Until Then

Malachi watched Joanne's fist sail towards his face like it was coming in slow motion. 

Holding up a single finger, he stopped it from coming closer for even a second and smiled at her somewhat helplessly.

"Now… what's this for?"

"Because you keep looking at me like that!" Joanne threw another drunken punch that was immediately caught by Malachi.

"Like what?"

"L-Like you… I don't know, I'm just not ready for you to look at me like that!"

Mal closed his eyes and turned his head away. "Better?"

A drunk Joanne took his genuine attempt to pacify her as a mockery.

So of course, she did what she felt to be the only natural thing.

She headbutted the young man in an attempt to knock him over.

And while she did succeed at that, her unawareness of Mal's new hardened physique proved to be her undoing.

The pain she felt from doing so was hardly worth it.

Actually not at all.

"Son of a bitch..!"