Blessed by Night

As Malachi was in the middle of his thoughts, he missed the moment where a shadow passed overhead.

However, he turned around just as a tattooed-red winged woman dropped out of the air and into his arms.

"You’ve gotta stop doing that. What if one of these times I don’t catch you?"

"I’ll decide what to do when you actually fail to catch me." Anna planted several kisses on Malachi’s cheek in the span of a second. "Happy birthday, babe."

"How many times are you going to tell me that?" he laughed dryly.

"As many times as I damn-well please until 11:59 tonight. Why? You have a problem?"

Malachi didn’t know why, but all of his women were being extra short with him today.

It was a crisis that was bad for his libido.

"Wanna race me home?" He only asked because he already knew the answer would be yes. Further motivation to get her home as quickly as possible.

Anna looked like she almost said yes, but at the last minute she held herself back. "A-Actually... think you have some time to come to the library with me? I’ve got a lot of studying I need to do and I think having you around might be good for my morale."

Malachi endured a brief culture shock. After everything he’d been through, he couldn’t believe he was about to do something as normal as a study date.

"I can run and grab us some coffees if you-"

"MR. SAINTTTT!!!"

Malachi and Anna were suddenly interrupted by the shrill cry of a man that they were only vaguely familiar with.

A larger-than-life man ran up to the two of them. Somehow, he was sweating even though it was still in the very midst of winter.

"Uh...Cade, right?"

"Huff, huff, huff... Y-Yea..! Good memory!"

Cade was still a year or two younger than Malachi and Anna, still on the verge of his twenties and the baby-ish face to show for it.

He had short, dark brown hair and an unkempt beard that barely seemed combed.

Among the four Evolved on campus, they pretty much tried to stay out of each other’s way. It wasn’t as if they had a special club or anything.

But Cade, due to his youth, was always the most star-struck over the idea of having a team of super-powered friends.

And with there only being four of them at school?? They would literally be the Fantastic-

"Help you with something, man?" Anna was trying not to show it, but she was heavily annoyed.

If her study-date with a side of voyeurism was interrupted for any reason, then a pudgy kid was about to come up missing.

"I’m lucky I caught you!" Cade finally caught his breath. "Get it, because my ability is luck and-"

""We get it.""

"Right… W-Well there’s someone in the parking lot waiting for you, I think you should come see."

Anna could have cried.

Intrigued, Malachi put his fiancé down and the two of them set off for the parking lot.

Anna shot back a glare towards the innocent young man a glare that could’ve melted stone.

He just smiled innocently and waived back with just a hair too much enthusiasm.

’Play it cool, Cade. Just play it cool..!’

He was totally going to convince them to join the super squad.

-

Before even fully reaching the parking lot, Malachi had already gotten a whiff of the ’disturbance’ that was waiting for him.

But still, he smiled innocently when he saw his best friend, standing in a black suit and shades while leaning against her car.

In her hands, she held a Bluetooth pill that looked brand new.

"Hey, stranger. What’s with the ’Men in Black’ shit?"

Aisha robotically pressed a button on her pill and it whirred to life.

She lifted the speaker above her head with a straight face, and the sound of 2 Chainz’ ’Birthday Song’ filled the entire parking lot.

Those nearby were caught between laughter and looking around for the flash mob.

Malachi hated being embarrassed more than anything.

As his back began to sweat, he made several attempts to get his best friend to stop.

"Ha-ha, Aish, I get the joke, so you can stop now-"

*All I want for my birthdayyy is a big booty hoe!*

"God damnit stop doing this shit before I kill you!" Mal hissed.

Aisha finally cracked a small smile as she reached to turn the volume up.

Malachi swiped at the speaker to take it away from her.

Aisha moved her arms just beyond his grasp.

He blinked several times behind his glasses.

She wasn’t always this fast… was she?

*Swish!*

Malachi swiped for the pill again, and Aisha just moved it beyond his grasp again. They were at a stalemate.

His violet eyes met her red ones behind their dark sunglasses.

The existing tension between the two of them nearly doubled.

Both began moving in a blur as they played an impromptu game of cat and mouse.

All the while, Anna was just dancing to the music.

Malachi wouldn’t allow himself to stop and look at her, because he was 100% certain that if he did, he would completely abandon his current plan to preserve his reputation.

Eventually, Malachi gave up on ripping the speaker away from her, and simply went to destroying it.

A small bolt of cyan lightning left his fingertips and struck the pill right on the ’b’ logo. When it exploded in her hands, Malachi finally sighed in relief.

"Aww.." Anna finally stopped dancing, but she didn’t look nearly as happy about it as Mal did.

Though he had to admit, he was also a little bit sad that she had stopped dancing… maybe he should let Aisha keep embarrassing him just for the sake of it.

"You could’ve at least let the song finish." Aisha finally spoke as she wiped soot from her hands.

Malachi’s brow twitched uncontrollably. "Is that all you have to say after going radio silent on me since dropping that whole pregnancy bomb?"

"Not all… Happy Birthday." Aisha smiled innocently.

Malachi’s hardened expression didn’t change. So Aisha ended up resorting to more drastic measures.

"Give me a hug, buddy."

"I think not." Malachi took a step back.

"You don’t get a choice! Stop being a weenie and hug me already."

"I said no! Anna, tell this girl to get away from me."

"Not involved in this…" Anna was busy reapplying her lipgloss and looking everywhere else but in front of her.

While Malachi was reeling from abandonment, Aisha ambushed him with a tight embrace containing a dramatic strength.

"Ugh… fine, fine, I get it… I missed you too." Malachi gingerly hugged her back. @@novelbin@@

"Thank you, now was that so hard?"

"Unspeakably."

Aisha put more strength into her hug until she nearly snapped his back.

"Kidding, kidding.." he gasped. (He wasn’t kidding.)

Aisha took a sinister amount of joy in his discomfort, and only then did she release him.

"Get in the car, cat-boy. We’re going on a ride along." Aisha smiled as she peeled off her jacket and tie.

Malachi smiled bitterly. "Sorry to say it, but I can’t. Anna and I had plans to go on a coffee date and-"

"Don’t worry about me." Anna nudged him. "You guys go on ahead and have fun."

"What? But I thought you needed help studying?"

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"Let’s be honest, I was just going to stare at you the whole time and maybe play footsie with you under the table until we got home. Now, I can just call Luna and she’ll at least make sure I get some work done."

"Are you not just going to stare at her too?"

"Of course I am, but she’s going to make sure I at least study a little bit in the midst of it. You would’ve just made it harder."

Malachi had never in his life heard a more unfair and true statement in his life.

He couldn’t exactly argue it though.. since everyone back home had already stipulated that he and Anna weren’t allowed to study together unless she was on her period or Cami was there to supervise.

But still, it was like they had no faith in them!

"Just make sure you have him back by seven, alright? And no strip clubs please." She said to Aisha.

"But he’s never been to one!"

Anna gave the white haired girl another one of her patented glares.

"J-Just making a joke, I would never take him to such a gross place..." In fairness, Aisha actually was joking. She just forgot that Anna was unbelievably scary and shouldn’t be joked with lightly.

"Mhm.."

Anna kissed Malachi on the cheek and neck. Just to make sure that she had properly marked her territory.

’You sure you’re alright with this?’

Anna smiled and kissed his lips this time as her answer.

’Everyone knows how much you miss your best friend. So yes, go and have fun… Just not too much fun or I will kill you.’

Anna finally separated from him and waived the two goodbye while she slipped out her phone.

As she walked away, he heard her call Luna just like she’d said she would and asked her to meet at the library.

Malachi felt a little bit better knowing that she wasn’t mad at him for blowing her off now. And still, he could always make it up to her later.

"So…" Aisha held up a shiny set of keys.

"Who’s driving?"