I'll Bow for Your King When He Shows Himself

A/N: Okay. This chapter is really shit. It's like the shittiest shit I'd ever written and that's because I wanted to make it interesting, and not like a date chapter but a cute, funny, rule-breaking date chapter. And I guess it's kind of like that, but like...if you don't want to, you really don't have to read this chapter. It's such shit holy shit.

I felt the end of the couch being weighed down by a heavy mass, making my legs sink into a black hole. A few slurps sounded a few seconds later and I realized that this was the path my brother had taken to wake me up.

"Andy."

"Hm?"

"Get your fat ass off my legs!" I screamed at him, opening my eyes and throwing the pillow I had at his face. It hit him straight on with a huge SMACK, his cereal spilling all over him and the couch.

I stared at him for a second, my eyes barely open. Then I grabbed another pillow and cuddled into the couch again, closing my eyes to go back to sleep. "I'm not cleaning that up."

"Carrion, wake the fuck up. It's a quarter 'til," he yelled, punching my leg.

"A quarter 'til what?" I responded, slowly losing consciousness.

"Six."

I shot straight up and booked it off of the couch, running straight into the bathroom. "You were supposed to wake me up at four!"

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Luckily, Matt was forty five minutes late, meaning I had plenty of time to shower, do my hair in a way that isn't messy, and pick out the perfect outfit. I hadn't gone on a date, well...ever, so I needed to be certain that I looked amazing.

Andy came in while I unraveled my hair from the curler, loose waves falling down passed my chest. "Either you're going to the streets or you have a date," he joked.

I rolled my eyes at his prostitution joke and continued curling my hair. "We need more money. This is what is has come to."

He smiled and bit into an apple. "Oliver?"

I shook my head, hard and fast. "No, Matt. And why do you assume that Oliver and I have a thing?"

He set his apple down on the counter in the bathroom (I crinkled my nose in disgust), and he put his hands up. "Just picture yourself in my place. I have to watch you guys at the tattoo shop, flirting with each other to no end and making up excuses just to see each other. I don't understand why you just get on that already," he stated, overdramatically, flopping his arms everywhere, while chewing a huge bite of apple.

My face held a blank look, not even beginning to understand why he had to put down his apple just to explain that to me. "We're just friends." He gave me a look that said you liar. "And plus. When have I ever made up an excuse to see him?"

"That night you went to the party."

"Oh one fucking time. You sure have me all figured out," I stated, sardonically.

He took another bite. "Not to mention he lies all the time about going to Drop Dead just to come see you at the shop."

I laughed because I already knew that one.

My brother shrugged his shoulders, the victorious feeling on his shoulders, and he walked away, chomping away like a cow. "You're going on a diet," I called after him.

"LIKE HELL I AM. YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER."

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A knock on the door fifteen minutes later had my heart pounding against my chest. I all of a sudden started sweating to the point where I had to sit down. Andy sat across from me on the coffee table and held my hands in his. "Okay. He's here. Now what are our rules?"

"No sex until the third date," I said, only half joking. This rule played in while I was in high school, whenever I brought a boy home, but we ended up having sex anyways and never going on dates period.

"And?"

"Come home before three in the morning."

"AND?" he screamed, squishing my hand.

"No bringing him to the house after you go to bed."

"I was looking more for 'Have fun' but that'll work, too."

I stood up and put on my black boots and leather jacket. Andy looked me over and smoothed down the rough edges before planting a kiss on my forehead. "You're so overdramatic," I told him.

"I know, but I have to be."

I opened the door to Matt, leaning against the door frame with his hands in the pockets of his coat. His smile lifted when he saw me and the nervous look etched across his face a few moments ago had quickly disappeared. "Hi," I said, smiling shyly.

"Hey."

A few awkward seconds later and Andy had me pushed out into the hallway, the door shut and locked, and the television up and blaring.

"You look great," Matt said, the nervous look on his face again.

I had settled for my red dress and black flower tights; nothing unusual but also nothing I would wear to work either. "Thanks. So do you." He simply wore jeans and a sweater, but I felt it was polite to tell him he looked good.

Matt grabbed my hand in his, fingers not intertwined, and walked me down the steps from my apartment.

It seems pretty cliche to say that he had the white van the band always drove around in, but he totally did. It made me think about how they switch off this thing. Do they just drive it around for a day and drop it off at the next mate's house? But then how would they get home? I'm thinking way too much. In the gentlemanly way, Matt opened and close my door for me, and settled in the driver's seat for himself.

"So, what do you have planned for us this evening?" I asked, silently begging him to not say that-

"It's a surprise." He had this smirk on his face that told me exactly that he knew I was pissed. I hated surprises and I could tell he understood that from the small eye roll I shot at him. But I replaced it with a smile quickly. I was out of the house, with a boy, going to do something fun. A really cute boy, too. A really, REALLY cute boy.

"But no, really. What are we doing?"

He sighed, giving in. "I found a really awesome place for you to show your...artistic abilities. And then, I don't know. Maybe a walk in the park. Watch the sunrise. I don't know, I'm trying to be cute."

I shot him a wide grin, as if to tell him that he was succeeding already. "Okay. But we have to make it fun. Different. It's our first date, so why not make memories, right?"

He smiled when I said the word 'date', and I could tell he felt relieved when I said the word, because he became less tense and slumped down in his seat more. He was getting comfortable.

"Stop here," I told him. He pulled over to the liquor store on the side of the street. I quickly unbuckled my seat belt and walked into the store, feeling his eyes on me in wonder. That's right. I'm being spontaneous. I grabbed the closest bottle to me and asked for two packs of cigarettes.

When I walked back out to the van, Matt had that look that Andy gives me every time I come home late from work, like he's suspected I've been drinking, even though I haven't. I pulled the big bottle of Jack Daniels and cigarettes out of the bag and showed him my plan, a mischievous look on my face.

He smiled widely, having to put his hand up to his face and rub his upper lip. "I like the way you think." He put the car in reverse and we started driving again.

We decided that we'd play Truth, Dare, Roulette. This is a little game my brother and I made up when we were kids and wanted to get into as much trouble as possible. We'd ask each other a question, and if you answered it truthfully, you got a cigarette. If you didn't, you took a swig. If you don't do a dare you drink, or you get a cigarette if you do it. Roulette was our own little spin on the game.

"For example, you say something such as, I don't know. I've never had sex in a bathroom. And it has to be truthful. If I did it, I take a drink. If I didn't, then I don't do anything, because cigarettes are expensive." I finished telling him the rules and he seemed to be totally into it by the end of the description.

"So either way, we're killing ourselves," he joked.

"Yup!" I said, proudly. We're all dying at some point. Why not make it interesting?

Matt pulled over onto the side of the road again, in the middle of absolute nowhere. "Okay. Well who should start first."

"Truth, Dare, Roulette?" I asked him, already opening the bottle of whiskey.

"Truth."

"Have you ever had a one night stand?"

He opened his arms wide. "I'm a fucking rock star. What do you think?"

I laughed. "I hoped you would be one of those guys that are 'true to themselves' or whatever."

He shrugged. "Well, I'm not. But I could change." A long silence reached across us. I turned away from him, still smiling. "What about you?"

I paused. "Honestly?"

"That's the game, isn't it?" he joked.

I rolled my eyes. "Many times."

"No shit?" He began laughing.

"Why do you find that so hard to believe?" I shot at him, playfully.

He shrugged again. "Like how many?"

"A lot. There was a time when hook ups were my thing, weirdly enough," I said, sarcastically, knowing inside, he's judging me.

He leaned against his door, looking me up and down, with a sexy smirk on his face. "How about we take a drink right now, since we're here."

I looked out of the windshield, not seeing anything before. There was nothing out there besides a billboard and some lights on out in the distance. We were on the outskirts of London, sitting in a creepy white van, playing a childish game. "What do you mean 'we're here'?"

All Matt did was smile and grab the bottle of whiskey, his eyes never leaving mine. He took a swig and handed it back to me. I took a drink too, the sting apparent the moment it touched the back of my throat. I crinkled up my face, like that was going to somehow make the sting go away. I didn't even bother to put the lid back on, though. I watched Matt get out of the van, and walk around to my side, opening the door for me again. I grasped the bottle in one hand and took his outstretched one in my own, hopping down to the ground.

"Truth, Dare, Roulette?" he asked me, out of the blue. I smiled and stood closer to him as we walked closer to the billboard.

"Hmm. Roulette," I decided.

He seemed to be thinking for awhile, and right when we approached the ladder, he blocked my path and leaned against the rungs. "Never have I ever watched animal porn."

A laugh broke through my lips. I met his eyes again and brought the bottle up to my lips. "Did you know that people actually get turned on by beastiality?" I asked as the liquid ran down my throat again.

He laughed. "That's disgusting, Carrion."

I raised an eyebrow and gave him my idk man look. "You don't know what my brother and I do when we're high."

"That's right, I don't. But I want to." He dropped his head to look down on me again, that innocent look on his face. I think he meant it to be sexy but all I could do was laugh again.

"So you want to watch us watch animal porn?" I questioned, a giggle here and there.

"Fuck. Yes." He said it with a completely straight face, but a smile broke through eventually. He grabbed my hand and helped me up the ladder. I shot him a 'don't look at my ass', but of course he did, and of course I couldn't stop smiling.

Once we were at the top, he pulled out two cans of spray paint: one red and the other black. "Like a real gang," I joked. I took the cans out of his hands. "So what do you want me to paint?" I asked, turning my back away from him. Luckily, there were lights shone on the billboard, and there were no cars any where, so I could see and we wouldn't get in trouble.

Well, I mean. We wouldn't get in trouble THAT MOMENT.

"Paint me like one of you French girls, Carrion," he said, in a girly accent.

"Okay. Well, while you're standing there, doing nothing. Truth, Dare, Roulette," I said, laughing.

"I'll be the first to get comfortable, and say dare," he stated, leaning against the billboard to look at me. I shook the black can and started the outline for a face.

I didn't even think about it. "I want you to draw me," I told him. "Try to do it better than me."

"That's not even fair."

I shook my head at him and smiled. "It's a dare." After I finished the outline, I handed him the black paint and began shaking the red, getting ready to draw his beanie. He didn't give me many options, so I used what I could and began the outline. "I'sn't it kind of a bad idea to be doing this, since they'll know who did it?" I asked.

Matt seemed to be involved in his work, but he still answered. "I'm in a band. Fans do crazy shit like this all of the time. Now you, I don't know, because my painting is going to be so distinguishable," he said, sincerely. I stopped myself from looking at his 'masterpiece', but even from my peripheral vision I could tell it was shit.

"Done," he announced. A few seconds later, I was also finished. We took a step back and leaned against the railing to examine our work.

Matt's face stared straight at me, and I even got all of his facial features down, and the shading was amazing. Next to it, ruining the entire essence, was a stick figure with huge boobs.

"Oh, hey. Thanks," I told him. "It looks just like me."

"Nah, more like Pamela Anderson. But you're a close second," he joked.

I shot him a playful glare. He noticed and tusseled my hair, like I was a puppy. At his touch, I shivered, from his fingers through my hair or the fact that it was -20 degrees outside, I don't know.

"Are you cold?" he asked me, a caring look etched on his face.

"No," I lied. But it's the middle of winter. Matt scoot closer to me and wrapped his arm around my should, running his hand up and down my arm. After a few seconds of this, I said, "You know, we could just go back to the van, where there's heat."

"Shhhhh," he cut me off. "Don't ruin the moment. Remember, I'm trying to be cute."

I smiled up at him and leaned my head against his shoulder. "You're such a fucking dweeb."

He didn't respond. We just stared at the billboard with smiles on our faces. "I guess this means that you have to drink," he stated finally.

I pulled away from him with a dumb look on my face. "What- Never mind. I will drink, but only for your ego." I pulled out the pack of cigarettes and gave it to him, with the lighter. I then picked the bottle of whiskey off of the ground and put it to my lips. "This defeats the entire purpose of the game."

Matt shrugged and laughed. "Maybe I just want to get you drunk."

"Oh, you're so smooth," I joked back.

"HEY. WHAT ARE YOU KIDS DOING UP THERE?" We heard a call from down below.

"Oh fuck."

Matt booked it away from me to get to the ladder and help me down, leaving the spray paint. I sighed and grabbed the cans, stuffing them into my jacket, before scampering down the ladder after him.

"STAY RIGHT THERE!" the cop yelled, getting out of his patrol car to run after us.

I ran through the snow to the side of the road, which was luckily on the other side, away from the cop. Matt was way ahead of me, already starting the van. My socks were soaked through and numb but I eventually made it to the van and we were speeding down the road in a matter of seconds.

"Thanks for leaving me there, you twat!" I screamed at him.

He smiled at me, a cute smile like what kids would give you once they knew they'd done something wrong. "But you had fun."

I sat back in my seat, realizing that, ya. I did have fun. For the first time in a really long time, I had fun and it was fun that wasn't with my brother. I had a life now. Oh my God.

"That adrenaline rush, man," I said, laughing trailing the statement.