Two Idiot Birds

They're not in a relationship.

Not in the sense of,

He admits he loves her,

She admits she loves him,

And we all live

Happily

Ever

Fucking

After.

But they've never gone

The traditional route

The outcasts don't suddenly become

Royalty,

And Golden Boy and his Raven-Haired

Obsession

Won't suddenly admit to

Emotions,

Let alone something as useless as

Love.

Oh, but it's there.

It's not in the words that come

Spewing

Out of their mouths

Banter

Insults

Leverage

Innuendo

It's in the little things

A break in the case

Drinks after work

Baseball bats

Leather jackets

Manila envelopes

Meetings under umbrellas

Stalking by car

Change of address letters

A kiss initiated by him

A kiss

Months later

Continued by her

It won't be easy

Can't

By pure definition

Be easy

Ravens like her

Eat little canaries like him

For breakfast.

(Of course, all she wanted

Was a little kiss

A little comfort

But no one would know that.)

Emotions are a liability

In their line of work.

Each one

Is unafraid of the act

But scared of the attachment

That is just around the corner

If they let it grow and live there.

Attachment is not allowed in this world.

Kisses behind closed doors shouldn't be,

Either.

Neither should falling for

An enigmatic hedonist who

Works a gun and her breasts with ease

While not revealing anything worth using

Against her

Or

An ambitious asshole who

Is as soft as he is sycophantic

As caring as he is ruthless

Love and happiness

Are words made for

Other people

People who are not the two of them

She will kick his ass

He will find a way to destroy her

Once she breaks his heart

He'll be surprised to realize that

This wasn't a game for her either

Apparently, the lady in leather

Is not impenetrable

She has a

Heart,

Too.

It's a dangerous game they play.

Every move, every touch

A little more dramatic

A little too close

Too emotional

Too vivid

Too real

For their taste

Eventually she will disappear

Into the night

Another city

Another country?

Another identity

And he will be left with the pieces

She will wonder what would have happened

If she could have loved him

If she had stayed.

So will he.

Love is in the little things

Eyes narrowing

Unshed tears

A husky breath

A rushed kiss in an office

It's also in what they can't hide

For much longer

Without killing their insanity

Tonight at the crossroads

The canary and the raven

Learned that life is too short.

Depends whether that means

Too short not to admit that

They want to give this a shot

or too short to continue trying.

To them, it's still a toss-up.