She picked up the fallen chair, offering it to Elijah, who begrudgingly sat down as Ira pushed it in towards the table. It would be easy for her to just leave the room, and pretend like their history meant nothing to her. Though the temptation to let go of the past thundered in her ears, Ira was never one for letting go. 

“Why do you care so much about something that happened in the past?” Elijah asked as anxiety hummed in Ira’s veins. 

“Because I was hurt. I’m still hurt. I never thought about what happened in the past until it came back to me when I least expected it. I just… I need closure. And closure looks different for everyone. This is how it looks like for me. And, I know you aren’t obligated to give me that, I just wanted to try and talk at least.”

“You hurt me.” She said, looking like a wounded animal. 

Elijah stilled. 

“I know.” He admitted. 

“We were kids. You were terrible to me.” Ira snapped, pointing a finger at Elijah before jutting it at his chest.

“I know.” He repeated. 

“You disappeared all of a sudden and we had left on such a sour note...part of me thinks that maybe— I’m mad I never got to fix this rift between us.” Even now, her impassioned words did not seem to get through to Elijah. “And, you did it again. You hurt me. You keep hurting me.” 

He simply snickered, dismissing Ira’s words. 

“I know, I’m not dumb. So what? We just pretend like we don’t know each other and go about our lives? Close this chapter, call it closure and move on?” Elijah questioned while pointing his finger towards Ira accusingly. 

“What, no. Not unless that’s what you want..” Ira swatted Elijah’s finger away as her face contorted with anger and resentment. “I just… I don’t want this miscommunication to continue and… yes maybe I want to get some closure out of it, but if I can’t, then I can live without it.”

“So, you want me to apologize?” 

“I’d like that but, I can’t make you.” 

“I would- I will. And, you don’t need to forgive me, I’m the last person who deserves it.” 

“I’m not. I’m not even sure I ever will.”

Elijah couldn’t say it. If he did, it would only cement the fact that all he was capable of was hurting others. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to admit that to himself, yet. Ira deserved better than that, though, he thought. 

“I can’t. Not, not yet.” He turned to look away. 

“It’s fine. I’ve been waiting for years, I can wait a couple more.” The softness in Ira’s voice carried its weight to Elijah’s ears.

“Is it really worth that much to you? I mean, why go through all this effort to hear three words?” He asked, quietly. 

“Coming from you? It’s… it’s worth more than currency. I don’t know if you have anyone like that in your life, someone you’d love to hear say those words to your face and mean it.” She said as if they were meant for only him. 

“I do, but I don’t think she’ll ever say anything along those lines.”

“I guess you and I are going to die waiting.”

 “But, I want to work with you as an equal. I’m not excusing you from what you did to me. Or what happened between us all those years ago. But I want to know that we can work together.” She explained, altering the course of the conversation. Honestly, he was a part of the problem just like she was, which was why she wanted to clear the air before it got worse. 

“Not like I have a choice.” Elijah frowned. 

“I- you,” Ira stuttered, “right. You’re right. I’m sorry.” 

“This was stupid. I don’t know why I even tried.” Ira swallowed thickly as if something had gotten stuck in her throat. There was nothing left to say. All the emotions bottled up inside of her had spilled out as if it were a river overflowing into a lake. And how had Elijah responded to it? Indifferently. Communication was a two way road and it seemed obvious that Elijah wasn’t willing to walk down it with her. Of course he wasn’t. When has he ever? In her mind, a storm of conflicting emotions whirled and drummed against her temples. It felt almost impossible to ignore her associated feelings in regards to Elijah. 

“You can leave if you want. It doesn’t matter.” Ira insisted.

“I tried. You know, earlier with that fight. I would love to leave, if I wasn’t technically a prisoner.” Elijah rolled his eyes as he tugged at the end of his sleeve. He played with it for a second before sighing and lifting his gaze to meet Ira’s. 

“Since we’re already in an interrogation room, it’s my turn to ask the questions.  So, who am I to you, really? Someone from your past you’d rather forget, or? Something more?”

Caught off guard, Ira stayed silent. She really had to think about this. With a groan, she dug the fingers of her hands into her hair. She thought back to their past, trying to understand what had happened to put them in such a position. How had they gone from being academic rivals, childish and naive, to friends, and then apathetic enemies? How had she gone from wanting to spend her days with him, to hating him enough to even dare raise her hands against him? To see him as if he were nothing but a ghost from her past? 

Their time apart felt like a scar, one that never entirely healed. Together, now as they were, it felt like an open wound. Shaking her head, Ira pursed her lips as a sigh left them. 

“You’re...my– you harmed me and we harmed each other. That makes us...not friends? Enemies? People who dislike each other to a certain degree?” Ira stuttered, trying to find the right words. She honestly didn’t know what to call Elijah. Obviously, the two shared a history, but they never really labeled it as anything besides a friendship. It always had been complicated in her eyes. Ira never knew what Elijah thought of it, in his perspective, or if he even cared. “I resent you, and I resent you for not saying those two words even though it’s so easy.”

“So, our relationship status remains… complicated.” Elijah simply scoffed and looked away. 

“But you’re also more than that. You were more than that. You were my friend. I just...” She leaned forward, placing her forehead into the palm of her hands to hide part of her face. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Five words, that was all it took. 

Ira’s apology ignited Elijah’s veins, a wave of familiarity washing over him. He’d seen her like this before, whispering apologies for things that weren’t even of her doing or fault. He did not dare to reason with her on it, as he wasn’t one to talk. Elijah swallowed hard, caught between wanting to comfort Ira or tell her off. His body keened as he leaned forward towards her, offering a smile. Elijah hated himself for feeling anything but loathing. Though, it seemed that neither one of them could forget the past, especially him. 

“You don’t have to apologize. I understand…”

Ira blinked, slowly. 

“I should be the one, apologizing. I know. I’m an asshole, but I can’t…I’ll work on it, though. So, you won’t have to die from waiting too long.”

Putting on a bit of softness to his expression, Elijah let himself relax. 

“But, if this mopey attitude is all an act to make me feel something, well, I hate to say it…But I think it’s working and I’m really digging it.” Elijah half-teased, quirking an eyebrow. 

“Oh gross. If the power dynamic wasn’t so unbalanced between us right now, I’d throttle you, again .” 

“Throttle? No one uses that word anymore unless they want to do some late night tango.” 

“Late night tango? Elijah, you can say sex. It’s not illegal.”

“Wow ok, that is a bit forward. I’m flattered by your interest… is your lunch break coming up soon?”

Ira rolled her eye so hard, it felt like she would lose her vision. 

“Glad to see you haven’t changed.” Ira voiced. 

“But, you have.” Looking interested, Elijah  raked his gaze along Ira’s face.

“Really? In what way?” She asked, nervously. 

Ira looked wary, which Elijah could understand. His blue eyes tore into her monolid-eye, appreciating the ruby-like shimmer it gave off. He noted the change in hair color, at least in the front area of her bangs. White strands peppered and hung down low against her forehead. It left him wondering if Ira purposefully bleached that section, or if something had happened to her short, silky black hair. Realizing, he’d been staring for way too long, he cleared his throat. 

“You got even more annoying, and you were already insufferable when I first met you.” 

“Asshole.” 

“You keep calling me that, how endearing.” Elijah thought he saw Ira’s face turn a light shade of pink. “That would be my middle name if I had one.”

“I’m touched that you remembered such an important detail about me.” Elijah added gently, raising the now, almost empty cup of coffee. 

“Yeah, don’t sweat it.”

“Dragons don’t sweat.”

“They don’t?”

“I’ll never tell.”

Ira considered pressing the matter further wasn't worth it. 

“Why are you here anyways? Besides by contract, whatever that means.” Ira scrubbed a hand over some of the dried blood and bruises that littered her face. 

“What, Brandon didn’t tell you anything about the case I’m supposed to be working on?”  He grumbled into his beverage. 

“Brandon?”

“Is that not his name?”

“The commander? No. His name is Brian.”

“Brandon, Brian, same thing.”

“No, it’s not, but ok, go on.”

“First… what do you know, about where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing?” Elijah questioned. 

“Nothing.” 

“Good. Let's keep it that way.” 

Ira sighed. Sometimes, she considered asking Elijah if he could change his mind and stop being so cryptic. She knew the answer to her question already, though. Despite his openness to talking about whatever raunchy quip or joke was on his mind, she knew he would remain a fairly closed off individual. Still, Ira found herself hoping Elijah would eventually let down his walls, with friendship in mind. 

“Alright, well, nice talk. Don’t try to do anything stupid...I don’t want this animosity to ‘drag-on’. Get it because you’re a dragon?” Ira said, wiggling her eyebrow proudly for making such a terrible joke.

Ira hoped it would ease the tension enough for her to make a grand escape. Elijah met Ira’s eye, trying not to laugh, but it was hopeless. One twitch of Ira’s lips and they were both chuckling. Once the laughter stopped, silence fell around them. Neither of them spoke a word until Elijah took a breath to speak. 

“Ugh. You’re still so bad at jokes. Just, steer clear of me when you can. I’m the definition of trouble, and you know it.” Elijah said, looking for any sign of protest in the detective’s eyes.

Eventually, Ira smiled as a sense of relief that washed over her. Although her palms were still shaking, she felt herself becoming more stable. The last trace of bitterness and resentment eased away as she gave him one last glance. 

“Trouble follows me, anywhere I go”. Ira replied. “Anyways…bye, Elijah.

“Goodbye, detective.” Elijah said, turning away to conceal his smile. His stomach did somersaults as he watched her step away. He hadn’t laughed like that in so long, and it was so foreign. 

“Not a detective!”