Interesting (AfterDeath)

Chapter 5

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~One Day Time Skip~

Reaper P.O.V

I fiddled with the hem of my shirt as I waited for Geno to arrive in the cafeteria.  I sighed softly, and smiled to myself, trying to figure out when the last time was that I had been so nervous.  I came up empty.  Why I was nervous, I had no clue, but just the thought of seeing Geno's face again made the butterflies in my stomach flutter.  Cliche, I know.

I sighed softly.

'You're falling apart at the seams,' I thought, only half joking.  I rested my chin in my hand, frowning slightly.  'How can a single person affect me so much?  I can't even think straight...'

"Yo.  Earth to Reaper," Red said in a monotonous tone, waving his hand in front of my face.  I jumped slightly, pulled out of my thoughts.  I looked at Red, who sighed.

"Lemme guess.  You're thinking of that cop again."  Red stated it as more of a fact than a question, as it had already happened four times prior.  I gave him a small nod, a slight red tinting my cheeks, and he sighed again.

"Figures," he muttered, shaking his head at me.  G only rolled his eyes, gaze fixed on a female guard standing in the corner.  The guard had shoulder length auburn hair, and had a strip of black fabric tied around one wrist.  Red noticed where exactly G was staring at, and started teasing him instead.

I rolled my eyes, scanning the cafeteria yet again, only to growl lowly when I saw a prisoner approaching.  The prisoner held their hands behind their back, and had a black eye, the mark of which didn't look as if it would be going away anytime soon.  I couldn't help but smirk sadistically at the mark that I had inflicted.

"Heya~" I called, the playfulness that was showing in my voice absent in my steely eyes.  "How's that bruise holding up?~"

Lust growled softly, clenching his jaw, and gritting his teeth.  I smiled at him tauntingly, my hands balled into fists to keep me from hitting him again.  And again.  And again.  And again.

"Maybe now you've learnt not to mess with people who don't want to be messed with~" I remarked, voice still leaden with false cheer. My expression darkened. "Now leave before I make a bruise to match~"

Lust scowled at me, and took a threatening step forward, his right arm shifting slightly.  I sighed, and beckoned him closer, already tired of his face, preparing to end the fight with a swift punch to his other eye...

That was, until I caught sight of the glinting piece of metal in his right hand.  The metal was dull, and he held it behind his back.  He shifted his hand so that I could have a clear view of the weapon.

A meat cleaver?  How the hell did he get that?

It was slightly unnerving to see that the blade was splattered with dried blood.

Lust took another step towards me, and raised the cleaver, readying his strike, while I took a cautious step backwards - only to bump into the table that was directly behind me. 

I cursed silently, and raised my arms to shield my face defensively, ready to strike when Lust least expected it.

I didn't get the chance to strike, because Lust took on a stunned expression, and collapsed onto the ground, the cleaver skidding across the floor with a loud clatter.  I looked up, and my heart beat quickened.

"Hey there, Reaper," Geno greeted, smiling slightly, his arms still up from when he had hit Lust.  I smiled back at him, and we both dropped our arms.

"Heya sweetheart~"

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Geno P.O.V

I flushed slightly at the nickname.  Reaper seemed to notice, and his signature smirk grew wider.

"Thanks for saving me~" he said playfully, voice light, and carefree.  I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the fluttery feeling that being around Reaper brought.

"Call it even, then," I suggested.  Reaper gave a slight nod, a pale blush spread across his cheeks.  I rolled my eyes, then knelt beside the meat cleaver that Lust had dropped.  It was spattered with dried blood.  I frowned slightly, already considering the different possibilities.

'Blood from a previous victim?' I thought, before shaking my head dismissively. 'If so, he'd have to have had the knife for at least a couple of days seeing the age of the blood... and, much as I hate to admit it, Lust isn't stupid, and wouldn't have taken the risk of being found out...' I sighed, slightly relieved at that realization.

"Animal blood maybe?  Maybe he got it from the prison kitchen?'  I turned the blade over in my hands, and found a scattering of dust.  I ran my finger across the dusty substance, and raised it to my nose.  I relaxed slightly at the familiar scent.

'Paprika dust,' I thought, 'Kitchen cleaver.'

I turned to find an unnerved looking Reaper standing behind me. 

"Do you think he..." Reaper trailed off, and I shook my head, smiling slightly.

"Nah, he took the cleaver from the kitchen," I informed. Reaper's expression of wariness turned impressed, with slight confusion mixed in.

"You got that from just looking at the blade?" Reaper asked. I smiled, and gave him the cleaver to sniff. He looked at me skeptically, but smelt it anyway. His eyes widened slightly in realization.

"Paprika?" He queried. I nodded in confirmation, and he handed me back the cleaver.

"You're...  You're pretty damn smart, you know that?"  I flushed slightly, and rubbed the back of my neck, pushing the strange feeling in my chest away.

"Shut up," I muttered.  Reaper laughed softly in response.

"Okay, okay," he said, holding his arms up in mock surrender.  I gave him a slight smile, which he returned, but the carefree atmosphere was short lived, as I heard an exclamation of distress, then cringed when I heard an agitated shout directed at me.

"Geno!  Meet me in my office!"

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^.^