Touched Your Skin

Tonight it was all about his little brother. Organising his pub for the occasion was Ace's job, but it looked like his girlfriend Annabelle Morgan, Yehnnefer's projeté was conducting all the arrangements. It baffled him how that bundle of curls could be so demanding around his people, and they will let it slide. He knew that most of them couldn't get over the fact that she was a witch in love with a hunter, but for him only Jimmy's happiness mattered. And this little girl was lighting Jimmy's face every time she entered a room. He saw his little brother backstage admiring the ring he bought for her, it was a simple circle of silver, with a sapphire shaped as a tear drop, as she always cried easily. Jimmy had too many emotions for Ace to deal with him now, so he was in the pub, behind the bar drinking a glass of whiskey waiting for his food order. He craved fish and chips, and Lena, his cook was taking too much to make them. Just when he was about to go to the kitchen little Annabelle came with his order, her brown curls bouncing everywhere along with her.

"Lena sent me with your food. I think I'm starting to become a nuisance to her, with the cake and all." Laughing she slides the food in front of him, and takes his glass of whiskey from his hand, downing it all in one go.

"Easy on the liquor or Jimmy will have my head on a plater if he finds you drunk."

"Sorry, it just that I'm super nervous, I want it all to be perfect. He's turning nineteen tonight and his rank will be decided once his snake comes out, and ..."

"He will love you, like always Annabelle. His beast was always present in the depths of his soul, so rest assured that all of Jimmy loves you."

"Umm...ok, yeah! You're right, I'm having thoughts that shouldn't be in my head. I tend to do that when I'm anxious." She smiled and left taking his glass with her. Ace just didn't have it in him to tell her, so he picked a bottle of beer and went to his usual booth, that overlooked all the pub, but still left him enough privacy to enjoy his dinner.

The pub was simple, in the past it belonged to his father Negan Andrews, and he didn't change much along the years. Just little touches there and there. All the pub was of wood, booth's from leather and simple tables of wood. He added paintings and more modern lights for the stage, but other than that, he didn't change much.

Uncapping his bear he was just about to take a bite from his fried fish, when he saw a flash of gold in front of his eyes and the fish disappeared from his hand. All he heard before that was.

"Pablo, NO!"

That damn cat was eating his fish in front of him, and he even helped himself with a second serving from his plate.

"I'm so sorry for this! I will pay for your next serving. He is more mannered... Usually. But today he had only two stakes and he's a sucker for fish. Umm..again, I'm really sorry for the trouble."

When he looked up, there she was, flustered and blushing. All her hair was in a weird attempt of a bun, on top of her head, she was wearing a big ass hoodie, simple and black, and leggings with boots. And something was different about her face, was that mascara?

"Hi, I'm Cheryl!" She put a wild strand of hair behind her ear and outstretched her hand in his face. Ace looked at it, then made eye contact with a passing waitress to bring him another serving of fish and chips. Ignoring her hand he lighted a cigarette and waited again for his order.

"I quess I deserved that for the last time..." Mumbling she took a seat next to him, baiting that damn cat of hers with his fish to get off the table. After she was satisfied she took her own cigarettes from her backpack and rummaged for a lighter, when ahe didn't find any she started talking again to Ace. "Can I borrow yours?"

Adamant to not respond to her, he pushed his zippo on the table, in front of her.

She took a drag, filling her lungs with the smoke then blowed it in a single puff, and scratched her cat behind his ears. When he finally thought that she was done talking, she spoke again, with a nervous tremble in her voice.

"Look, I know that we started on the wrong path, but it seems we're family, and I'm happy to have another brother."

He gave her a short laugh and turned a little so he could see her face.

"I'm not your brother, sugar. And you should get that out of your pretty little head."

She blushed a deeper shade of pink, and absentmindedly touched her head lost in thoughts.

"You think my head is pretty?" She gave him a chiky grin and took another drag from her cigarette.

"That's all you heard?" Baffled by her stubbornness he tried another technique to make her leave. "I don't know about you, but I always had a fantasy of fuckin' my sister. What do you say, sugar? Wanna be my sister now?"

By now all her face was red, even her nose, that he just now noticed it was pierced with a simple black circle.

"I don't condone incest. If you think that you can scare me away with your blunt comments, think again. Nice try, by the way." Despite her obvious embarrassment she winked at him and finished smoking unbothered looking at the stage for Jimmy to start playing.

"Didn't your brother warn you to stay away from me?"

"Pfff, please! If it were up to Danny I would be in a tour somewhere high in the sky, for nobody to touch. He can go a little overboard with his protection."

"You should listen to him. You forget that I'm a hunter, and you are my prey."

Maybe it was the way his voice sounded or the warning in his voice, but the sudden sexual tension in the booth could be cut with a knife. She didn't dare look at him, for she could betray herself and reveal to him how much Ace affected her.

"You have no reason to hunt me, mister. I haven't done anything wrong. I don't even know how to be a witch, so rest assured, I'm a good girl."

Leaning more into her space he took a stray strand of hair and put it behind her ear. It was something about her smell, that was alluring the beast within him. The moment he touched her, he knew that it was going to be hell for him. To stay away from this, it was the hardest thing he would have to do.

"But I'm bad, sugar. And maybe I hunt for pleasure only."

The intake of her breath made his canines to tingle, his viper wanting out to take a bite more then ever. And when she turned and looked up at him thru her lashes, he expected to see her scared, not the lustful look she gave him.

Definitely hard to stay away now.