning work when he was busy, and it had been a long time since he slept all through the night.

It was easy to find her through her electronic outcries for company.

Easier to ask her out to coffee. Even simpler still to charm her into a second meeting.

Good God (if He existed), she was ordinary. Plain.
Mass produced in a warehouse and cookie cutter stamped into something so expect-able it was almost humorous.
Almost.

She was a means to an end; a beautiful end that kept him awake at night and his thoughts drifting from the more mundane tasks about his criminal empire.

And yet, he enjoyed her company.
She amused him.
He hadn't known that good girls still existed; and yet here she was.

Here they were.
Sitting on her couch and watching vapid television.

It had taken a lot of subtle coaxing, but she was leaned into him with his arm wrapped around her.
It made his lips curl in bitter humor to be in such a protective posture.

As if he would keep her safe.

He was much more likely to be the downfall of this plain, ordinary little slip of a girl.
He felt an unexpected slice of sorrow at the thought.
She was so unsullied. It was a pity to ruin her downtrodden views of life further.
She would probably be a morgue attendant her entire life. And also possibly alone.
Pity.
She would have made some man very happy with her sweet attentions.

His fingers tightened briefly on her shoulders, and she looked up at him quizzically, her hair tickling against his jaw.
He smiled in a blank, but reassuring way, and loosened his grip.

It was strange; he was almost sorry that she would end up alone again; having gotten attached to him — a murderer — of all people.

Almost.

A/N: ahahaaa~ remember me?

I suddenly found myself in favor of this pairing without having any idea how it happened.

It hurts and so I must write.

Thanks to Corscopa for beta-ing!

Tell me what you think :)

- ACG