#c: athena x maliq

[lostintra]

"I'm going to have to take a hard pass on that one. Like what do you mean a comedy special? I don't even know why you're laughing so much when I've been dead serious this whole entire time." She shook her head despite the corners of her lips raising in to a small smile at his laughter. It wasn't her fault if she could turn any situation into something much more grandiose while still being serious about her dramatics. Growing up in a family that constantly roasted one another whenever they had the chance had made Athena quick-witted and she never failed to have a retort on the tip of her tongue.

"Oh yeah, for sure, I'll keep that in mind. You know that really sounds like it's never going to happen. You already have more than enough entertainment going on over here so you're just going to have to dream about it -- and the coffee is probably cold already." She made a small face, pressing a finger against his chest in indication that she'd prefer if he took a step back to where he had been. Even if he was handsome Athena didn't intend to be just another name on her neighbor's roster. "I guess I can take it to go though. Maybe turn it in to a nice iced latte. "The woman sighed picking up the mug with a smirk and moved to create even more space between them "and another thing -- If I'm going to be one of the black sisters I'm more of an Andromeda. Bellatrix was down bad for Voldemort." her gaze trailed over him from head to toe, "Could never be me" She finished before giving him a bright grin "but it was so nice meeting you, Mark. I promise I'll bring this back when I'm done." She's aware she's called him by the wrong name, but she couldn't resist as she continued to back away towards his front door.

"What?" Maliq looked at her sideways once she started making Harry Potter references to him. He couldn't help but laugh at the comparison to the iconic villain. "It's mad weird for you to come tell me to stop having loud sex, so we're weird together, Bellatrix," he tried to keep the same energy but Athena was eons ahead of him. He was more amused than he was upset at this point, particularly when she shared her manifestations for him. He covered his face eto keep himself from cackling. "No...where the fuck are you getting this from? Be for real. Who sent you?" It shouldn't have been possible for Athena to disarm him so quickly. "Nah...you 'bout to joke your way into some dick right now," Maliq chuckled, satisfied with his one-liner. "All that ain't even necessary, Athena," he shook his head, "you are so damn dramatic...having a whole ass comedy special in here." He allowed some residual laughter to leave him, stepping closer to her. "You're actually hilarious...but if you do find a girl, make sure you hit me up when I get back. I'd love to join y'all...or just watch." Maliq went back to being the worst. He glanced over at the coffee he made, still in his green and black mug. "You're not gonna waste the coffee, are you?"

[lostintra]

"while i appreciate you calling me a playa and not a ho when you're under the impression i'm keeping jerseys like some kind of trophy for sleeping around -- that is simply not the case, mahershala." she shook her head, hands resting on her hips as she regarded him with a sigh. "my mama is a good southern baptist woman and if i was acting fast out here she would drag me through the same streets you think i must be for. doesn't even matter that i'm grown." athena was raised well enough to know nothing was worth incurring that kind of wrath. not that she was even ever tempted to -- her stance on sharing her body with someone has always generally been the same. if she put a lot of value in herself then so must her partner. plus the idea of making maliq put in some honest effort was fun. "this pussy requires much higher stakes than a jersey. all i have to do is ask for one, okay. i've just got it like that."

it's then that she realizes he also must think darius is her man or something -- which ew, her expression became one of disgust for a moment before the amusement of it all settled in and she wondered if she should tell him or simply play along. of course she ought not to be surprised by his continued forwardness despite the fact. "wow, you really are some kind of dog aren't you?" she laughed, brushing away his touch before laying out her next set of terms. "look, if you really can't sleep so bad then you can stay if you want to, but i'm tellin' you right now you not going to get passed some cuddling and that's only if i'm feeling generous. not even the back my ass up to get you hard kind either. i'm talking strictly PG -- take it or leave it."

perking up at the mention of athena's band position, maliq turned to face her. "for real? my girlfriend in high school was a majorette...then a stripper in college. cliché, right? that's what i said," he noted, quickly realizing he might have a thing for dancers. "nah, i like it. i'm sure you could give me a better one in here," he couldn't help himself, winking for that necessary fuck-boy flair. athena definitely underestimated the infinite depth of his fantasies.

maliq rolled his eyes, kissing his teeth, at her enforcement of their gender roles. he was able to find the spider, unable to save its life from his shoe. "i'm sorry...i see a bug on the floor. i step on it," he shrugged. athena had some nerve making all these demands to someone that wasn't her man, barely a friend. at the thought of her man, maliq asked her about the oversized jersey she sported. his eyes widened when she told him who the jersey belonged to, immediately crossing his arms over his chest. "never heard of him," he shook his head, trying to keep cool. at he mention of how many she had, he scoffed. "okay, playa. what you tryna run through the whole team?" athena was just like him for real, a twin flame. "why? does he only come over after games? i'm confused," he started to laugh -- more entertained than jealous. "not really. i'm more of a basketball guy myself, but i'm not buying jerseys and shit. it's not that." maliq let his eyes wander around the space which reminded him of why he was here in the first place. he pushed himself off the counter to meet athena where she was. "i ain't really come over here to do your chores, you know," maliq exhaled, rubbing the hem of her shirt between his fingers. "ain't that darius' job? maybe a lineman?"

[lostintra]

"Oh okay, so you'd love to hear me screaming like that's not mad weird for you to say when you don't even know me. Better be careful sounding like a pervy Voldemort all of a sudden there." the coffee itself may have gone forgotten, but not the crest that had adorned it's cup. the sarcastic quip she made making it clear it had not escaped her notice. then she looked around for a moment as if trying to find where he was pulling the audacity from to manifest anything on her behalf as she countered "Mhm, and I'll be manifesting for you that when you're on that plane up in that sky you find yourself some Jesus cause that might be what you need so when you come back I won't even have to worry about hearing another 'oh god' unless you're listening to some worship." maybe if she was lucky enough he would decide to save himself for marriage, but Athena knew she ought not to hold her breath when it really would take some kind of miracle for him to change his ways even a fraction. she did look forward to a week of good sleep though, but found his comment that she could use the time to search for a partner insulting. "And excuse me, you think I need a week to get somebody to do me right?? I didn't realize you were hard of vision because with all this --" the woman swirled her hands as she indicated herself from head to toe in a gesture that said she was obviously well aware she was the whole package before continuing. "--I can have somebody here within the hour if I wanted to and that's a fact. I could have these wall shaking putting you to shame tonight."

Maliq had every intention of trying to resolve this matter in a neighborly fashion...at first. He saw a beautiful woman at his doorstep, going off about the late night sounds coming from his place. He was amused by it, but then he came to his sense. There was a quick realization of what was actually happening, and Maliq wasn't about to go out like that. Who was Athena to tell him what to do with his body?

"You the first person to complain 'bout it, honestly. It sounds like you the problem," Maliq spoke calmly, remaining even toned throughout their squabble. He listened to her genuinely try to resolve this, but he was still worried about his image. Not fucking loud groupies was detrimental to the brand. "It's really not even about getting my dick wet. It's not even my fault! You have a problem with the girls I'm fuckin', and that's way past neighborly concern or whatever the fuck," he argued. at that point, he was getting a kick out of aggravating her. It's been awhile since he started a silly little rivalry for the fun of it. "Look, this is what you gotta put up with when you share a building with other people. I don't know what to tell you," he shrugged, keeping his eyes trained on her. He laughed at her last words. "I always intend on doing me -- always," Maliq started, "You definitely should -- way more productive then trying to get me to have sex somewhere other than my home. I'd love to hear you screaming -- the good kind not the murder one you compared mine to. I'm manifesting that for you, queen." He clasped his hands as if he already started praying. "Listen -- I'm flying out next week, so you'll have some peace and quiet when I'm on the road. Perfect time to bunker down, find you a man to put it down so you ain't gotta worry 'bout me...or a woman? they can definitely get you right."

[lostintra]

For some reason Athena had really thought that being able to talk to her neighbor about this might just go over okay especially when he welcomed her in and that gave her the impression that he might be receptive to what she had to say. "I don't see how it should." He didn't seem too bad and had agreed to making her coffee so things were still on track, but the Slytherin insignia was a clear sign that they were going to butt heads. "Just black is fine." the coffee would be a bit bitter without the additions, but that was fine by her just like the mood that had begun to return when it seemed he had no intention of being willing to compromise. Athena bit the inside of her cheek as he spoke before taking a sip of the brew and setting the mug back down.

She shook her head, feeling aggravated that there wasn't much that could be done and the lack of proper sleep had been making her more easily irritated lately -- his smile definitely wasn't helping. "I've tried drowning out the noise before -- not like that, but it only got me noise complaints which should have been coming to you since you're the root of the problem, but I've had enough respect for you as a neighbor to not make any formal complaints. Cause I do get it, you're obviously handsome and if you wanna get your dick wet all the damn time that's your business except that if I always have to hear it then you're making it mine." Taking a leveling breath she tried to remind herself that she was expending too much effort on this when he simply didn't care. "Obviously you intend to just keeping doing you though so maybe I should just find somebody to fuck me to sleep because it's better than trying to maintain a pointless conversation, right?"

"No, I haven't," Maliq started, gripping the counter behind him. He wanted to remain chill about this complaint, but the longer he allowed his mind to wander, the more irritated he became. "Maybe it should be about you, though?" He was distracted by the sound of the coffee machine. He took a deep breath before serving her. "Cream and sugar?" he placed the mug in front of Athena with its emblazoned Slytherin crest facing her. He was raised right; he'd still be polite to his guest...for the time being. Listening to her suggestions of what he should do with his late night guests forced a subtle grimace to settle across his face. "Oh, so now you're concerned for my safety?" Maliq's eye brows furrowed. "Look -- thanks for the advice. I appreciate it, but I think I'm gonna keep fucking whoever I want in my own apartment. Instead of worrying about who's getting dicked down over on this side, find someone to make you feel so good you have to scream. You know...drown out the noise," he countered with a cunning smile.

[lostintra]

She took a cursory glance around as she followed him to his kitchen. His apartment was nice, the general lay out seemed not too far different from her own except bigger from what she could tell. Maliq's question caught her off guard for a minute, not having expected her own sex life to come in to question. "What-I...maybe. You haven't heard me interrupt any of your evenings have you? but this isn't about me anyway." she supplied noncommittally because she didn't think he really needed to know that kind of information or have to explain that obviously she hadn't been having any hookups lately for him to overhear. "I don't know can't you go to their place or something? I mean, do you really want so many people to know where you live anyway? Seems a little unsafe, but then again as a man I guess you don't have to worry as much about that kind of thing." she shrugged in thought before adding, "Still, it's something to take in consideration with all you appear to have going for you. Men get stalked too."

"Athena...like the goddess?" Of war, Maliq thought to himself with smirk. He watched her standing before him, hand on hip and furrowed brows. "Suits you," he nodded, continuing to take her in as she went at him. As she spoke, Maliq became more invested her vivid imagination than any other part of her. He could only shake his head and smile in amusement. "What is wrong with you? Seriously," he laughed before asking if she wanted to come inside. This wasn't the best conversation to be having with prying ears.

Maliq allowed her to step past him, obviously checking her out from all angles. "Yeah, come on," he nodded towards the kitchen. He moved to the Nespresso machine, popping in one of the pods. As it began to brew, he leaned back against the counter, eyeing Athena as she got settled. "So...you just...stay silent as fuck when you have sex or? I mean, what do you really what me to do here?" he didn't mean to be so vulgar, but there was no gentle way to ask what needed to be asked.

[lostintra]

She heaved a sigh -- hand resting on her hip as she shook her head at him because there had to be something extra going on. Sure, he was handsome she'd give him that, but could he really be just some kind of sex prodigy? The woman was tempted to say she didn't care what his name was only that he agree to keep his visits to a minimum, but she offered her name in return anyway. "It's Athena." then as he put off her notions the idea of him doing acrobatics did crack her annoyed mood for a minute "Coulda fooled me, cirque du soleil could have been in town and i swear i probably wouldn't know the difference cause of how wild it sounds over here. Might be pulling a sia and swinging from a chandelier -- i don't know how you live your life." she joked, aware that it was quite a far stretch. of course when he offered to let her in there was a small bit of curiosity that may have been getting the best of her. it would be a chance to check out his apartment for herself, see if he improvised some kind of crazy sex dungeon even if it was unlikely to be the case. "Do you have coffee? think you might owe me some by now." she stated as she stepped in to his space.

His smartphone displayed her image when he got the "motion detected" notification. Under the assumption she was on some benign neighbor shit, Maliq swung open the door with no hesitation. "What's up?" he greeted her with a yawn and welcoming smile. He'd always found her pretty -- even more so now that they were face-to-face. Though, his smile quickly faded once she began to speak. "Whoa -- what?" Maliq couldn't help but laugh. He was nervous and embarrassed but also deeply amused by the frustrated look on her face. He covered his mouth when she mentioned the last woman he'd taken to bed. It was true, but he tried his best to keep her quiet. He took a few seconds to take in all of this information. "Alright -- first of all, what's your name? I'm Maliq Sai," he hated how he sounded -- like he was about to draw a famous mouse's ears with a glow stick. "Second. I can say with one-hundred percent certainty that the sounds you're hearing...is just sex. Nothin' crazy. I'm not doin' acrobatics or some shit like that," he shook his head when he realized he was going on a tangent. "Do you want to come in?" Maliq stepped aside, getting the crazy idea that she wouldn't have to hear the noise through the wall if she was the one making them.

[lostintra]

his comments elluding that the ambiance light she had reminded him of a lap dance had her pulling a face before he ad the audacity to take it further and venture to ask if she were a dancer. not that athena had anything against a woman shaking what she had to get a bag, but that just was not her at all. "Uh-no, I'm sure you probably wish I was, but only dancing i've ever done has been majorettes or at a club -- not a strip club." her nose scrunched with distaste. "purple is my favorite color, but thanks for making me want to redecorate my room now cause i think i've fed enough of your fantasies by just existing." she sighed to herself thinking how the lighting would be missed.

"i don't know you're the man -- figure it out, but he's in there." athena had insisted as she watched him take on the mission...one that he somewhat failed moments later when he stepped on the poor insect anyway. the woman frowned at his smile because while yes she was relieved she'd have access to her personal bathroom again she still felt a little sorry for the creature. what if it had a family? but before her thoughts could get too needlessly sentimental he was asking her about the jersey. "answers both anyway because i got it from the actual player -- darius simone, running back." she turned around to show the surname 'simone' in bold block lettering across her shoulders over the large 23 before looking back to him with a shrug of nonchalance. "i have a bunch of them -- jahmir ones too and a few from a couple other players, but most of my collection is from darius." she smiled thinking how proud she was of her brothers' careers. even if sticking with the football craze of her family wasn't really for her job-wise in the end athena remained a big supporter nonetheless. "you like football at all?"

maliq couldn't even focus on his mug once he spotted it; instead, his dark eyes widened at her retort. "i ain't disappointed...that's one i wanted anyway." the corners of his mouth tugged into something sinister. he wanted to stay on that topic, but they moved onto his everchanging name. "what the fuck does even mean, athena? i swear you just be sayin' shit. where's the spider?" maliq rolled his eyes, learning that he was following her to her bedroom. "big mike is not even clever...i liked malcolm, though." a part of him couldn't even believe he was entertaining this.

"i got a lap dance the other night in a room just like this -- same light and everything...you used to dance? you still dance?" the lines between teasing and genuine curiosity had grown blurry. everything about tonight was going in the opposite direction of where maliq wanted -- needed -- it to. "okay, so you already decided you wanna go back to my place? bet," he joked with a clasp of his hands, but athena was serious about this spider. he sighed. "it's probably not even in there still -- what you want me to do? toss it out the window?" his ego began to tell him he was too rich, too famous, and too desired to going out sad, killing bugs for a girl he hadn't kissed let alone anything else. he tried to ignore it, grabbing a tissue and getting to work.

"i don't see it," maliq shrugged before the moving dot caught his eye. instinct took over then, causing him to step on the tiny thing. "damn -- my bad," he winced wiping the residue from the tile and the bottom of his slipper. "at least now you can use your bathroom." maliq smiled, moving to wash his hands after flushing the tissue. he turned on his heel, leaning back against the counter to watch her. "whose jersey is that?" his chin jutted towards her get-up, "the player, not like...who it belongs to." though, maliq was curious about that too. did she have a man these whole time? what if this man was also the football player?

[lostintra]

she could certainly tell when she was being seduced, especially when maliq wasn't truly being subtle at all with his intentions. "i see, so what you're really trying to say here is you need my help." not even moments later was he crowding her space and she found herself in his arm. part of her knows these moves probably work for him every time and maybe if they knew each other better they would certainly work on her too. the man certainly fit the term tall, dark, and handsome with a brilliant smile to boot...but athena liked to keep men humble as if it were her universe-handed assignment and she wasn't about to let him hit it so easily chiefly due to that same smile.

so she offered him one back of her own, biting her lip as if his smooth display were granting him the exact desired effect and having her melt against him. "i'm in to a lot of things." now it had been her turn to lower her voice in to a soft sultry sound while a hand trailed up his torso and gave his shoulder a squeeze exploring the muscle tone beneath his tee. "i guess maybe you can come in." her sigh this time lenient as she placed her hand against the back of his neck to pull his face closer -- lips almost brushing his "and catch the spider in my bathroom." she murmured before pushing his face away from her and entirely breaking the facade. "because if you want me to call you by your actual name then you should know the shit i'm really in to is a man that's going to work for it."

maliq rolled his eyes when she called him the wrong name again, kissing his teeth playfully. “stop frontin’ like you don’t know my name,” he shook his head; it took some effort to keep himself from laughing, though. their rival dynamic was cute and deeply entertaining to him. athena always had him in stitches, but maliq didn’t have time for all that right now. “i’m glad one of us is sleeping good…i can’t get enough sleep when it’s too quiet.” he sounded tired enough — his baritone was lower than usual — but it was all intentional. he took a step closer to her, leaving little room for athena to quest just what this visit was about. he didn’t want to think too much, for fear that his pesky emotions would get in the way.

the way athena looked at him when he offered his help left maliq sighing deeply. he knew he was in for it now, simply taking it all in. even in her pajamas, she looked good which made appearing to be a good listener much easier. still, every so often, he’d furrow his eyebrows at just how detailed she was off the cuff. it seemed like she really did need his help. “you really talk…too fuckin’ much,” maliq laughed softly, slipping his arm around her waist. his fingertips traced her spine through her jersey, and just the feeling of her, warm in his hands, overwhelmed him. “athena. ain’t nobody comin’ over…you gon’ stop playin’ and let me in? or we can start right here? if you into that shit,” he shrugged, sporting that annoyingly perfect smile he always did.

[lostintra]

she'd just started dozing off with the netflix prompt of 'are you still watching?' glowing on the tv when the unexpected sound of someone at her door almost startled her awake. "who in the hell--" athena groaned dramatically, checking the time on her phone and wondering who would even dare to drop in on someone so late without express invitation or some sort of emergency. part of her wondered if she ought to just ignore it, but then the door bell or knocking might continue so with a reluctant sigh and a small yawn the woman finally pulled herself up while tugging down the hem of the oversized red and black falcons jersey she sported.

opening her door to face maliq who looked far too chipper with his 'miss me' already had athena shaking her head, but as if he could predict her next move his hand was against the door. one that she glared at for a long moment before turning her gaze back to him. "hello, malcolm." she drawled with another sigh. had it been earlier in the day she'd probably be more welcoming, but they'd already established how she felt about spending nights without interruption. "i've been sleeping like a baby -- actually i might've even drooled just a little bit the other night, but think i took off a few years from just how good it was." she pat her cheek to indicate the quality of just how extra bouncy her skin felt lately.

though his next words had her giving him a pointed look. athena leaned against the doorframe crossing her arms over her chest "...sir, i know damn well you are not trynna booty call me right now so is this your way of warning me that i might need some help cause you have somebody coming over soon?" her gaze squinted for a moment before raising a brow with suggestion "or are you saying you're going to help me move my couch to the other side of the room since I have been trying some re-arranging lately, but come to think of it -- there is the more pressing matter of a spider that's been taunting me in the corner of my bathroom ceiling so you're welcome to help with that since you've clearly got better reach. i'm sure having it gone will help me sleep even better so i'm not paranoid any time i get up to pee."

closed starter for @lostintra

it’s been a week since maliq had been back from his trip. he hadn’t even invited any friends over, let alone any one of his louder guests. he didn’t want to think his neighbor’s recent visit was the reason behind his sudden celibacy, blaming his constant thoughts about athena on how out-of-line she was. it definitely had nothing to do with the number of times he’d imagine how perfectly her pillowy lips would fit with his or how smooth her flawless complexion would feel against his fingertips. “fuck this,” maliq pushed himself up from his massive sectional, pausing his insecure rewatch. if he fucked her once, he’d be over it. he just needed to get athena out of his system.

after slipping on some slides, he made his way next door and pressed a hesitant finger to her bell. nearly midnight, it wasn’t exactly the time a neighbor asked for sugar — at least the kind you baked a cake with. maliq didn’t know what to say when she opened the door; there was so many things, but he started with, “miss me?” having a feeling that would cause her to shut the door in his face, he pressed a wide palm against the it. “i just wanted to see how you slept…if you needed any help tonight?”

[lostintra]

she locked the door with a roll of her eyes as she followed him. as they walked passed their kitchens were much the same and she hadn't had too many personal touches there, but over all athena prefered her space comfortable yet chic -- more obvious in her livingroom with soft colors contrasted by splashes of jewel toned accents. some elements of decor were a bit eclectic on their own, but somehow made for a cohesive welcoming ambiance especially the variety of plush throw pillows that lined her large couch. his slytherin mug sitting on the oblong coffee table with the remnants of melted ice cream. "you wouldn't be able to play with them either if i did, but sorry to disappoint that this is the only pussy here." she scoffed while indicating herself.

"a name is something that you usually moan during sex, but since you've already started off on negative points then you don't get to have yours, big mike." athena reasoned with a cheeky smile as she continued down a short hall to her room. "c'mon then, this the only time you're going to get to see my bed so take a mental picture." when she pushed open the door a neon strip in the shape of a silhouette against the far wall cast a violet hue across the room and her king sized mattress giving it a sensual appeal before she flicked on the main light and pointed toward her connecting bathroom. "i've been having to use the guest bathroom because he lives in there now, but don't kill him. he might not pay rent, but he's kept to himself at least."

maliq should have known that athena's act was all a ruse, but he was used to girls fawning over him. sometimes, all he need was the right look in their direction, and they came home with him. this -- direct eye contact, his deep voice, and physical touch -- always worked. about damn time, maliq thought to himself as her hand slipped beneath his t-shirt. "show me," left him instinctively. he made sure to flex, so she could feel the ridges in his toned abdomen. "maybe?" maliq smirked, already leaning down to kiss her when he felt her fingers at his nape. the anticipation was torture, but they were nearly there...until he ended up kissing the middle of her palm. he stood there for a moment, basking in his loss. athena, two. maliq, nil.

"that's fucked up," maliq noted with a sportsman-like grin. he could never hate the player, but fuck this game. he allowed himself past the threshold, closing the door behind him but leaving athena to lock it if she wanted. "is there really a spider in there or you just like gettin' fucked in the bathroom?" his eyes darted around her space, "you know, i expected more...cats? a huge, bubblin' cauldron in the center, maybe." he wasn't sure they'd ever stop with the banter. "and why i gotta work for you to call me by name? the sex, i get. protect your pussy or whatever, but my name? that's cold," he shook his head, glancing over at her. athena would be the death of him, and he was perfectly okay with that...wait, what? maliq looked away quickly, fixating on something else -- anything but her eyes or rising hem of her top.