"Look who's back," Nikki grins savagely, looking Sophie up and down. "What're you doing up here?"
She had stormed up as soon as Claire had left. She was so embarrassed after being seduced by a man like Nikki that she had to leave in a mess, brushing off Sophie's attempts at reassurance.
Sophie stares dauntingly at Nikki, back as straight as a poker.
"Stay away from my friends, Sixx. I don't care who you are, I'll ruin your life if you play with mine."
A scornful smile creeps to his lips.
"For a girl who makes a whole lotta threats, you sure don't do a lot of anything. But sure, let's play this game again."
Sophie's expression flashes white hot with anger.
"Take me seriously."
"Stop begging."
She struggles to restrain herself from wringing his neck. She'd like to see him crumple to the ground and plead with her. At the same time, she has to banish an odd thought that notices how startling his plush lips look snarled.
"I'm not joking," she continues. "I'll wreck everything you've got going on. Fuck with me again, I dare you."
Nikki sighs, unimpressed with her theatrics, but Sophie's quite astonished at her own language. She's almost as bad as him.
"Alright, Princess, you'd better come in. Let's talk."
Sophie doesn't speak, too surprised to answer. It hadn't been what she'd expected he would say.
"Fuck, come inside, it's not a damn trap."
Sophie looks at him begrudgingly. She doesn't quite believe him. She wouldn't put it past the group of freaks to have some sick torture waiting for her.
"Hurry up, let's just sort this out. Then you can leave and we won't bother each other anymore."
Sophie can't exactly argue with that. If she has to talk it out in order to never see him again, she will.
"Fine, but it had better be quick."
"Why?" Nikki asks as he opens the door wide. "Got somewhere to be?"
Sophie scrunches her nose. "None of your business."
He shrugs and shows her in.
"Sit anywhere, I guess. The boys went to drop our friend Sandy off."
A very close friend, Sophie had observed.
The penthouse is a step dirtier than it was the last time she'd seen it, but Sophie can see the appeal underneath the mess. She surveys the room with refreshed hatred for he who took it from her.
She chooses to sit on a plush sofa, one with the least amount of clothes and junk on it. Nikki collapses next to her, resting his elbows atop its back.
When Sophie says nothing, he realises it's up to him to make conversation.
"I'm sorry for hitting on your friend before," he sighs, rolling his head to look at Sophie. "I was just teasing."
She doubts it, but she nods in acknowledgment anyway. "Are you still high on whatever you were on?"
Nikki laughs.
"Maybe."
Sophie stands up, frustrated.
"I'm can't do this. You're just playing your little games again. You won't even remember this tomorrow."
"Aw, c'mon. Don't go." He grabs her wrist and she shakes him off with a frown.
"Sorry," Nikki shrugs, dropping his hands.
"But seriously, don't leave. Let's just get over ourselves, huh? I won't get in your way again."
Finally, a glimpse of hope.
"Fine," replies Sophie. "Are you just saying all this because you're afraid I'll send you to jail?"
He chuckles. "That's definitely a possibility. You scared me a bit with your whole 'I'll call the cops' thing before. And hey, you know those hookers you sent? They were dressed up as cops. You've got a real mean sense of humour."
Sophie can't help but smile a little. She takes a tin from the cluttered table in front of them and fidgets with it as she begins to think about how they might avoid each other for the remainder of the week.
Nikki's eyes suddenly widen with horror as he remembers what the tin contains.
"Put that down."
Sophie frowns.
"This?" She taps the tin box.
"Yeah, that."
Curious, Sophie unscrews the lid.
"Mints?"
She takes a round piece with a smiley face on it. They look more alike to small vitamin C's than regular sweets.
Sophie pops one into her mouth. Disliking the chalky taste, she just decides to swallow it rather than spit it out. She'd rather not add to the mess they'd created in the penthouse.
Nikki gapes silently and digs his knuckles into his temples.
When he finally utters: "oh my god," does Sophie realise that she may have made a mistake.
"Spit it out," He says urgently.
"I swallowed it," she admits slowly. "What is it?" When he doesn't answer right away she grows frantic.
"What's in these, Nikki?"
Nikki snatches the tin from her and holds it against his chest tightly.
"Jesus," he whispers. Then a string of curses follow in a hushed tone.
"Nikki, what is it? What did I just take!" She has to shake him to get an answer out of him.
"Oh, fuck, you're going to kill me."
He groans loudly.
"That was ecstasy, you..." he can't bring himself to insult her because of the look on her face.
Sophie falls silent.
"Look, Sophie. If you don't want it, you're gonna have to make yourself spew. There's nothing else you can do."
She turns an ashen shade and begins twisting her fingers, a light sweat forming at the nape of her neck.
"I can't, I can't do it. I hate being sick more than anything."
Nikki takes ahold of her shoulders and pushes her back against the sofa gently, trying his best to appear calm.
"Okay, just relax then. Ride it out. I'll sit for you."
"What?"
"I'll look out for you, make sure you don't do anything stupid."
Sophie shakes her head violently.
"No, you have to take one. Whatever happens to me happens to you."
Nikki frowns.
"No, I'm not doing that. They're not even my pills."
Sophie struggles against his arms and finally brings herself to an upright position.
"Take one."
He can tell by her tone that bad things will happen to him if he doesn't. Grumbling with complaint, Nikki takes one and swallows it. He's a veteran, so it should be an easy time for him. He can cruise right through as long as Sophie isn't too problematic.
"Happy? Is this what you wanted?"
"No!" Sophie shouts. "You think I want to be taking your shitty drugs?"
Nikki just sighs.
"Whatever. Just shut up and wait it out."
***
"Wow."
"Yeah."
"I think... maybe this is the best I've ever felt in... My entire life."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Nikki Sixx and Sophie Hunt lay on their backs, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Sophie's hands run over the carpet repetitively. She loves how soft it feels, how carpet-y it is.
Nikki turns his head to look at Sophie's content face.
He's surprised by her softened features. How open they seem now. Welcoming.
Sophie catches him looking and the two break into giggles, awash with dopamine. As the laughter subsides, they lay in pure bliss together.
Nikki laughs quietly, at how ridiculous it is that he and Sophie are flying high as kites together. He'd never have been able to come up with something so unlikely.
He dissolves back into laughter, and Sophie, unable to resist it, begins again.
Once calm again, Nikki's subdued conscience decides to compliment Sophie.
"You know, you have a nice smile. Why don't you?"
Sophie's grin slides away.
"You mean that?"
"Yeah I mean it."
Sophie hauls herself up and crosses her legs.
Nikki copies her and gazes at her, because he can see every minute detail of her face. Every line, freckle and crease.
"I guess we're pretty mean to each other, aren't we?" She says, disappointed.
"Yeah."
"Now I know what you look like when you're happy," Sophie murmurs. "I'm quite partial."
Nikki laughs.
"I second that."
They fall quiet, studying each other's faces for who knows how long. It could be seconds or hours, they can't tell and they don't care, transfixed by one another.
Then Nikki reaches out, poking Sophie's smooth cheek experimentally, in complete awe of the way it feels beneath his fingertip.
Her largely dilated pupils watch how he reacts, how his own eyes move around her face.
Then his fingertips trail from Sophie's chin, to jaw, to throat, swirling against her skin, tracing patterns on her neck. Sophie notices that Nikki hasn't blinked in a long time. Because he doesn't want to miss a single thing, not one detail.
Sophie tilts her head, feeling rather drawn to the genuine ease and softness in him, rather than the condescending sneer that he likes to show her, or the sharp toothed grin. It's very much different, stooping into enemy territory like this. But she kind of likes it there.
Nikki slowly learns as he traces Sophie's collarbone, that he doesn't really hate it when she storms over to tell him off or when she mouths off at him. I'm fact, he rather likes quarrelling with her. Her intense energy. But this, he likes far more. Her vulnerability, her mind meltingly charming smile.
The liquid turquoise replaces the fiery blue in her eyes. They're light, happy. At ease.
He reaches for her blonde locks and smiles as they curl around his hand.
"What's it like?" He murmurs.
"What's what like?"
"What's it like having everything you could ever want?"
Sophie half shrugs, sighing.
"Boring."
"What's stopping you."
"From doing what?"
"Making friends like mine," says Nikki, "Living like me."
Sophie pauses to think.
"I don't know."
"Live a little," he encourages. "Try crazy things. Things you'd never do."
"Maybe I will," Sophie replies, with a newly instilled confidence.
"Kiss me then."
Sophie stops short.
"What?"
"Why not? Try something different! I'm different."
Sophie pauses.
Live a little.
Without waiting for another second's hesitation, she grabs Nikki's shirt and tugs him in close, lips crashing onto his.
Nikki smiles beneath her kiss, which only makes her laugh.
"This is stupid," she says breathlessly.
"No it's not," Nikki replies, taking her face in his hands. This time, he gently presses his lips to hers, softly, slowly. He eases closer, his warmth enveloping Sophie.
Her stomach is immediately set aflutter.
She isn't used to the tenderness he uses, his kisses silken and gentle. She wouldn't expect it from someone such as himself.
And she wishes he would never stop.
Nikki's thumb strokes her cheek, a whisper against her skin, as if she were as delicate as a glass doll.
Her lashes dust her cheeks as the kiss deepens further. Behind her lips bursts fireworks of deep satiny red and fire flavored orange.
She's never felt so connected to her body and someone else's at the same time. She can feel his heart beat against hers, his every breath.
She hopes he might hear her pleading for him to never stop in her head, but he does.
"There," Nikki breathes, breaking away with a smile. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
He had never kissed a girl like that before. He isn't exactly sure what to think. It feels so right for him to be where he is, in this particular moment with this particular woman.
Sophie's eyes are wide. She touches her tingling lips and then falls back to stare at the ceiling, to process what just happened.
"No, that wasn't so bad."
Nikki and Sophie lay next to each other in silence, without any need for words.
***
The effects begin to wear off and the cold world comes crashing back down on Nikki Sixx and Sophie Hunt. The reality of what they'd done. How they'd felt about each other.
How comforting it was to be near each other, near the one they felt the most hatred for not so long ago.
Nikki isn't entirely sure how he feels. It's unlike him to have such a moment without it ending in bed.
"I have to go."
Nikki raises one brow. "Where do you have to be at this hour?"
"Bed," she replies, failing to meet his gaze.
Nikki slowly rights himself. He doesn't really want her to leave. He remembers how perfect everything had seemed before, the connection they'd both felt. He can tell she felt it because she won't even look at him.
Sophie, whose entire store of happy chemicals had all been used up all at once, decides she should go and recharge before she creates more destruction than she has already.
"Don't say a word about this," she warns. "In fact, don't speak to me again. This was a massive mistake and it's your fault this happened."
The words fly at Nikki like knives, knocking him back. An embarrassed Sophie picks herself up and heads for the door.
Her first line of defense is to shove away anyone getting too near, anyone who tapped into something she'd rather not face. Who was where she hadn't planned to be, where they aren't supposed to be. This time, it's Nikki on the receiving end.
The sheer starkness of her attitude compared to the sweet and bubbly girl he had wrapped around him amazes Nikki.
They were two entirely different people. And while he enjoys the fierceness she usually presents, he is curious about this other side.
He wants to know more about her, badly.
He shakes his head in disbelief. Perhaps at himself.