#╰ ♡ ✧ ˖ threads┊ ❨ marisela x kareem.001 ❩

[fatestln]

marisela  rolled  her  eyes  at  kareem’s  antics,  a  smile  tugging  at  the  corners  of  her  mouth  despite  her  best  efforts  to  maintain  a  facade  of  indifference.  “don’t  try  to  use  me  to  get  out  of  your  brotherly  duties,”  she  quipped,  choosing  to  avoid  answering  the  damsel  comment  since  she  really  didn’t  have  a  good  comeback.  marisela  gave  him  a  skeptical  glance  as  he  ordered  food,  trying  not  to  look  too  interested  in  the  scent  of  fresh  pastries  that  wafted  over.  “oh,  i promise  you  i  can  be  a  hassle,”  she  raised  an  eyebrow  at  his  smile,  her  own  tone  challenging  and  skating  on  the  very  edge  of  flirtation.  “i  guess  you  have  a  point–everyone  deserves  a  decent  breakfast,”  she  replied,  her  tone  almost dramatically  pensive.  marisela  accepted  the  muffin  and  croissant  with  a  small  nod,  her  eyes  zeroing  in  on  the  croissant  in  particular.  in  truth,  there  was  something…nice  about  the  way  he  treated  her,  although  she’d  probably  never  admit  it.  “thanks,  kareem,”  she  said  softly,  tucking  a  strange  of  hair  behind  her  ear  and  taking  a  bite  of  the  croissant.  warm,  cheesy  and  delicious.  “damn  it,  that  hits  all  the  spots,”  the  witch  groaned  in  satisfaction,  covering  her  mouth  as  she  spoke.  now  that  she’d  taken  a  bite,  she  realized  just  how  hungry  she’d  been.

"I didn't know only damsels in distress got to be escorted home, though." He said while his dark orbs moved from the slight twitch of her lips, one that almost made him think she was about to pout, back to her crystal clear gaze, his hand moving to his chest in some sort of faux innocence kind of way. If anything, given her tough demeaner and the way Marisela was always adamant in telling Kareem that she could handle herself, he wouldn't dare thinking of the young nurse like that. "In that case, do you think I could stop saying yes to my sisters requests for rides then?" Again, Kareem easily plastered that charming smirk on his face. "Seems like a valid excuse to give, doesn't it?" He said as he took a step back to give Mari some space to take her order, after all, he wouldn't be caught dead standing between an exhausted witch and her coffee.

Food was the way to everyone's heart and if that wasn't the case with Marisela, his mother had always said that there was nothing food couldn't cure. Well, maybe death, but he wasn't going to defy Amada Howard on her words. Kareem knew better than that. "If food doesn't convince a tired soul, I don't know what will." The other witch chuckled, before placing an order for a couple of muffins and a buttered croissant with ham and white cheese. He didn't know if Mari would like it, but he was hoping she would. "A hassle? Nah. I never offer things that will be a headache to me, so don't worry. Besides, how can you ever be a hassle to anyone?" The smirk was back on his lips and if he was being honest, his little back and forth with Marisela went beyond the blatant flirting. He actually really did like spending time with her and talking to her.

One of the problems of being everyone's friend was that not many people his age were actually around for deep conversations, which, he actually had with Mari. "Here you go, Miss Not-in-Distress. Everyone deserves a good breakfast after a loaded shift, don't you think?"

[fatestln]

marisela  looked  up  at  kareem,  his  casual,  easy  smile  already  testing  her  resolve.  the  word  ‘beautiful’  slid  off  his  tongue  like  it  belonged  there,  and  while  she  used  to  bristle  at  it,  by  now  she’d  learned  it  wasn’t  meant  to  be  anything  but  kind. “i’ve  still  got  a  few  things  to  take  care  of  before  i  head  home,”  she  replied,  her  voice  holding  a  stubborn  edge  to  it.  what  those  things  were  she  couldn’t  tell  you.  her  name  was  called  by  the  barista  and  she  stepped  forward,  accepting  it  with  a  small  smile.  marisela  turned  back  to  kareem,  her  lips  practically  jutting  out  into  a  pout. “i’m  not  some  damsel  who  needs  escorting.”  he  carried  himself  with  such  calm  certainty,  he  was  frustratingly  hard  to  resist  sometimes,  and  he  wasn’t  pushing  her–simply  offering.  that  made  it  worse  somehow.  she  opened  her  mouth  to  decline  again,  but  his  next  words  cut  through  her  defenses. “something  tasty?”  marisela  echoed,  pressing  her  lips  together,  fighting  off  a  smile. “you  really  think  food  is  going  to  convince  me?”  it  absolutely  was.  her  stomach  almost  growled  at  the  mere  thought.  she  stood  there,  arms  crossed,  as  if  that  alone  would  be  enough  to  keep  herself  from  giving  in. but, truthfully, the  thought  of  walking  home  alone  was  less  appealing  the  more  she  thought  about  it. “okay,  fine,  but  only  because  you’re  feeding  me.  you  sure  it’s  not  hassle?”  the  last  thing  she  wanted  was  to  be  a  burden.

Kareem would have stayed home that morning, but something stirred him awake and kicked out of the house. A feeling, he called. So, here he was, standing in line for his first cup of coffee of the day and it seemed like he wasn't the only one. "Shouldn't you be heading home by now, beautiful?" He asked Mari, hoping the witch didn't mind the pet name that in any way, came in a derogatory way and by now, she would've know that. "If it had been a long night, that is." He added, to let her know that he indeed had paid attention to what she'd said. "Just an early start for me. If you let me walk you home, I'll add something tasty to munch on while we go. How's that?"