Mars Attacks

"Are you trying to kill me?" I cough, Zion starts making her way to us watching Mars with every slow step she takes.

"Never. May I?" he holds his hand over my back, I'm not sure if he was asking for my permission or Zion's.

Zion gives him half a nod and he gives me a steady pat on the back, helping me dislodge the piece of grape and also answering my unasked question.

"How did you get in here?" I steady myself by holding onto Mars' arm. His genuine concern for my wellbeing warms a part of my soul I never knew existed.

"I have my ways." He winks at me, the cheeky sparkle in his smile makes me roll my eyes. "But that's not important. Are you okay?" he bends around me to make eye contact, his eyebrows knit together and I have to physically restrain myself from wanting to smooth the creases of concern out of his forehead.

"I'm fine." I move away from his body, the sudden lack of warmth makes goose bumps appear on my arms and I am once again grateful for the clothes I am wearing around Mars. Zion gently rubs her head into my stomach, checking if I am actually fine.

"I'm okay, my girl, I promise." I put my forehead against hers.

"Hi, Zion. I'm sorry for trying to kill you the last time we met, I'm Mars." He reaches out and gives her a few scratches behind her ear. His bravery catches all three of us off guard and Zion's acceptance of this stranger is even more surprising. She stands up on her hind legs, she's actually small for a bear, her head just barely towers over mine. She picks an apple up off of the table and waddles back to her scratching post.

"She really is a rather odd creature." The amazement in Mars' voice perfectly matching the awe in his eyes.

"She likes you." I throw a peach at him, catching him off guard. He misses the fuzzy fruit at first but his perfect reflexes kick in and he has the peach safely in the palm of his hand before anyone could blink.

"Do you think so, Princess?" he takes a bite of the soft orange fruit.

"Don't call me that. But yes, she hasn't threatened to eat you yet, and she's basically leaving you alone with me. She doesn't do that with just anyone." I rub another peach on the sleeve of my shirt before biting into the sweet juicy fruit.

"Not even your fiancé?" his tone shifts to something slightly darker, something that sounds a touch like jealousy.

"No, not even Arrow." Zion looks at me with harsh eyes when I say Arrow's name, her disapproval makes her suddenly sneeze. Mars cackles at Zion's objection to the mere mention of Arrow.

"I agree, Zi. He does seem a little sickly." Mars is leaning against one of the thick pillars, his all black clothing obnoxious against the terracotta. His left foot is propped against the pillar, he looks like he is supposed to be standing there, sculpted from something not quite of this world.

"Just because I don't want to marry him doesn't mean he's a bad guy." I say quietly, as I unwrap the leather strap from my wrist, almost not wanting Mars to hear me. His expression flows from snark to confusion to a softness I have only ever seen in his face. He tousles his yellow curls, his mouth slightly open and his eyes searching my body for the answers to questions he did not ask.

"Is that why your brother let you win?" he settles on teasing me to bring some light into the heaviness suddenly between us. The space between us always seems far too wide and yet not wide enough.

"He did not let me win. But I would have, if he hadn't been called away." I take a drink of water without breaking eye contact with the tall man while he bites into the peach.

"Prove it." He whispers after licking his lips. In less than twenty four hours Mars has already figured out exactly which buttons to push in order to calm me, to distract me and to infuriate me. These two words hanging in the air somehow do all three.

I kick Ezra's sword across the tiles to Mars' feet. I wrap the worn leather back around my wrist and smoothly pull my sword from its sheath.

"There's one rule, well two actually. First, holding your sword by the blade means we stop, no matter what." I demonstrate by throwing my sword up slightly and catching it by the blunt blade as it falls back down. "Second, don't you dare go easy on me."

"Never in your wildest dreams, Princess." He smirks and lunges forward.

"Stop calling me that." I lunge forward as well, our swords meeting mid-air. The noise a beautiful symphony only we could dance to, the twisting pirouettes and fast footwork forming part of the music. Mars fights like me, his whole body expressing his thoughts, grunts and yells harmonising with my own. He is incredibly light on his feet, which is not something I am used to, his speed is however slowed by his height. There is simply more of him to move out of the way as I swing my blade towards him.

His face is serious, but the same playfulness I have grown so accustomed to in the mere moments I have known him, is dancing on the edges of his lips.

"But that's what you are, Princess." He snickers as his comment makes my movements more aggressive.

I kick up at him but he swerves and my boot makes contact with his wrist, sending his sword flying. I pause for a whisker of a second because it was not actually my intention to hurt him and being kicked on the wrist is often worse than a kick in the gut. He blinks in surprise and I would assume pain but grabs me by the ankle and spins me around, my back now pressed to his chest. The warmth of his body and his soft minty aroma makes my other senses go fuzzy for a second, that is till I feel the cold kiss of metal against my throat.

"I win." He whispers, holding my own sword against my neck, his entire hand swallowing mine on the hilt.

In response I throw my weight back, tucking my foot behind his in order to trip him. The unexpected nature of my attack makes it work. As we fall, he lets go of me, wanting to break his fall with his hands. I use this to my advantage and twist to face him while regaining my balance, he lands on his backside only slightly able to break his fall. I pounce on him, knocking his body to the ground. With my legs on either side of his body I pin him to the cool tiles as I sit on his chest, my sword threatening his neck. He holds his hands up in defeat.

"I don't think you do." I lean in closer to be able to whisper my taunt. Our noses almost touch and I can smell the peach on his warm but rugged breath. His hands make their way to my hips, making my breathing even more irregular as well. There is fire under my skin, following the soft movement of his hands.

"I definitely do." He whispers back, his eyes on fire. I can't stop thinking about what his lips would feel like on mine.

Suddenly the world is spinning as he uses his weight to flip us over, with him now pinning me down.

An unexpected scream turns into laughter half way out of my mouth, catching Zion's attention but she merely huffs at the two of us on the floor. The spark of my semi-hysterical laughter lights Mars' bubbling laughter.

"You should do that more, it suits you." He smiles down at me, his eyes mapping my face. I feel the blood rushing into my cheeks, painting them red with blush. I hide my face in his chest trying desperately to avoid his eyes, the laughter still ringing in the air around us. I put my head back on the hard tiles underneath me as my laughter calms into a simple smile. We lie on the floor, with him pinning me down for what feels like days and milliseconds at the same time.

I commit his face to memory, the exact shade of the stubble on his cheeks, the distance from the corners of his mouth to his dimples, the way his lips look like they'd taste of sour cherry and sunsets. I reach my hand up to his face, my fingertips tracing the small scar above his left eyebrow, I let my nails gently scratch the short honey hair on his chin. His eyes, now darker than I've ever seen them, fall shut as my fingers graze his lips, he exhales as if he was holding his breath. The air around us seems alive with combustibility, all we have to do is light a match.

"You smell… of hope." He traces my jaw with his nose as he whispers, "I want nothing more than to drown in it."

The sharp clearing of a throat shatters our delicate peace. Nailah is standing in the doorway, a look I can only describe as 'oh shit' on her face.

"Nailah! This is Mars." I scramble out from under his perfect weight, my shirt slightly dishevelled under the chest armour and I dread to even imagine what images my now half braided hair is creating in her mind. "He's a…"

"Friend. I was just helping Celine finish up her training." He catches my inability to form a coherent thought and shapes it into a believable lie. Well, maybe it's believable because it's true. He flashes Nailah one of his most dazzling smiles and kisses the back of her hand, her cheeks taking on the colour of her dress. "But I really should get going. Princess. Miss Nailah." He bows gracefully before turning to Zion in the back of the room, "See you soon Zi!" she yaps in response making Mars chuckle and Nailah's mouth fall open.

Before Nailah could comment on Zion's casual response Mars vanished out of the same window he had seemingly magically appeared in earlier. Nailah turned to me, her eyebrows carving questions into her forehead. It is my turn to be the same colour as her dress.

"What just happened?" She whispers, not really directing the question to anyone.

"I wish I knew." My finger traced the trail he had blazed on my jaw. The air suddenly seems colder without him in the room, the colours seem duller. Even Zion seems less at ease without Mars.