107 Stare

"Pancakesss," Antonin grinned.

"Yayyyy," Regan clapped her hands. 

"You're going to shove pancakes down her throat," Ryder rolled his eyes. 

"Good Morning to you too, Ryder," Regan smirked.

"Oh shut up, Ryder," Antonin blushed as he parked the cart.

"And by the way, I don't mind if it's pancakes, the toppings are to die for," Regan chuckled. 

"Oh is it now?" Ryder grinned, leaning into Regan.

"Getting a little brave I see," Regan giggled, flicking his forehead. 

"A little too brave," Antonin growled, forcing his body back to the cart. 

"Oh please, I'm just trying to feel up as much pace as I am given," Ryder grinned.

"Which isn't a lot," Antonin murmured.

"What was that?�� Regan cocked her head.

"Nothing, incoming pancake!" Antonin smiled, lifting the pancake up from the cart and twirling around like he was holding an airplane, then set it down in front of Regan on her table. 

"So much cringe…" Ryder frowned.

Regan's eyebrows rose and she smirked, "How would you have acted then?"

"I don't know, but better than that," Ryder rolled his eyes as he set down the utensils.

Regan's eyes trailed to his hand. 'He's out of order,' she muttered. Her mood plummeted a bit. 

"Anyways, on our way inside, guess who we saw?" Ryder sighed, placing down her drink and then taking a seat at the table. 

"Hm? Who?" Regan asked, already pulling the pancakes to her. 

"Vixen." 

Her movement froze.

"Who?" she asked, her voice wavering for a second before she set the plate in front of her. 

"Vixen," Antonin repeated, standing up from the table and going over to the cart to bring out the condiments he brought to go along with her pancake. 

"Ah…" Regan muttered, forcing her eyes to trail Antonin. "What about him?"

"I just wanted to say hi to him, since I saw him in the hall near your door," Antonin smiled, placing the condiments on the table and popping open the cap of a whipped cream container. 

"That's it?" Regan's eyebrows rose for a second before she pushed them down. 

"Hmm, yup haha. I also thanked him," Antonin chuckled, as he shook the bottle of whipped cream.

Regan looked up at him, "What for?"

Antonin froze, his hand touching his neck before returning to the table as he pushed out the whipped cream. "Nothing much."

"Hm, ok," Regan nodded.

"He seemed a bit down though," Antonin muttered. 

Regan's hand twitched. Her eyes looked up at Antonin reluctantly, a gleam of anxiousness growing in her eyes. She was starting to get impatient. "When was this again?"

"Just now," Ryder sighed, "he was in the hallway but-"

"H-he's probably gone now," Antonin rushed to Regan's side, picking up the handle from the floor and looking at Regan pithily. He softly guided her trembling body away from the door, guilt biting at him but he didn't want to open the door. 

Regan pushed him aside and turned to face him, her eyes glowing defiantly, "Open the door," she asked, her voice low and commanding.

Antonin flinched and Ryder frowned, turning to face Regan. "I don't want to. As I said, he's already gone."

"Let me check myself," Regan retorted, her voice wavered a bit. She knew how she sounded, the same way and tone Vixen had hated.

Antonin gave no reply and slowly headed for the door when his body was yanked backward to face Regan. 

"Why would you want to do that? I already said he's gone. Would you like to look out into an empty hallway?" Ryder snapped back.

"Why can't I?" 

"Sit down and have breakfast. You already broke the handle down, how much more desperate can you be?" Ryder frowned, walking back to the table and taking a seat in front of it. 

Regan's eyes narrowed, she already knew what she was being, she didn't need someone to remind her. "Amazing diagnoses, now open the door."

"No," Ryder didn't even bother turning to her and continued with the pancake. He placed a small strawberry on top of the whipped cream and picked up the chocolate syrup.

"Aren't you supposed to listen to the demands of the people that you serve? Isn't that like the re-"

"Chocolate or normal syrup?" Ryder interrupted.

"Chocolate- reason you should listen-"

"Blueberries too or just strawberry?"

"Strawberry only please- you really should work on listening to what the per-"

"Sprinkles or none?"

"Oo you have sprinkles?" Regan turned to Ryder with sparkling eyes. 

"Nope," Ryder shrugged

"Ah shoot," Regan sighed.

"Pfft, just kidding," Ryder waved the bottle of sprinkles in her face.

Regan instinctively moved towards the food and paused when she realized her mistake. 

"How cute," Ryder grinned, shaking the bottle again.

"It's not, you swindler, can you just open the goddamn door for me? It's your mother-effing job," Regan rolled her eyes.

"It's not my job stupid," Ryder shrugged.

"What-" Regan cocked her head in annoyance.

"I'm Ryder. I don't work for this place," Ryder shrugged.

"What type of-" Regan pressed her temple, "it's more of the reason why you should open this door for me. NOW."

"Not with that tone or without it,"

Regan snapped, her feet reaching Ryder before she knew it and her hand grabbing his collar and pulling him to her. "I said. Open. The. Fucking. Door."

Ryder stared into her eyes, his deep brown eyes clashing against hers completely. He resisted fiercely but-

Regan flinched, pulling away from him immediately. Her heart racing eased to a stop and she turned away from him completely. In the midst of the resistance and stubbornness in his eyes were desperateness. He was begging her to stay. 

She let out a slow deep breath and turned back to him, flinching when she realized he was still looking at her. The look was still there, the emotion was still in his eyes. Drifting amongst the waves of darkness they floated freely, going round and round in one circle. Her eye twitched. She hated it, she hated that look so much. 

"Bring out Antonin," She muttered, avoiding his gaze. She didn't want to see what they held.

"What?" Ryder cocked his head, taken aback by her question. 

"Bring out Antonin," Regan repeated as she sank back into her eat on the other side of the table. 

"Why?" Ryder's voice dropped, "to open the door for you?"

"No," Regan lied, her mind quickly gathering an alternative. She scowled at his pancake, "Because of those trash pancake skills."

Ryder raised his eyebrows before they settled into a taken aback expression. "Wooooooooow," He pouted, "how mean!"

She knew he didn't buy it.

"Damn right. Can't even do a proper smiley face," Regan shook her head, "what a disgrace."

"Oh shut up!" Ryder pushed some whipped cream unto his finger and smeared it on her cheek, "like you have the skills too."

"Pfft hell yes, I used to whip up pancakes like a pancake goddess," Regan smirked.

"Pfft," Ryder rolled his eyes, "when?" 

"When I was younger," Regan pressed, her confidence not faltering a bit.

"What happened to now?" Ryder's eyebrows raised up in mockery.

Regan's eyes dimmed for a moment, "Stopped having the time for it."

"Ah…" Ryder muttered, his mood dropping with hers, "well… now you have the time to make up for it. That's the whole point of this place afterall."

"Yea…" Regan muttered under her breath before looking up at him and smiling, "yes, it is."

Antonin nodded his head and patted Regan's. She flinched.

"Getting a little touchy there," Regan chuckled. 

Ryder shook his head and pouted, "Wasn't me though…"

Regan cocked her head, staring into his eyes. "It looks like it's you though…"

Ryder laughed, "Well yea, but it wasn't me that touched your head." He gazed down at Regan and smirked, "I would have messed up your curls big time if it was me."

Regan grinned, "That is true…" her eyes scanned him mockingly, "you really don't know how to control yourself."

"Hm… you can say that," Ryder smirked smugly.

"Yea, ok I take that back,"

"Hey!"

"Hey you, give me the pancake," Regan reached over to grab it from Ryder. 

"Nope, I thought you said I had bad skills?" Ryder teased, "why would you want this?"

"Because it's food meanie," Regan shot back, leaning over to get her pancake.

For a moment, they locked eyes as Regan crossed over him to grab her plate above his head. His eyes flicked.

"Did you wash your hair? I like the scent," Antonin muttered, his voice so low it sent shivers down her spine. 

Regan jumped backward, snatching her food from his hand as she moved, "So it was Antonin…"

Ryder looked at her with a lopsided grin, "Yea.. it was."

Regan nodded with a smile and immediately grabbed her fork, beginning to dig into her pancake. 

Ryder let out a small chuckle before staring at her, perplexion showing on his face the move he looked at her. His hand trailed to her hair and lifted a few pieces, pushing it behind her ear. 

"Hey Regan…?" he muttered.

"Hm?" Regan looked up at him for a moment before turning back to her pancake. 

"You're a bit scary."