[attr="class","mila2"] mila had tried being the good girl. and most of the days, she was. she did her job as playing the part of a good civilian in society; she woke up, went to work, went home, recycled, and went to bed. she didn't do any of the things that she'd had to do when she'd been a part of rocket, and she wanted to keep it that way.

[break][break] running away from PRIMARINA had been the hardest thing she'd had to do, but with rocket's resurgence into society, she'd had no choice. madame dupont had taken her in when times had been hard, had given her a place to work — a place that she loved. but the threat of rocket had been too much. she couldn't — at least, for a few years.

[break][break] but then things had calmed down, the world had spun into disaster, and a letter had arrived at her home. madame dupont had left PRIMARINA in her name. and she had to decide —

[break][break] the club was alive, pulsating with energy as muci blasted through the speakers. the thumping bass revebrated through the air, and mila danced herself to each beat, swaying with a cocktail in her hand.

[break][break] she didn't want to make any decisions now. at least, not any hard ones.

[break][break] mila wanted something easy. something fun.

[break][break] and sure enough, she found her prey.

[break][break] a handsome young man, drunk off his ass. he looked kind of official too - like he had money. more than that, he seemed like an easy lay. mila sauntered over to him, a confident grin on her face and tapped him on his shoulder.

[break][break] "going to sink yourself into oblivion? i can think of something else you can sink yourself —"

[break][break] her words were cut off as her face suddenly went white as a sheet.

[break][break] "gunner?"

[attr="class","ooc"] Gunner Graves

☉

[attr="class","mila2"] her face flushed red, hot with anger and embarrassment, as Gunner Graves quickly latches onto her weaknesses and exploits them.

[break][break] "you didn't seem so unwilling back when you were fun."

[break][break] her hand tightens around the martini glass, glowering at him.

[break][break] of course, of all people in this world, it had to be fucking Gunner Graves. the ghost of her past.

[break][break] "and," she huffs, hand on her hip. "you're one to talk! what are you doing here, getting drunk off your ass? i thought you were actually doing shit with your life. not very high and mighty of you, mr. graves."

[attr="class","ooc"] Gunner Graves

☉

[attr="class","mila2"] "yeah," she said, haughty in her reply. "i don't give a shit. why do you?"

[break][break] she'd vowed not to care about anyone she'd left behind — told herself that she couldn't. it was too dangerous.

[break][break] Gunner Graves was too connected to the league, too connected to rocket, too —

[break][break] he asks her where she went, and a natural compulsive liar, she easily skirts around his questions.

[break][break] "none of your business, dipshit!" she says, letting out a bitter, bright laugh. "i bet you're doing the same as last time. unless you finally retired your hero complex?"

[attr="class","ooc"] Gunner Graves

☉

[attr="class","mila2"] "you don't?" she mimics, lips twisting into a sly smirk. the music of the club reverberated powerfully behind her, but her gaze remained fixated on her ex, piercing through the chaotic atmosphere.

[break][break] "if you're so sure," she said, her voice dripping with sarcastic disbelief.

[break][break] if he didn't care, like she definitely didn't care, he would've turned around and walked away. it wouldn't have been so easy to taunt him — and boy was it easy.

[break][break] mila was on a high horse, confident and full of biting arrogance, up until the moment that Gunner Graves slid off his stool. as he his stool with the grace of a jaguar, a predator homing in on its prey, her bravado wavered. in that split-second, her heart faltered with a tinge of fear, prompting her to instinctively take a step back as he advanced.

[break][break] "saving?" she scoffs, flushing as she forced herself to remain still. "you arrogant ass. since when did you 'save' me? i was just tolerating you, because i had no other choice."

[attr="class","ooc"] Gunner Graves

☉

[attr="class","mila2"] "the region you?" she repeated in disbelief, marked by another bitter laugh. "you arrogant bitch."

[break][break] "you must be full of yourself just because you work for hoenn's bureau of — "

[break][break] she bites down on her lip, reminding herself where she is. her heart thuds in her head, beating to the same drum of the music behind them. manicured fingers curl over the bottom of her glass.

[break][break] "you're an narcissist, you know that right? the world's not going to fall to pieces just because you're not there."

[break][break] mila could only glower up at him, but even then, the aggresion in her gaze was only marred by the intoxication she felt in that moment. glaring into his familiar face, the hard-set of his jaw, the heated glow of his —

[break][break] 'You were always so cute when you begged.'

[break][break] this fucking —

[break][break] without thinking about it, mila lurches at him. her free hand grabs the fabric of his shirt, dragging him down to meet her.

[break][break] she could feel the warmth of his body radiating through his clothes and seeping into her own skin. his face was only inches away from hers, her breath mingling over his, hot and heavy. the designer had him perilously close, as if she was holding the agent over a pit of viscous flames, playing into their dangerous game of chicken.

[break][break] who would break first? her or him?

[break][break] "admit it," she said, her voice dripping with heat. "you liked it. you liked me being cute, me begging for you. but i only did it to stroke your ego, because a guy like you needs that like air to breathe. you feel so small in your everyday life, you need a girl to make you feel big in the bedroom."

[attr="class","ooc"] Gunner Graves

☉

[attr="class","mila2"] Gunner Graves and mila alexopoulos were no good for each other. both of them knew it, yet they kept on coming back to each other like a moth to a flame. each interaction they had was a rollercoaster of emotions, with plenty of highs, yet enough lows to last them a lifetime.

[break][break] but mila couldn't resist him, and she knew that gunner couldn't resist her.

[break][break] they had the same kind of attraction that had dragged anastasia and ambrose into the pits of hell together. how funny it was that history tended to repeat itself.

[break][break] gunner's breath and words sent a shiver down her spine as soon as he spoke them. even as they glowered at each other, she could feel something like desire coil in the pit of her stomach.

[break][break] when his hands went to cup her cheeks, they were warm.

[break][break] "other things?" she bit down on her lip. "like what?"

[break][break] god damn it. why was he still so hot —

[break][break] it was then that Gunner Graves decided to plunge her into ice-cold water.

[break][break] "a girlfriend?" mila's voice dripped with a mix of sarcasm and frustration, as she tried to suppress the disappointment that had welled up within her. in that moment, her emotions tangled between hunger and resentment. she hated herself for expecting anything, for even admitting that she wanted it.

[break][break] she scoffed. "as if."

[break][break] mila sauntered forward with a confident stride, reaching for his arm to pull him back. she leaned forward, voice full of derision.

[break][break] "you're still Gunner Graves ," she said lowly. "you may think you're a hero, may even act the part sometimes."

[break][break] a hand slid up his face, tilting his chin down to meet her eyes.

[break][break] "but admit it - you're just like me."

[attr="class","ooc"] Gunner Graves

☉

[attr="class","mila2"] "Liar," she said hotly, tone accusing as she looked up at him.

[break][break] His hands were tangled around her wrists, but maybe if they weren't, she would've already taken matters into his own hands. Sure, it was fun when he made her beg — but wasn't it so much more fun when she made him?

[break][break] After all, Gunner Graves was a man of control and responsibility. A good man, or at least the one he pretended to be.

[break][break] "Who said anything about needing?" Her lips twisted into a vicious smile. "I was talking about want."

[break][break] She pushes against his hold, not to break it, but to bring herself closer to him.

[break][break] "Fine. Leave," she challenged. "I dare you."

[attr="class","ooc"] Gunner Graves

☉