The Music Masters: Falling

K

K. El-Amrani

Guest
Original poster
"...so here we are, Mike. Your new home sweet home."

The lights switched on as the door to the studio was opened, illuminating the blackness in an instant. Bass guitar slung over his shoulder, Rob made an awkward smile as he noticied the growing expression of uneasiness apparent on his nephew's face.

"You expect us to live here?" Michael exclaimed as he walked inside. The walls weren't too far apart, and when he peered into the living room, he sighed at the lack of space. Michael turned around, sounding very disappointed.

"You said this place was going to be cool! You said your bandmates used to record funk albums here..."

Rob put a reassuring hand on Micheal's shoulder. "It may not look like much, but I had a lot of good memories made in this place. You should count yourself lucky, Mike, considering that I was able to get somewhere for you and your friend to stay on such short notice. And after all, I know you don't want to know what it feels like to be hunted by Zero Beat."

"You got a point there..." Michael said through a sigh.

"So I don't think I need to go through a whole tour with you. There's a living room, a master bedroom with a king-sized bed, the recording room, which I'd really like you to keep out of. And of course, one bathroom and the kitchen. I stocked up the fridge with some food and all of my friend's leftover Monster drinks. There's a big flatscreen TV, a nice surround sound stereo system for your music, an Xbox with that Dance Dance Revolution game you like so much...this place has the works." Rob explained with a smile, hoping to see the same from his nephew. But Michael could only respond with a look of horror.

"One bathroom? One bedroom? Are you serious?"

Rob's expression suddenly became as cold as stone. He didn't have time for arguments. Things were stressful enough. "Look, for now, we're all just going to have to make due. We should all count ourselves lucky that the man who owns this studio happens to be touring in Europe at the moment. He's being nice enough as it is letting you guys crash here while he's away."

"Alright, alright, I'll deal. But man, I thought this was going to be cool. Now it just looks like I'm going to be stuck with her longer than I thought..." Michael complained. Rob leaned out the door to get a glimpse of the girl leaning against the wall outside, before turning back to Michael.

"Well, she hasn't said anything since we got here, so I can't say that she seems like the friendliest person. But maybe you guys will get along. Be glad you're still young, Mike. You've still got time for girls..." Rob commented with a sly smile on his face. Michael just waved his hands and shook his head in exaggerated disgust.

"Ah God, no way! I'm good man! I'm fine with her hating me. Perfectly fine with it."

"Well, whether she hates you or not, you might as well tell her she's welcome to come in now."

Michael Jason Kay made a big sigh. He leaned out the doorway and hollered out to the girl leaning against the wall. With her arms crossed in a frustrated fashion, the girl's expression looked like it could kill a rattlesnake.

"So...are you coming in here or not, Kim..." he said out loud, before mumbling something to himself.

"...because if you aren't, and you'd like to stay out there forever, I totally won't mind..."
 
Re: Falling

Am I dead? Is this what hell is? God, I'm sorry for all the bugs I squished, and all the people I beat up, but the people had it coming anyway, so maybe I'm just sorry about the bugs. ​Kim was pissed. This may as well have been hell, because she wouldn't last a day here with Michael without trying to kill herself. It wasn't even her fault that they had to hunker down in this rat hole. She gritted her teeth and stayed where she was against the wall. She hadn't said a single word to Michael, or to his uncle, whatever his name was. Her hands were clenched into fists, and she relaxed them after a while. Looking down at the palms of her hands, she saw four perfect crescent moons embedded into the soft surface of her skin, a parting gift from her nails.

"So...are you coming in here or not, Kim..."

His voice made her sick to her stomach. She'd been staring vacantly at the wall, but her eyes hardened as soon as she saw his face. She focused on him and resisted the urge to just beat him here and now. Her eyes betrayed that she wasn't happy. Not happy. At. All, and that if he got too close, he just might lose a limb or two. And maybe his afro. She'd had fantasies about tearing it off and hearing him scream in pain. Maybe that was a little too sadistic...

"...because if you aren't, and you'd like to stay out there forever, I totally won't mind..."

... Nope, she'd tear it off. She'd tear it off right then and there. Then, she'd rip his eyeballs out of his sockets and shove them down his throat so he could get a good view of his intestines being sliced to pieces with a carving knife. She gritted her teeth, her shoulders hunching as she walked towards him stiffly, like a robot. It wasn't like she'd even mind staying out there forever. But now that he'd gone and said that, hell no. She was going to make his life a living hell, because he'd already turned hers into something unbearable.

She walked past him, bumping shoulders with him harder than was necessary. In fact, she could practically hear the grating of her shoulder blade against his as she hissed at him. "I'll come in when I want to, you can't order me around." She sneered. There was a fair amount of venom in her voice, and that was the way she liked it.

She'd heard their conversation from out in the hall, and she just kept spiraling downwards into a pit of despair. One bedroom, one bathroom, and practically no breathing room. She'd been joking when she'd thought she might commit suicide. Now, it looked like one hell of a better option than living here with Michael Kay. She felt like she wanted to vomit. Instead, she leaned back against the door frame. She couldn't keep up this cool act any longer.

"I think I'd be better off living in the hallway, there's more air back there." She said sarcastically. She didn't care what the both of them thought of her, she couldn't live with the cauliflower haired hippie inside this... this... closet. She felt like she was going to hyperventilate. Instead, she just acted bitchy, and pissy. Pretty normal for her.

She didn't really have anything else to say. But on the inside, she was ranting. I'm going to die of suffocation. I can't live here. Nobody could live here. How does ONE person live here? God, I don't remember having claustrophobia before, but I think I've got it now. Dear Lord. She groaned inwardly, and put on a smirk.

"Well. I guess it beats being tortured by Zero Beat." She said without tact. She scoped out the studio, giving it another glance. Yeah... Okay. Maybe not. Because this is torture. She knew it wasn't true, but right now she didn't give a crap about the truth right now. She just wanted her own bathroom...

... And she wanted to beat up Michael Kay. A lot. A lot, a lot.

Life sucks. Michael sucks. Everyone sucks. Zero Beat, SUCKS.

At least from Kim's point of view.
 
Re: Falling

Rob smiled in an attempt to lighten a mood. Putting his hands on both Michael and Kim's shoulders, he spoke in a concise voice that he hoped would break the obvious gap between the two teenagers.

"Anything's better than being tortured by Zero Beat. Believe me. I've had friends who've gone through hell with them."

Rob's voice suddenly became grave. "And some of them still haven't crawled out."

Michael could only wonder what his uncle was referring to. Of course, he didn't wonder for too long. All it took was for him to look at Kim once before he forgot what his uncle was alluding to and started thinking about how he was going to survive living with her. Every time he looked at Kim, there was always this tiny thought in the back of his head that was telling him her venomous glare was going to turn him to dust.

Michael shook himself from careless daydreaming. Now was definitely not the time for that. "We'll survive, Rob. Well, I'll try to, at least."

"Good. I should probably get going then. I've got some business to take care of concerning you two and Zero Beat. And Mike, please try to be careful with this stuff. It isn't mine, after all."

Mike had almost knocked over a small bust of Stevie Wonder just as he heard the last part of his uncle's statement. Grinning wide as he put the bust back, he nodded feverishly. "Of course, man. I'll be extra careful for you."

"Alright then. I'll see if I can be back before midnight. Otherwise, there's plenty of food in the fridge. And I'm not getting in the middle of any arguments, so I'm leaving sleeping arrangements up to you..." Rob said quickly as he opened the door.

"Wait! But what if w-"

"Just try to come to some sort of civil agreement. Is that so hard?" Rob said from behind the door, giving Michael and Kim a wave goodbye before closing it shut. Michael pressed his ear against the door, listening to Rob's fading footsteps. After a minute, he felt satisfied in knowing that Rob was gone, and he backed away from the door.

Michael ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Ah God...why is this happening to me?"

Sighing heavily, he turned to Kim and tried to compose himself. Putting his hands to his sides, Michael put on his best serious voice.

"Okay. Why don't we try this all again? I know we had some problems...if you hadn't been around me when Zero Beat came looking...well, why don't we just forget all about that, okay? Anyway, I propose a truce. Maybe we can make peace over some Dance Dance Revolution? I've been itching to play that game for such a long time."

It might have been in vain, but Michael put out his hand, hoping he could get at least a simple handshake from Kim. In his simple little mind, he was already imagining how quickly Kim would warm up to him, and how she'd suddenly decide to be a nice person and make their forced time together at least a little bearable.

"So what do you say? Friends? Maybe even acquaintances? Or at least people who agree not to kill each other?"
 
Re: Falling

She zoned out of everything they were saying. She didn't think she needed to even acknowledge the fact that the two hippies were even talking. Well, Mr. Rob and THE hippie. She ignored everything, but her brain subconsciously continued to listen, even if she tried not to. It was just crap about Zero Beat, and things like that. She didn't give a damn about Zero Beat, at all. She wanted to kick the asses of anyone that was in Zero Beat, but it was whatever. Then, Rob left. All of a sudden. It was like, "Hey, kids! Lie low together, even though you hate each other. I'll be back later, when both of you are done battling it out. See yah!"

Typical. But she could handle herself fine. It was just... Mike that she was worried about. This guy was a walking tie-dye hazard. She just wanted to punt his ass out of the door and lock him out there for a while, see if the Zero Beat creeps could just take him away and leave her alone for a while. But she knew that wasn't an option right now. But then... THEN it all started. He started making some kind of speech about friendship, and truces. What a shmuck. She really did want to punch his face in.

"Okay. Why don't we try this all again? I know we had some problems...if you hadn't been around me when Zero Beat came looking...well, why don't we just forget all about that, okay? Anyway, I propose a truce. Maybe we can make peace over some Dance Dance Revolution? I've been itching to play that game for such a long time."


After he finished his speech, he held out his hand. Kim stared at it, somewhat in shock and horror, and somewhat in anger. Her brows bunched together as her eyes began to sparkle with spite and fury combined. Her lips turned up in a sneer, and she caught his gaze, and glared at him. She shot daggers at him simply with her look, maybe hoping that somehow a real dagger would appear and just cut his throat open.

"Listen here, hippie." She spoke in a low, intense voice. "I don't want to try ANYTHING again. Yeah, I have a problem. That problem, is you. It's all your fault, if you hadn't been so careless, we both wouldn't be in this predicament. In fact, if you weren't born, none of this wouldn't happen." Her anger, and her voice escalated through this speech. She was on a roll, and she couldn't stop now. She was actually growing sort of hysterical. "YOU KNOW WHAT? I bet your mother was ashamed of herself the day you were born. Because she didn't give birth to a human being, she gave birth to a thing. No truce, no way, Michael Kay." She said, before turning away from him. She leaned back against the wall again, and avoided his gaze. Before gritting her teeth.

"So what do you say? Friends? Maybe even acquaintances? Or at least people who agree to not kill each other?"

Her hand flung out as she smacked his hand away from her. She glanced at her own hand, that she had used to smack his away as though she had been contaminated by even touching him. Her scowl deepened, and there was more poison in it than ever as she spoke one more time.

"No friends, no acquaintances. And I can't even talk about the last part. You know why? Because from the moment I met you, I HAVE wanted to kill you. Every second, of every minute of every day I've known you." She snarled. And then she said no more. Shaking her head for a moment as she stalked past him deeper into the studio. She walked towards the door to the bathroom, and whirled around. She wanted to flip him off, oh, so bad. But she was too pissed off to even think straight. She slammed the door to the bathroom shut on his ugly face, and almost punched the wall.

It was going to be a long, long day. A long week, a long month.... How was she going to get through this?

She had no idea.
 
Re: Falling

Michael could only stare into space for awhile. He blinked twice, his small mind trying to comprehend exactly what had been said to him.

"I think I heard right. So you want to...kill me?" Michael said out loud to himself. He thought over the idea for a moment. Then a feeling of absolute dread and horror came over him. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone, frantically inputting his uncle's number.

"Come on, come on, come on!" he exclaimed. A nerve nearly exploded in Micheal's brain when Rob's voice-mail came up. Michael closed his phone and retreated into a nearby chair. He began to run his hands through his hair. He didn't know what do to do.

Was she going to kill him? Was she that crazy? Michael hadn't known Kim for that long. He had to be careful. She could be part of Zero Beat, for all he knew. A sleeper agent, like in the movies. She could be waiting till he fell asleep, before she decided to do the deed. All it took was one song effect, and his life would be extinguished as quickly as a lit match in a hurricane. Micheal's eyes darted all around, eventually stopping at the closed bathroom door ahead.

He would have to be extremely careful. But if he found proof that she was working with Zero Beat, he'd be able to show it to Rob, and then she'd be out of his life forever.

Michael sighed a the thought. He felt a little more relieved now. Everything would be fine. He was in control of the situation. All he had to do was act the part.

With a stupid grin on his face, Michael stood up from the chair and made his way to the couch in the living room. With the bathroom door just a few feet away, he sprawled across the couch like a lizard and reached for the remote. Lazily, Michael began flipping through channels as he addressed Kim through the door.

"Whatever. I get it, babe. Go ahead and be angry at me. Go ahead and try and kill me in my sleep. I'd really like to see you try. But for now, I'm just going to watch some TV, so if you could just leave me alone, that would be great."

As he lounged on the couch, Michael could feel his arm shivering in fright. He only realized seconds later that his words may have spelled a death sentence for him. Who was he kidding? He couldn't defend himself against Kim. She'd rip him apart. And the babe comment was just too much. He was probably going to lose a limb for that word alone.

Gulping, but keeping a fake smile of overconfidence on his face, Michael just hoped that his choice of words wasn't going to be something he would regret. He tried to stop his arm from shaking in panic until he finally found a channel with something to watch.

"...Ah, Soul Train. Now I can really relax..."
 
Re: Falling

"I think I heard right. So you want to...kill me?"

For Christ's sake. Was this guy any dumber? It was like he had worms, or noodles for a brain. God. She leaned back against the door and dragged her nails down it for a moment in a weary way. "Such a freaking dumb ass." She muttered beneath her breath as she clenched her fist. She really wanted to punch him right now. She wanted to do everything to hurt him. Did he really think what she thought he was thinking? Holy crap. She didn't even WANT to think about that.

She perched on the counter of the sink in the small bathroom, trying to regain her cool facade. It wasn't working. She just couldn't get the twerp's face out of her mind. Every time she calmed down, she heard his words vibrate through her head once more, and she got pissed all over again. Sometimes she wondered why she was so angry, but this time she didn't really care.

"Whatever. I get it, babe. Go ahead and be angry at me. Go ahead and try and kill me in my sleep. I'd really like to see you try. But for now, I'm just going to watch some TV, so if you could just leave me alone, that would be great."

... Babe. Did Michael Kay... Really dare to go that far? She saw red, and only red. Her nostrils flared, and her teeth ground against each other as she growled softly beneath her breath, like a rabid dog, almost. She could hear the tv, and she suddenly had a very nice, pleasant idea. She'd get him back for calling him babe. Oh yeah, she would.

She opened the door quietly and walked towards the couch. She saw that he was lounging there, like he owned the studio already and that pissed her off even more. God, Michael would never learn. In fact, she hadn't been this angry in a freaking long time. There was a little room on the couch left, and she plopped down beside him. Her glare had disappeared, and there was a sickly sweet smile on her face for a moment.

She tucked her legs beneath her, and stayed that way for a moment. Her eyes were trained on the tv, on some stupid channel that she never took the time to even give a second glance. A few minutes after she had sat down, her legs inched forward, until she finally slammed them against Michael's lounging body. Her legs took up most of the couch, now. She knew that being hit like that would definitely hurt, and it felt good to at least hit him a little bit.

"Oh, no! Sorry, babe I didn't mean to do that. My legs just kinda slipped!" She said in a high voice, that definitely wasn't her own. "Seriously, I need more room than that. You were on MY. Side. Of. The. Couch." She snarled at him. She pressed her feet forward a little more, putting pressure on his kneecaps. That had to have hurt a little more than a little. She released the pressure, slamming her feet down onto the ground as she leaned and slouched back into the couch, not even looking to see if she had brutally injured him. She didn't care.

That was soooo worth being called "babe" by Michael Kay.
 
Re: Falling

The pain. It was like someone had taken a hot spike and driven it into both his kneecaps. It was as if someone had grabbed his legs and twisted them upside down. Not in a million years would he have thought that being stomped in the kneecaps by combat boots would hurt as much as it did.

"...they're broken! You broke my legs! Call an ambulance! Call Rob! Man, so much pain..." Michael whined loudly. Of course, he got no immediate response from Kim. And while it was true that Kim's sudden attack had hurt him quite a bit, his legs were far from broken.

Wincing, he curled up on his side of the couch and tried to just focus on the television. Soul Train was still on. He could ignore Kim and just try to watch TV. It's not like she'd try and kill him just yet.

Perhaps his plan hadn't been all that smart. He was starting to think that being a smart aleck was probably not the most intelligent tactic to use against Kim. It seemed like all it would lead him to was more pain. And Michael didn't like pain, especially when it was being handed out by her.

Slowly moving his legs off the couch, and wincing even more as he did so, Michael put the remote down on the small coffee table next to him.

"...you can go and ruin my body, but you'll never be able to ruin my mind. I'm not going to let your physical strength scare me, Kim. I'm not that weak." Michael declared triumphantly, unable to realize that he had left the remote just within her reach. As he watched Kim take up her side of the couch, a scowl still present on her face, he tried to lean back and relax with what space he had left.

"...Soul Train will make me feel better. I can feel it healing my shattered bones already..."
 
Re: Falling

"...they're broken! You broke my legs! Call an ambulance! Call Rob! Man, so much pain..."


"Stop being a wuss and suck it up like a man, Michael. Oh yeah, I forgot. You're not a man, you're more like a little girl." She countered. Her tongue was just as sharp as her combat boots were. Smirking at him, she continued to slouch even lower into the couch's soft cushions as they watched the dumb Soul Train or whatever it was that was blaring on the TV.

"...you can go and ruin my body, but you'll never be able to ruin my mind. I'm not going to let your physical strength scare me, Kim. I'm not that weak."

"Sure, Michael. Whatever you say, babe." She'd never let him live up to actually calling her that. She wanted to hit him again, but she resorted to leaning over and flicking him on the ear. It wouldn't hurt nearly as much as her combat boots, but it would still sting. She saw that he had placed the remote on the coffee table, and smirked. She was amused that he really was THAT much of a dumb ass.

She plucked the remote off of the coffee table and switched the channel to a generic rock band in the blink of an eye, before setting the remote down beside her, very, very close to her combat boots. "Babe, I don't think I like that channel very much." She said in her high voice once more. She didn't even like the rock band. She just knew it wasn't no Soul Train.

She'd make his life a living hell. This might actually be fun.
 
Re: Falling

"...Ah, God, what are you, like twelve?" Michael commented as he nursed his ear. Her flicking hadn't really hurt that much, but it was unexpected and very annoying in the very least. Michael could only continue to watch in discomfort as Kim did the unthinkable and changed the channel on the television. His eyes widened in horror at the sight of some rock band now taking up the rectangular space where his beloved Soul Train had once been.

"...oh come on! Rock? You choose rock? Man, you suck, Kim! You really, majorly, absolutely, positively suck." Michael said with as much venom as he could muster. He laid his head back again, and tried to use his afro as a cushion. Comfort seemed to be a luxury now. Now he couldn't even do so much as watch one of his favorite shows.

Kim was taking over. She was taking over and there was little he could do about it. She was stronger than him, for sure. But was she smarter than him? Michael still didn't think so. He could come up with a convoluted plan. He could trick her. He just had to figure out how.

Coming up with the plan would be the difficult part. He needed time. He needed to think...

The sound of rock music was liking grinding porcelain in his ears. The music coming from the television was way too loud. Michael tried to stand it, but after a few more seconds, it was becoming unbearable.

"Hey, can you turn that trash down? I am TRYING to think here!"
 
Re: Falling

"...Ah, God, what are you, like twelve?"

"If I'm twelve, then you're still an infant." She spoke in an amused tone. She was really getting to him. Ah, mental torture was much more subtle than physical torture, though she did have to admit she liked the latter better. Shaking her head, she laughed. She knew that this might be a little more bearable than she had thought it would be. Ah, well. To live with an idiot like him was pretty much going to be the time of her life, now. Sure it had its down sides, but eh.

"...oh come on! Rock? You choose rock? Man, you suck, Kim! You really, majorly, absolutely, positively suck."

Fuahahaha. She didn't even need to answer that. Really... That was the best he could come up with. He hadn't used a single swear word once. She was positively giggling on the inside. This was freaking fun, dude. Oh god, this guy was a hoot. She smirked at him, her lips pulled back against her teeth as her grin widened. She was taunting him, mocking him. This was too much fun, in fact. She was enjoying herself far too much.

"Hey, can you turn that trash down? I am TRYING to think here!"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was giving her all the ideas for ways to torture him. She didn't even have to try that hard to make him angry, or completely annihilate him in a battle of wits. Shaking her head, she sniggered softly as she grabbed the remote and pressed "Up" on the volume. It went from 15 to 50 in a matter of a few seconds. In fact, the music was so loud that it was hurting Kim's ears as well, but she didn't care.

"IS THIS LOW ENOUGH FOR YOU, BABE?" She had to practically scream to make herself heard over the deafening sound of screaming voices and blaring guitars, this was a really bad band, because they sounded terrible... Let's see how Michael could think now.
 
Re: Falling

The grinding, thrashing noise. It was so horrible. More horrible than words could describe. Michael pressed his hands over his ears, trying to keep the noise from coming in. But it was like an oncoming wave that seeped right between his fingers. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself hearing it. And it wasn't like the sound of grinding porcelain either. No, it was far worse than that.

And Kim screaming over it didn't make it any better. Michael was sure that if he took anymore of this, his eardrums would explode. Or worse, he would accidentally Harmonize and end up destroying part of the apartment with powers he had no control over.

Finally, it all became too much. Michael screamed as loud as he possibly could, trying his best to get his voice over the thrashing guitars and high-pitched singing.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! YOU WIN, KIM! GOD, ENOUGH OF THIS MUSIC! ENOUGH OF CALLING ME BABE! YOU WIN! DID YOU HEAR ME, KIM? I GIVE UP! YOU WIN!"

Michael sat back down on the couch after all his screaming, strangely feeling both inadequate and satisfied at the same time.

So much for thinking. Maybe this new plan, the one that involved him being a spineless worm instead of an overconfident jerk, might actually work.

He could always hope, at the very least.
 
Re: Falling

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! YOU WIN, KIM! GOD, ENOUGH OF THIS MUSIC! ENOUGH OF CALLING ME BABE! YOU WIN! DID YOU HEAR ME, KIM? I GIVE UP! YOU WIN!"

Hah. She had won. She had pretty much won this battle. She sat smugly on the other side of the couch, before she turned down the volume back to fifteen and threw the remote at him, which promptly hit him in the forehead with a satisfying thunk. She wasn't interested in changing the channel on him now, because it wouldn't really get a rise out of him. She'd pushed him to his limit, for now. Smirking at him, she muttered beneath her breath, "Pussy." Snickering softly she settled onto the couch, shaking her head.

Twirling a dark brown lock, tipped with fuchsia around her sharp nail-tipped index finger, she yawned behind the palm of her hand, while leaning back, slouching once more. Wow, that'd been a lot of fun. She whistled between her teeth for a moment, and figured she'd do one last thing just to push him over the top a little bit. She tried to remember what the song had been, the rock song. Ah, yeah, the rhythm and the beat of it was still in her mind.

"Doo, doo doo, dadadada dum." She started to hum it loudly. Of course she couldn't really get the grinding, nasty noises that it really used in the music, nor could she replicate what a guitar sounded like, but she knew exactly how it went. She had enjoyed annoying him, and she still was right now. She continued to hum it, her eyes wide with innocence as she stared at the TV. She'd given him the remote. He could do whatever he wanted now. "Alright, fine, Michael." She rolled her eyes, before biting back a bout of laughter.

"Don't be so mean, geez."
 
Re: Falling

Michael slowly took his hands away from his ears. Kim had indeed lowered the volume, only say something under her breath that he had failed to hear. Her humming, obviously done to annoy him, hadn't been that bad, and he was even able to shake off her comment about him being so mean. Those things didn't matter. As long as the music was off, life would become bearable again.

"Ah, that's so much better. I'm pretty sure my ears were gonna explode back there." Michael said, before finally deciding to get up from the couch. Watching television wasn't worth the trouble. He'd had enough from Kim for now. Way more than enough.

"You know what? You can have the stupid couch and the stupid TV. I've already tried being nice, but I can see that didn't work. But at least my conscience is clear. Now I know that we might as well stay out of each others way. So I'm going to go over to that fridge over there and get some food, and keep my distance from you. Probably for the rest of our time here."

Hoping that he'd gotten his point across, Michael spun and walked towards the fridge Rob had said was stocked with goodies. Micheal's afro brushed along the top as he peered inside, looking for something to quench the sudden feeling of thirst that had erupted in the back of his throat.

But not even a single simple water bottle was present in the fridge. Only cans upon cans of Monster Energy drinks, next to a couple boxes of what smelled like salty Chinese food. Michael put a hand on his forehead and groaned in annoyance.

"Are you kidding me? I hate Monster, and I am not drinking from the tap. That water is so poisonous. It's a proven fact. And of course we can't go out and get anything, because Zero Beat will have our head."

Michael slammed the fridge door and leaned back against it, staring up at the ceiling in defeat.

"So that means I'm going to die of dehydration. Are you finally happy now, Kim?"
 
Re: Falling

"You know what? You can have the stupid couch and the stupid TV. I've already tried being nice, but I can see that didn't work. But at least my conscience is clear. Now I know that we might as well stay out of each others way. So I'm going to go over to that fridge over there and get some food, and keep my distance from you. Probably for the rest of our time here."

"Uhhuh... Okay, Michael." She switched the TV off and leaned back against the couch's arm. Kicking off her combat boots, she snuggled into the couch cushions and completely ignored Michael for the rest of his puny little speech whatever he was trying to say to her. She didn't see the need in actually listening to him. As he walked towards the kitchen, she let her eyes close, but she wasn't really sleeping. She continued to hum the band's song beneath her breath, making sure to accentuate all the wrong notes in the process.

"Are you kidding me? I hate Monster, and I am not drinking from the tap. That water is so poisonous. It's a proven fact. And of course we can't go out and get anything, because Zero Beat will have our head."

Kim was off the couch in a flash and at Michael's side, staring at the fridge that was completely stuffed with Monster. "Get out of the way." She said dismissively to Michael as she grabbed a can and popped it open easily enough, she sipped it and sighed, that hit the spot. She drank Monster constantly. It was like some kind of god to her. She loved the stuff. She took another gulp of Monster before turning to Michael and speaking.

"Suck it up and go drink the poisonous tap water. I dare you. Either you drink the poisonous tap water, or you go out and have Zero Beat get YOUR head. Hey, at least if they have it they could use it as a duster, I'm sure your afro already has a lot of dust in it anyway... And there's probably a lot of dust where your brain should be, too." She muttered beneath her breath as she took yet another sip of Monster. She elbowed him in the ribs sharply before smacking him on the back and walking back towards the couch with a wave of her hand.

"So that means I'm going to die of dehydration. Are you finally happy now, Kim?"

"Yeah, whoopee! As soon as your shriveled, wrinkled body keels over and starts decomposing I'll start jumping for joy. Then I'll cremate you and scatter you into the nearest forest of trees so that you can at least benefit them with your stupid life." She stated. "I might keep your afro, though. Y'know, scalp you and use it as my personal duster for the rest of my life, seriously. It wouldn't be that bad of a duster." She mused, before lounging on the couch once more.

Meh, she wasn't even trying that hard anymore.
 
Re: Falling

"...is there a God for Music Masters? Does he see what I'm going through?"

Michael glanced at Kim. Suddenly his world felt so small. And suddenly he felt so insignificant.

"Does he even care?"

Michael could only assume his question fell upon uncaring ears. Sighing deeply, he figured he could stave off thirst for a little while longer. At least until Rob came back and Michael could tell him to purchase some water bottles or something.

He yawned loudly. The night sky was prevalent outside. With the full moon in clear view, and drowsiness overtaking his eyes, a small thought began to enter the confines of Michael's mind. It grew to something tangible in seconds, much to Micheal's delight.

He smiled just a little when he had finally come to this new realization. Kim was obviously busy with her liquid sludge. She probably would never expect what was coming next. And the door to the bedroom was only ten feet away. Michael smiled as he walked by Kim, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

Spinning around, Michael transferred his dance move right into a moon walk. At first he didn't seem to be going anywhere, but with another spin, he had his hand on the doorknob to the bedroom. Waving at Kim with a big grin on his face, he opened the door quickly, slipping inside like a eel before closing it shut right behind him.

Even she wasn't fast enough to get to the doorknob before he had safely turned the lock on the other side. Turning around, Michael stared at the bed triumphantly. He didn't even take the time kick off his sneakers; he just let himself fall onto the comfort of the king-sized bed and took a deep breath of relief. A huge smile spread across his face, Michael was definitely starting to feel a lot better.

"Mate...and check!" Michael said as loud as he possibly could, hoping Kim would hear him past the door.

Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. At the very least, a small victory like this one was certainly better than nothing...
 
Re: Falling

"...is there a God for Music Masters? Does he see what I'm going through?"

"I sincerely doubt that we have a god for Music Masters. And he probably doesn't give a crap what you're going through." Kim said through bouts of suppressed giggles. Kim's eyes closed as she continued to lounge on the couch, she was quite tired. She'd probably pass out on the couch right now because she was too lazy... to... even... get... up.

"Does he even care?"

She didn't even bother to answer what he'd said. After all she'd just told him that the "God of the Music Masters" wouldn't give a crap. She yawned again, this time curling up on the couch as she stared at a speck of dust on the floor. This place wasn't exactly a dump, but it definitely wasn't a mansion, DEFINITELY, not. She'd just have to deal with it. But she didn't know how long she could handle being cooped up in here with the hippie loser.

Then, she heard a door slam. She knew exactly what had happened as soon as she heard that door slam. The way it had been slammed, it was an arrogant slam. Not an angry slam, but the kind of slam you want people to hear. She knew exactly where Michael was now. Damn, she'd had her guard down and hadn't even thought about stealing the bedroom before Michael got there. It was probably contaminated with his hippie germs now, she couldn't sleep in that bed, with all the bed bugs and the germs floating around.

"Of all the flipping..." She didn't finish her sentence as she slowly walked over to the bedroom door, and stood outside it for a moment, shaking her head as she spoke. "Michael Kay, when you get out here in the morning, I'm going to beat you until you're entirely black and blue, people will think you're an alien instead of a Caucasian." She hissed through the door, before stomping back towards the couch.

She was pissed off, yeah. But when was she not mad? I mean, really. Her eyes flickered closed, and her breathing deepened and evened as she slowly fell into a deep slumber. And then, she slipped into her dream land. I'm sure you could imagine Kim's dreamland as everyone getting beaten up by her, and everyone bowing down to Kim, but nah... Her dreams were pretty weird, though.

In fact, I'm not even sure what she dreamed. But as soon as she had closed her eyes, she opened them and shot up, blinking like a spazz for a moment as she realized the sunlight streaming in the room was real. Had it really been hours? She couldn't even remember when she had fallen asleep... What the heck. And... Where was Michael?

He was dead meat.
 
Re: Falling

Michael Kay could only wish that he had remembered his dreams. Anything that could have even remotely taken him out of the reality of his current situation would have been a relative godsend. When he woke up to a feeling of wetness on his cheek, he found that he had managed to drool all over one of the pristine white pillows during the night, prompting him to swat it away in disgust.

Michael sat up in bed and scratched his head underneath all his hair. He yawned loudly before standing up and shuffling his way to the door.

It was too early for him. He hated mornings and waking up in general. And because of his early morning grogginess, Michael had forgotten what he had done to get in the room in the first place. Slowly, he opened the door and walked out, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to drive the grogginess away.

Not immediately knowing where to, Michael let gravity take hold of him as he proceeded to collapse on the couch outside in the living room, landing right on top of a now awake Kim Ramone in the process. Still half-awake, Michael just looked at her with glazed eyes before he realized he was sitting on, and practically crushing, her legs underneath him.

A bolt of self-awareness soon surged through Micheal's brain. He tensed up and made an awkward grin as he finally realized what he was doing.

"Oh...damn. I guess I forgot...you were sleeping here?"

Michael slowly began to get up, laughing nervously as he did so. "Silly me..."
 
Re: Falling

"Oh...damn. I guess I forgot...you were sleeping here?"

She didn't speak once. No words passed through the lips of Kim as he spoke. Shaking her head she continued to sit against the back of the couch, and a slow, creepy smile appeared on her lips. She would've seriously just duked him right there, but she knew that she would play her cards exactly right this time. No extreme violence... For the time being.

"Silly me..."

Oh dear. She could feel the anger rising in her already, Michael would never catch a break, any day of the week. She hated him, all of a sudden she really did. But there was also the curiosity. The curiosity about how he could actually be the way he was. Could anyone be as completely foolish and childish as Michael? She snickered inwardly, and continued to stare blankly ahead as he spoke. She wanted to play it cool. But... Could she pull it off? Could she really be nice to him? Even if it was for her to find the perfect moment to hit him really hard...

"Whatever. Yeah, I did end up having to sleep on the couch. But it was okay!" She piped up. God, she hated that kind of voice. The kind of voice that grated on your ears so much that you wanted to chop them off. She was being cheery, this early in the morning. God she needed some Monster. "Totally! You can even have it tonight." Over her dead body, of course.

She got up from the couch and walked over to the tiny, cramped kitchen. Slamming open the kitchen door, she grabbed a can of Monster and popped the cap, sipping it and letting it wash down her throat. Monster usually fueled her anger, but she knew that she couldn't be too angry. Not yet, at least. "So, how did you sleep?" She was testing him right now. Waiting to see how much he would relax if she played it nice. If he just got more suspicious she'd just hit him right here.

She plopped back down onto the couch and leaned back again. Her lips twitched into what looked like a half snarl half smirk. She just couldn't bring herself to smile at him. "I bet you slept really well." She said happily... Well, she tried to say happily. Damn, she hated that peppy tone in her voice that she had added. She wanted to just go back to her own voice. But she may as well try a little harder right now, it couldn't hurt, her. It would hurt Michael, but not her. Yeah.. Well. We'll see how long Michael get's to keep the bed. Because Kim reckoned that Michael would never get a good night's sleep again after this. Not on her watch.
 
Re: Falling

Had Michael heard wrong?

It had almost sounded like Kim actually cared about what kind of night's sleep he had gotten. And so, taking the path of assumption, Michael flashed her a smile as she chugged her Monster.

"You know, I actually did get a pretty good night's sleep. Sorry about kind of just stealing the bedroom before. That was kind of a jerk move..."

Michael's smile faded just a bit as he thought about his action last night. Did he actually feel bad about what he done to her? Strangely, even though he hated to admit it to himself, he kind of did. For good or for bad, Michael was just that kind of person.

The morning had made him realize that he didn't want to be fighting Kim if he didn't have to be. He had said to himself before; he was under control. He had to be a man now and start exerting some of that control. Taking a deep breath, Michael looked at Kim almost cautiously. He sat down next to her, his hair very messy from having just woken up.

Michael began in his most sincere, concise voice. "I think we had a rough day yesterday. I said some things shouldn't have said. I'm...I'm sorry for that, Kim. I think we if try again, we could get along. I'm willing to try again, at least."

Michael sighed again. This is what being serious felt like. It was so strange and uncomfortable, he had to admit. Michael smiled as he moved closer to Kim. He knew he needed to get his point across. He was starving and he needed a shower too, but this was the most important thing right now.

Michael put an arm around Kim's shoulders. If anything, he hoped the friendly gesture wouldn't end with him needing a prosthetic.

"So here's to third chances. We can try again, right Kim?" He asked, hoping ever so dearly that she'd agree.

In the back of his mind, a little voice was already screaming at him and his apparent idiocy. He just couldn't hear it yet.
 
Re: Falling

She was on a roll, but she couldn't keep this up. She was too damn annoyed at him for having stolen the bed.


Kim felt something twitch and tug inside of her chest when he smiled at her. She shook off the weird feeling and grimaced inwardly, watching him as he spoke once more. She continued to chug down the monster in great heaping mouthfuls. When the last of the liquid energy was drained and swallowed, she crunched the cup in her fist and threw it into the trash can.


"You know, I actually did get a pretty good night's sleep. Sorry about kind of just stealing the bedroom before. That was kind of a jerk move..."

She didn't give a crap what he thought, or how he really slept. But she continued to keep the cheery smile on her face as she turned to face him fully. Her smile was even more strained than it had been a few minutes ago, but whatever. "It's fine, it's fine!" It wasn't fine, it SO wasn't fine.


She saw his smile fade, and she wondered when she would get to see it again. Then she realized that she wanted to see Michael's smile again, and that seriously made her gag, very nearly vomit all of her Monster back on the floor. She let her own smile slide from her face as she continued to look at Michael, awkwardly, yes. But still, whatever this was, she wasn't sure whether it was that bad... It probably still was.


She was getting tired of acting like herself, and yet she also felt this impulse not to break this little trust thing she had with him. She was warring with herself, inside and out. She could feel her face taking on some kind of red hue, but it was wearing off quickly. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to fight with him anymore, or hurt him anymore. But then again... This was Michael, he wasn't even a human being, was he?


"I think we had a rough day yesterday. I said some things shouldn't have said. I'm...I'm sorry for that, Kim. I think we if try again, we could get along. I'm willing to try again, at least."


Was he serious? Kim's heart seemed to skip a beat, and she didn't know why. But she ignored that and felt the anger surge through her. Was he really that dumb? She faltered in her anger for a moment, after remembering that smile, what the hell was he doing to her? She clenched her fists at her side, and smiled at him, at least tried to, again. It was getting worse and worse every time she tried to smile. "Sure.... So am I."


Kim froze completely when he put his arm around her. He was crossing the line, right here. Oh my god was he crossing the border between annoying and HELLA annoying. She gritted her teeth, trying to keep up the nice act, before she pretty much exploded. She could feel it coming soon, here, really really soon. Her eyes bugged out, and her good mood shriveled into dust to be replaced by a full grown tree of hatred that was raining its leaves of pain all over Michael right at this very moment. She resisted the urge to snap his arm off of his body.


Her smile had turned into a grimace. She couldn't do this. Her fingers twitched, and her nails curved. She was going to break his arm. Her eyes were twitching for a moment, before she was completely calm, once more. Not really.


"So here's to third chances. We can try again, right Kim?"


"No." She choked out the word. The reason she choked, she'd seen that smile in her head the moment she'd said no. For the THIRD time today. What was this nonsense? She grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind his back, sharply enough to probably sprain it. "Don't touch me!" She shrieked, before shoving him away from her with quite a lot of force for her height.


"Don't touch me ever again." She snarled. Yeah, Kim was an ass, but she was a BAD ass.