Blood Oath (Ruby Rose/Ares fan fic)

Twenty-two

Usually I lie in bed while the assassin takes a shower and I get into the bathroom when she comes out to make breakfast but this time I want to surprise her so I jump from bed to put the kettle on and also to turn the coffee machine on, you can't say I'm a chef like she's but I still manage to toast some bread without burning it. My cats get closer and they start rubbing their bodies on my legs, meowing loudly like I'm some kind of abuser that has had them starving for days; rolling my eyes seeing such an overreacted performance I fill up their bowls and they gobble their food in less than a minute. When Ares comes out of the shower wearing sweat pants and a tank top she seems shocked to see that her coffee is waiting for her on the table along with two toasts, butter, jam and a banana... Okay, it's not a five stars hotel room service but it'll do the trick. The assassin smiles and she gives me a peck on my lips before sitting down. My tea is too hot to drink it so I'll have my shower now...

I open the wardrobe door to pick out my underwear, a pair of yoga pants and one of my favourite T-shirts. Judging by the outfit that my bodyguard has chosen we're not going out today, however I wouldn't mind to visit signor Lombardo again... maybe I can convince her to go tomorrow. I smile while I close the door realizing that, in fact, I've remembered to take my clothes with me before going into the bathroom. Since I live with Ares I feel that my mind and my things seem better organized, maybe I'm a computer genius but when it comes to my private life I admit that I was a mess... I could get used to this new way of life. I can't explain the excitement I felt when, after being for a while rummaging in her wardrobe moving things from here to there, she cleared out a little space and a couple of drawers for me so my clothes wouldn't be getting wrinkled inside my bag and my little suitcase anymore. I feel like she has cleared a space in her life for me too. "It's going to hurt when she..." my conscience starts speaking. "Shut the fuck up," I answer before it ends the sentence. Today I woke up in a good mood and I won't let anyone to ruin it, least of all me.

When I leave the bathroom my tea has cooled enough to drink it, Ares has toasted more bread and there's no more strawberry jam so I have to open a jar of apricot jam... which it happens to be my favourite. I smile while I lick my fingers... today is going to be a great day. I'm sipping my tea slowly while I watch the assassin sitting on the couch reading a book with one of my cats on her lap and the other one at her feet, thinking about how good it feels seeing her so relaxed like we're actually a couple, when the 'Imperial March' echoes through the loft. "The boss is calling," I sigh in resignation. "It's time to go back to work." I jump from my stool and walk to the couch, my phone's on the coffee table so I flop down on the seat next to Ares and I answer the phone putting Winston on speaker as usual.

"Hello boss."

"Nira, we have a problem," his harsh tone of voice cuts my greeting.

"Okay, tell me what I can do for you." I look at the assassin rolling my eyes, sometimes Winston acts like a Queen of Drama and where he sees as a big problem I see a little snag that can be fixed in a minute.

"It concerns Stjepan Dragan, the guy with the opium shipment from Afghanistan seized by the Albanian police; do you remember him?" Great! My wonderful day has turned into a hell all of a sudden. I swallow hard, close my eyes and I ask worried:

"What's wrong with him?"

"Albanian police has arrested his best dealer while he was preparing a new batch of heroine, along with half of the low-level drug dealers, the ones that sell the product on the streets, and tons of opium. Apparently, no one knows who rated on Dragan and his spies in the police station couldn't warn him in advance since the operation was planned quickly and in the greatest secrecy. He's lost millions of euros and, what's worse, his organization doesn't have enough dealers right now. We could say that he can't get any work done since he can only ship the orders already prepared, he isn't in a position to accept new orders." Ares sits down next to me, holding my hand and entwining her fingers with mines while she listens with attention.