The scent of sizzling eggs and toasted bread drifted through the apartment.
Ren stirred under the blanket on the couch, shirtless, a few claw-like marks still faint on his chest from the night before. The morning sun filtered through the blinds, golden and soft. He could still feel the echoes of her body on his skin. Her weight. Her rhythm. Her voice in his ear.
Gods… what a night.
From the kitchen, he heard a quiet hum. The sound of the spatula against the pan. Then a single clatter—like she dropped something and softly cursed under her breath.
He sat up, blanket falling off his chest.
Mazra stood at the stove, wearing nothing but a large T-shirt that hung just above her thick thighs, one shoulder bare. Her long hair was tied up messily, and she hadn't noticed him yet.
She looked different this morning.
Still tall. Still powerful. But softer somehow. She wasn't trying to perform or seduce. She was just… comfortable.
She hadn't seen him yet.
He cleared his throat.
She glanced back at him and gave him the smallest smile, a real one, not her usual smirk.
"Morning," she said softly.
"Morning," Ren replied, voice a little rough.
An awkward silence stretched between them, filled only by the sizzle of cooking.
Then Mazra broke it, sliding two plates onto the table.
"Sleep alright, human?"
Ren rubbed the back of his neck, grinning. "Like a rock. After being… You know. Piledriven into the mattress five times."
She gave a low, throaty chuckle. But when she turned back to the pan, her ears flushed dark green.
A small blush crept up her cheeks.
She tried to play it off, but her smile was softer now. Almost shy.
"I, uh… made breakfast," she mumbled. "Thought you might need the protein."
"You saying I earned it?"
"Don't push it."
They sat across from each other on her tiny bar counter. She passed him a mug of coffee. He sipped.
For a moment, the silence between them wasn't awkward, it was comfortable. Like something had shifted.
She looked at him across the rim of her mug.
"You're not what I expected."
Ren raised a brow. "What did you expect?"
"Skinny, bookish human with a nervous laugh? I figured I'd have to tuck you in and feed you soup. Not…" she trailed off, lips twitching. "Whatever the hell last night was."
"You started it."
"I finished it too," she shot back, before taking another bite of sausage. "Eventually."
But her eyes darted down to his torso and lingered. "How're your legs?"
"Still attached," he said, yawning. "Barely."
She snorted as the smell of fried sausage and butter filled the room.
"Good," she said. "I'd hate to break my neighbor before round six."
Ren steps out of Mazra's apartment, freshly dressed, hair still a mess, shirt half-tucked. He tries to close the door quietly. Behind him, Mazra gives him a lazy wave and disappears inside.
Just as he turns to head down the hallway, BAM.
Kai, in sweatpants and sandals, practically tackles him.
"DUDE. Where the hell were you last night? I knocked like fifteen times."
Ren blinks, shrugs coolly.
"Got locked out."
Kai squints. "So you didn't come home at all?"
"Nope."
"You didn't pick up your phone."
"Battery died."
"...And you just randomly slept somewhere else?"
Ren throws a thumb over his shoulder toward Mazra's door.
"Neighbor, let me crash on the couch. Really nice of her."
Kai stares. Then look at the door. Then at Ren's shirt, which is definitely not the one he left the bookstore in yesterday.
"...Uh-huh."
Ren claps a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Let's grab coffee."
Kai, still squinting. "You're walking funny."
"Bad couch."
"Bad couch, my ass," Kai said, as they walked down the hallway to the elevator.
They got in and headed down to the first floor. As Ren lived on the 17 floor.
The elevator doors dinged open, and Ren walked out, adjusting his hoodie, hands in his pockets, sunglasses over his eyes like a hangover was following him around.
Beside him, Kai towered, stretching his arms and cracking his neck like he'd just rolled out of the gym and a frat party.
"So, wait—did you actually lose your key, or are you just pulling the 'oops, locked out' move to get back into Amazon Orc Heaven?"
Ren muttered, "I actually lost it," but Kai was already grinning.
The front office door opened with a cheerful ding, and the air conditioning hit them like a cold slap.
Behind the desk, Marissa, mid-20s, smart eyes and combat boots, looked up from her phone. Her gaze zeroed in on Kai like a laser-guided missile.
"Oh. You again."
Kai grinned like he'd been summoned.
"Miss me, Marissa?"
"Like a root canal."
"Don't tempt me."
Ren didn't even flinch. He walked up to the desk and set his ID down.
"Hey, uh… I lost my key last night. Can I get a spare?"
Marissa didn't take her eyes off Kai. "Yeah, sure. After I deal with this walking slab of testosterone."
"Slab?" Kai gasped. "I am a work of art. A sculpture. A living monument to dedication, protein shakes, and glute day."
"You skipped leg day."
"Lies! My thighs are weapons. I squat; pain for breakfast."
"You squat because your brain's too heavy for your ego to carry."
"Okay, that was hot."
Marissa blinked. "What?"
"You are insulting me. It's kind of our love language now."
Ren stood there, resting his elbows on the counter, completely unbothered, as the chaos unfolded behind him.
"This happens every time I bring him anywhere," he muttered to no one in particular.
Meanwhile, The flirt fight continues.
"You know," Kai leaned on the counter, flexing just enough to make it obvious, "you're the only woman who can insult me and still make me want to buy you brunch."
"You're the only man who makes me want to buy earplugs and pepper spray."
"Pepper spray? Kinky."
"You wish, beefcake."
She tossed the spare key at Ren without looking.
"Here. Save yourself. Before he starts comparing his biceps to Greek gods again."
Ren caught it midair. "Thanks, Marissa."
"Tell him to wear sleeves next time," she added. "This is a professional environment."
Kai turned, arms raised. "My arms are sleeved in the divine, sweetheart."
She pointed a pen at him like it was a weapon. "Get. Out."