Amara & John | Late Friday Evening [Backdated!]

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'You can't deny attraction; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants.' -Anon-

Glad to be inside where it was warm, John looked out the window and noticed that it had started to drizzle.

"Aside from tempting me with that slice of apple pie, are you also manipulating the weather, princess?" John had been adamant about heading back to the office after dropping Amara off at the mansion but she had invited him inside for some coffee and pie.

Like he could resist the temptation.

John took hold of the coffee pot and refilled their cups before taking a seat at the counter, facing her.

"Not at all," Amara said with a bit of a smile. "I think you're just lucky it's not snowing again. Then you might be stuck here all weekend, and then where would you be?"

Amara hadn't realised that making sure John didn't go back to the office would turn into something of a marathon effort - but she could be stubborn as well, which was (partially) what had led her to inviting him back for coffee and pie.

He still had two reports to finish and a conference call to prepare for but he decided that it could wait for the weekend. Aside from forcing Angelo to try out fly fishing on Sunday and then heading out to the bar for a few drinks, he really had no other plans.

"Probably jobless if I don't get that report out by tomorrow night." He smirked. "But hey, being stuck with you and all this food here over the weekend doesn't sound all too bad."

"Somehow I think you're exaggerating about the potential job loss," she replied with a smirk of her own. "Even if it wasn't for the fact that they'd have to be stupid to do so, I can't see Angelo letting it happen." She took a sip of her coffee, her hands wrapped around the mug to keep it warm.

"And now I know your weakness. All I have to do is tempt you with food, and you'll be out of the office quick smart." Not something Amara was likely to take advantage of - if nothing else, she was a workaholic herself, and she was just as likely to be up til all hours studying herself.

John chuckled. "Well, I hate to say it but I kind of like being at the office. I mean, I started out thinking of Elpis as just a stepping stone towards something better. I never imagined I would want to make a career out of it." John cut himself another slice of pie and forced a tiny bit of it onto Amara's plate. "Then when I think about how much it has changed me as a person..."

That made him stop talking and he stuffed more pie into his mouth. Time for a change of subject.

"Stinky would appreciate this," John said and quirked an eyebrow at Amara, wondering if she would allow the little rat to indulge in some sweets tonight.

Amara just smiled as he talked about Elpis, letting him talk - and then change the subject - without comment. She'd already worked out that he wasn't usually the sort of person who opened up about himself, and she hoped it wasn't the last time he did. She accepted the pie with a smile, forking off a small piece and popping it into her mouth before huffing at his choice of subject changes.

"You can't give rats sugary things!" She said with a shake of her head. "And her name is Chama, thank you. Not Stinky."

"The rats would disagree. Where have you got her hidden anyways?"

"She lives in my room. You're welcome to come and see if you like." There was a pause, and then she looked at John's pie. "As long as you don't try and smuggle that in."

John simply smirked. "Don't worry. I'll be a good boy and finish this up." When John had brought the rat over to her about a month or so ago, he also gave Amara a cage and a wheel to go with it. He didn't think it suited the rat though since it was a hamster's cage but he couldn't just carry the little thing in a box. It would have eaten its way out and John was actually kind of squeamish about things like rats and insects. He wouldn't of course admit it. What kind of a man would that make him?

Amara grinned a little in return. "That's unusual for you, isn't it?" There was a teasing note in her voice, and she scooped up the last bit of her pie to eat.

"Oh, I've been known to make exceptions from time to time." John finished up his pie and stood up, ready to head upstairs. How exciting! Only, clearly, Amara was really just going to show him her rat. She wasn't one of those girls who, after inviting him in for coffee, would proceed to jump him. Amara was a decent girl who had been raised in a forest filled with talking animals, gnomes and fairies and whatnot. John really didn't have a clue except he imagined it to be something akin to Mowgli's life in The Jungle Book.

"Should I be flattered?" She asked with a smile, collecting both their plates to wash before they left. Nothing was more annoying than finding someone else's dishes left to be washed. It took all of two seconds, and then she turned to John and the door.

"Yvette will probably be asleep, so we'll have to be quiet." It's true, Amara didn't think much of the invite past John visiting the rat she'd relieved him of. Her upbringing in Nova Roma hadn't been quite as uncivilized as he supposed, and both of her parents had drilled into her the proper way to behave. She was starting to loosen up in that regards, but she still had a long way to go.

"I almost forgot about your little roommate." Only, Yvette was not so little anymore and probably hated it when John insisted on treating her like the twelve year old he liked to think she still was. "Quiet as mice then." John smirked and placed a finger over his lips. "You should be flattered I'm not up to my usual antics." Of say, waking Yvette up with a scare. That was of course, not a good idea considering how dangerous Yvette could be, especially when she was in lethal spiky form.

"She's not really that little," Amara said with a little laugh. "You know, attending college, being an X-Man. People do grow up." She raised an eyebrow at this last comment. "And what would your usual antics entail?" She'll reserve judgment on being flattered.

"Why would I tell you that? As it is, I'm already digging myself a deeper grave here." John chuckled. "Rest assured it's nothing that would get me arrested or thrown out." Probably.

"Interests of full disclosure? I'm still not sure whether I should be flattered or not." She smiled a little at him. "But I suppose I can accept that as an answer. As long as you do manage to behave."

"Define behave. Because if I'm just supposed to refrain from feeding your rat sweets, then sure. But say for instance, we were both standing in the hallway in the middle of the night with no one else around but us. And say, I decided I wanted to come a little closer to you." He stepped forward, standing just a few inches away from her now. "Like so." He gave her a smile. "Maybe you're afraid of the dark. Or maybe I am." John lifted his hand and let it run down the length of her arm. "Am I still behaving?"

Amara shook her head at that. "You're not, but I suppose I could give you a free pass on this one." She smiled sweetly up to him. "I stopped being afraid of the dark when I taught myself how to do this." She raised the hand of the arm he'd touched, letting the heat of her aura flare up, her hand now wreathed in flame.

John was quick to take control of her fire the moment he saw her use her powers. There was really no need for him to get a third degree burn on account of her being hot. He watched as the shadows of the flame danced across her features, and he arched his eyebrow.

"You just had to make yourself that much more attractive to me."

It was crazy talk. But she was fire. And he always liked fire.

Amara just laughed softly at that, letting the flame settle down again.

"You haven't seen anything yet," she replied, resuming the walk up to her suite. It wasn't usually like Amara to be so daring, but there was always a first time for everything, right?

"Are you saying I'm going to?" John asked, watching the sway of her hips as she walked away from him. He took a deep breath and followed her.

"I don't know, we'll see." Despite being the one to initiate the trip upstairs, Amara was currently having trouble remembering why it was they were heading up there. Why had she invited him up here again?

John was wondering about that too. It was all a bit sketchy now. Fire. Incredibly sexy girl. Heat. Room. Rat? What rat? He was just tempted to grab a hold of Amara, whirl her around and pin her against the nearest wall. The only reason he hadn't done that already was because she wasn't some random girl he wouldn't see again come tomorrow, and that made him think twice.

Still, John couldn't seem to keep his eyes off her.

When they finally reached her shared suite, he leaned his shoulder against the wall and waited for her to unlock the door.

"Maybe I should go." Funny how his hands seemed to have a mind of their own though. "Let you get some sleep," he said as he slowly began to pull her toward him.

"I had a lovely time tonight," Amara replied, her moment of daring passing as she returned to her usual more formal self. She leaned in to kiss his cheek, fumbling a little with her keys.

That was his cue to leave. John helped her open the door; keys, tricky little things. "I'll see you Monday then." He gave her a smile and stepped away. "Sleep tight."

"See you Monday," she agreed with a nod and a smile, pausing just inside her door before he walked away. "Sweet dreams, John."