#I have two blind motherfuckers rotating in my head

[mango-ribs]

blind preds yes or no

[bangtanreadingcorner]

the fact is • jeon jeongguk

plot – you're a waitress that gets stuck serving jeon jeongguk, who can't make his mind up on what to eat.

words – 6.4K

"Indecisive snot, aren't you?"

The words are out before you could stop them. Your natural instinct is to take it back and apologize, but this idiot has pushed you over the edge. He has changed his order six times and that was after adding sides and removing this or that. The customer - the arrogant brat of a chaebol, you thought to yourself - looking at his menu snapped his gaze to you, eyes widening in surprise, disbelief and was that intrigue? Nope. Probably just a trick of the light.

"Excuse me?" He says, eyebrows still raised to high heaven.

You weigh your options silently for a few moments. You could try and kiss his ass and loose your job. Or you could finish what you started and loose your job. Because there was no question, you were loosing your job. Speaking to a customer like that, in a restaurant as high end as this? The ultimate no-no.

The choice was a no brainer.

You give him a flat look, "Are you deaf?"

A surprised scoff leaves him and for a moment he stares at you, and then a smirk pulls at the corners of his mouth. "Do you not know who I am?"

"Of course I know who you are, Jeon Jeongguk, I don't live under a rock." You roll your eyes at him.

"Huh." He frowns at you.

You frown back, "What?"

"I've never met someone so . . . outspoken before. Normally people are all compliments and well wishes." Jeongguk doesn't say how delightfully refreshing it is. Like a spring breeze, spreading through his veins and breathing colour into his monotonous life. This is the most excitement he's had since he went parachuting eight months ago. That is a sad thought, but unfortunately a true one.

"Yeah, well," You shrug, tapping your pen against your notebook. "Kissing ass and lying are two things that didn't make it onto my list of qualities."

"Speaking your mind, obviously did." He notes, still smirking.

"Excellent observational skills there, Sherlock." You deadpan.

Jeongguk laughs and you don't like the way it makes warmth simmer in your belly. He looks up at you with dark eyes and you privately think for all that the media gets wrong, they have one thing right. Jeon Jeongguk is ridiculously attractive. "What's your name?"

"Are you blind or illiterate?" You raise a brow down at him. He looks caught off guard for a moment.

"Um...neither?" It comes out unsure, hesitant.

"Then what exactly is stopping you from reading my name badge?" You ask, tapping the badge on your chest with your pen. You were already losing your job, so you might as well make the best of it.

He looks embarrassed for a second, eyes dropping to the table, cheeks dusting the faintest shade of pink.

You raise a brow, "So, are you going to order or are you going to complain to my manager and get me fired?"

"Fired for what?" He asks.

You want to snap at him, but the genuine confusion in his eyes made you hold your tongue. For once. In a 'duh' tone, you tell him. "Speaking my mind."

"Ah. Right." Realisation lights up in his eyes. "I could have you fired for speaking to me like that." He says, like the thought never occurred to him.

"I'll go get my manager then." You say and turn on your heel, not at all surprised.

Jeongguk's mind goes into an epic panic as you turn your back on him and he blurts a quick, "Wait."

"What?" You ask, turning back to him with an uninterested look.

"I said that I could. Not that I would." He tells you and it makes your speechless for about five seconds.

Then you squint at him with a slight glare, "What do you want?"

"Excuse me?"

"You obviously want something in exchange for keeping quiet. What is it?" You speak matter-of-factly. After a moment you add, "Just know, if it's something sexual or in that direction, I'd rather loose my job."

Jeongguk gapes at you, looking stunned. "I don't know whether to be insulted by the insinuation that I need to blackmail someone into sleeping with me or that you'd rather loose your job than sleeping with me."

"So sorry for offending your delicate sensibilities." You drawled sarcastically. "You still haven't told me what you want."

"Well, I like coming here often and when I do and you're my server, I'd like you to always speak your mind around me." He said, with the smallest of shrugs, looking down at the silverware on the table instead of at you.

Confusion sweeps through you, his request catching you off guard. "Really? That's it?"

"Yes." He nods stiffly.

"I don't understand." You admit.

"You don't have to. You asked me what I want, this is it." He looks at you again, eyes still dark and piercing and you can't understand what he's thinking.

"Fine, okay, yeah, I can do that." You nods eventually, noticing how his shoulders untense just a bit. You look at him, curious and full of questions, but cautious enough to not actually ask. "Are you gonna order now?"

"Why don't you surprise me? I can't decide what I want to eat." He says, handing you the menu.

"I'm shocked." You deadpan with a faux smile, before looking at him seriously. "Are you allergic to anything?"

"No." He shakes his head, lacing his fingers together and resting his hands on the table.

Your mind races for a few moments before settling on a dish. You nod at Jeongguk. "Okay, I'll be back with your food in a while then."

***

Three weeks later, you haven't served Jeongguk again. It's not that he hasn't been in, oh no, he has. You've seen him, caught him staring and then looking away quickly. He just hasn't sat at one of your tables again. Each week, the tables get rotated and there is four rotations, so you'll only be on Jeongguk's usual table next week.

You walked into the kitchen, just coming off your lunch break when Lee stops you and says, "Table 12 for you."

You look at Jae, who was on table 12 this week and got a hostile glare. You ignore her and look at Lee with confusion, "But I'm not on table 12 today."

"You were requested and customers here get what they want." Lee shrugs, giving you a 'it is what it is' look.

"By who?" You ask, having some idea of the answer. There is only one customer you know that would request you. You are always polite to the other customers but with an air of detachment, that keeps them from prying and you from getting into trouble. Until three weeks ago, that is.

"Jeon Jeongguk." Lee says, confirming your suspicions.

"Motherfucker." You swear.

Jae looks down her nose from you, "Don't he used to it. It won't last. He'll get bored of you soon enough."

"I hope so." You huff, as Jae walks away with a less than pleased expression.

"What?" Lee asks, her shock obvious.

"You heard me."

Lee tilts her head at you in disbelief and curiousity, "So, you're not trying to get into his pants?"

"Uh, no." You frown at her. Sure, he's hot but you know your place. You also need money than you need to get laid. "Why?"

"Most girls try when they work here, but everytime they try something, Mr. Jeon complains and they get fired." Lee explains.

Something suddenly made sense to you, "Is that what Jae's trying to do?"

"No one will say it to her face, but yeah, it is." Lee nods, shrugging a little. "She's jealous that he requested you, when you've worked here just over a month, served him once, and she's worked here for almost two years and he hasn't blinked in her direction."

"Huh," You frown, lost in your thoughts. "I wonder why he didn't get me fired then."

"Why? What did you say to him?" Lee eyes you curiously.

"Called him an indecisive snot." You smirk gleefully, happy that you got away with talking to him like you want and not getting fired because of it.

"Right." Lee says in a tone that made it clear she doesn't believe you.

"I did." You insist.

Lee waves you off, and you exit the kitchen, walking into the dining room, heading over to Jeongguk's regular table.

You look at him as he comes into your line of direct sight. His one leg was shaking, eyes shifting around the room, fingers tapping the table restlessly. When he spots you walking over to him, he stills completely. A smile - a cute one, you admit to yourself and no one else - spreads on his lips as he breathes your name, "Y/N."

You give him a look, "Did you miss me or something?"

"What? No." Jeongguk scoffs quickly. "I was bored. And you cure my boredom."

You raise your eyebrows at him, head going forward a little, "I cure your boredom?" You repeat, slowly. Maybe he's kidding.

But Jeongguk just nods at you as if it makes all the sense in the world, "Yeah. It's like live entertainment while I eat."

You scowl at him, "I'm not a circus clown."

"That's not what I meant!" He exclaims, voice a little too loud, causing heads to swivel in your direction. He takes a breath and speaks again, softer this time. "I just meant that it's nice. Or it was nice, the one time I actually got to talk to you."

"So, you did miss me." You tease good naturedly. Jeongguk doesn't answer, just stares resolutely down at the table. You sigh, feeling fond instead of annoyed. You hide a smile as you ask, "What will it be today?"

Jeongguk looks at you again, hesitantly at first, then fully when he sees your expectant gaze, "Surprise me."

Now you were surprised, "Again?"

"I liked what you ordered last time." He does that small shrug again. Actually, it's less of a shrug, and more a slight lift of the shoulders. You notice that he has broad shoulders, and the suit he's wearing only makes them look better. You push those thoughts away, focusing on the conversation.

"And if you don't like it this time?" You challenge.

"I did say surprise me, and surprises can be positive or negative." Jeongguk decides not to tell her that this is his favorite restaurant and he knows the menu by heart. He knows and likes every dish, so there was no way he wouldn't like something she serves him. And he's curious as to what she'll decide this time.

You snort, laughing lightly, "You know, you're not as bad as I thought you were."

Jeongguk looks mildly offended, "I'll have you know, I'm a catch."

"I'm sure." You nod, hiding a grin.

"I am." He insists and you had to admit, he is attractive.

"Yes, right up until the moment you open your mouth." You say honestly, writing down one of the dishes on the menu.

"Rude." He pouts a little and you suppress the urge to giggle, of all things.

"Maybe," You concede. "But it's the truth." You picked up his menu, turning on your heel to go to the kitchen.

"So, how do I . . . improve?" Jeongguk asks when you come back with his food, continuing with the conversation where you left off.

"Do I look like a life coach to you?" You set down the food. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." Jeongguk grins at her. "And, no, but if I went to one they'd tell me what they think I want to hear, not what I need to hear."

You stare at him for a few seconds and he looks back unflinchingly. "Well," You press your lips together. "I guess you should start with why you want to change."

That makes Jeongguk falter. He can't very well say, 'so I can impress you, since my money doesn't seem too' and he thinks for a bit. "I have come to realise that maybe I treat people unfairly based on how much money they have. I would like to change that."

Your eyebrows goes up, "That's surprisingly deep, coming from you."

"I'm not swallow." He defends himself.

You nod complacently, "Right, well, the answer is easy but actually doing it, will all depend on you."

"What do I do?"

"Just, think before you say something. Ask yourself, can my words hurt this person?"

"And if they deserve it?" Jeongguk wonders.

"The right answer would be to still be considerate, because two wrongs don't make a right, but I hate being a hypocrite, so go for it, if they deserve it. I mean, it's not like I held back when you annoyed me." You gave a shrug. "I should go. We're not allowed to loiter at the tables."

Jeongguk wants to ask her to sit with him and keep him company some more, but he knows he would be setting himself up for rejection. Instead, he just looks at her with a half smile. "Just when I think I have you all figured out, you do or say something that proves me wrong."

"My mom always used to say, you can spend a lifetime with someone and still learn something new about them every day. People evolve everyday and you'll never be who you are right now, tomorrow again."

"She sounds like a wise woman." Jeongguk remarks.

You smile, nostalgia making your heart warm, "Yeah, she was."

"I'm sorry." Jeongguk says, catching onto the past tense. A lump forms in your throat out of nowhere.

"Thank you." You swallowed thickly, clearing your throat. You gave him a shaky smile, hoping he wouldn't notice. "See, you're doing better already."

Jeongguk did notice but decided not to call her out on it. He just smiled up at her softly, watching after her figure when she walks away.

***

"You know, if I didn't know that you come here everyday, I'd say you that you are stalking me." You teased Jeongguk when you go to take his order for the fifth time in a row. You've had a day off, inbetween, but when you showed up for your next shift, Jeongguk was there and everytime he's requested you. By now, whoever was on rotation for his table, just lets you know whenever he shows up.

"And how do you know that?" Jeongguk raises a curious eyebrow at you.

"I complained to Lee about you and she told me." You explain to him, mentally running over the menu in your head. Jeongguk told you on the third day to just order for him everytime. So, when you walk to his table under the guise of taking his order, the two of you just talk.

"Lee?" He inquires.

"She's my friend and another server here."

"Ah." Jeongguk nods in realisation. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"You can ask, but that doesn't guarantee I'll answer." You say, giving him a cheeky smile.

She has a beautiful smile, Jeongguk thinks to himself. He shakes himself out of his thoughts and looks her in the eyes, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

You frown down at him, finding the question odd. He's never asked anything too personal. Just normal things, what you're studying, what you do when you're not working. Sometimes you'll tell him a story of something dumb you did as a kid, but he'll never outright ask. "No."

A thought suddenly occurs to Jeongguk and he doesn't really want to ask because that'll destroy every hope he has but he needs to know. He quirks a brow at her, "Girlfriend?"

You snort at the question, "No, I'm straight. My cousin swings both ways though. Nearly gave his mom a stroke when he came out at our annual Christmas family dinner two years ago."

"Oh." Jeongguk wants to sag in relief, wants to let out a thankful cheer, but settles for just a small smile and letting out a breath of relief.

"Why are you asking?"

He does that little shrug that isn't really a shrug thing. "I was just wondering. You never really talk about one, or even someone you're interested in."

"Okay, if there was someone, why would I tell you?" You are teasing, but he doesn't know as you look at him blankly.

"I was just curious." Jeongguk huffs defensively.

"Yeah, yeah, settle down." You snicker. After a moment you say, "I guess I don't talk about it because there hasn't been anyone to talk about."

"Really?" Jeongguk beams up at you hopefully, eyes glittering.

"Really." You roll your eyes, but there was a slight warmth in your cheeks that wasn't there before.

***

Seven months and many short conversations later – in which you learnt many things about Jeongguk and vica versa – you walk up to his table with a smile, genuinely excited to see your sort of friend. The smile fades from your face when you lay eyes on him – his whole body was tense, you could tell even from a distance, he was glaring out the window, clenched fists laying on the table. Something wasn't right. You quicken your pace, concern swirling in your belly. You stop at his table, feeling your heartbeat quicken. "What's wrong?"

"None of your fucking business." He snaps at you, words so venomous it makes you take a step back in shock, but mostly hurt.

Jeongguk regrets the words the moment they're out because he didn't mean them. He doesn't want to fight or argue. He came to see her to feel better. Now he snapped at her. He waits, for whatever tongue lashing she is about to give him. He'd deserve it and he'll take it. But she says nothing. Somehow her silence was much worse than any insult she can hurl at him. Her face closes off, he watches it happen as her fingers tighten around the pen and notepad she uses to take orders, and panic sparks beneath his skin, overriding all the anger he feels.

No. His mind rebels against the thought immediately.

"What can I get for you today, Sir?" Her voice is perfectly polite as she asks the question, like it was the first time he met her. Until he made her snap after changing his order for a sixth time.

No, no, no, no, no! Not this. Anything but this. His heartbeat quickens.

Jeongguk was quickly turning frantic, "Y/N, please, I-"

"We have a lovely special today." She goes on as if he didn't speak, eyes void of the usual fire when she'd argue with him or the gentle warmth when she sometimes smiled at him and called him an idiot. It was the only times he ever liked being called an idiot.

He listens to her droning on about he specials, explaining them. Jeongguk's heart drops all the way down to his feet. It feels like someone pulled a rug from beneath his feet, and he is thrown off balance from the how utterly wrong it feels, how much it bothers him, hurts him, that she is talking to him like he is just another random customer. Like she hasn't told him how she got stuck in a tree, climbing after the neighbors cat. Playing with their cat because her parents never allowed pets.

A cold feeling of dread washes over him because Jeongguk has no idea to fix whatever he just fucked up.

***

You very almost cry when Jeongguk snaps at you, feeling irrationally hurt by his words. You shove it all down as you pull up your walls and shut him out to protect yourself. You serve him as quickly as possible, walking away without a friendly word.

"Trouble in paradise?" Jae smirks at you when you come back from serving Jeongguk.

You glare at her, not in the mood for dealing with her jealousy today. "No, just looking at your face is enough to put anyone in a bad mood."

Jae's eyes widened, fury spreading on her face. "You bitch!" She yells, raising a hand to slap you.

You smirk, catching her wrist easily. "Careful, just now you break a nail."

You let her go, walking away. You wait until you're in the bathroom, safely away from prying eyes in a locked stall, before letting you face crumple, only letting one tear escape before getting yourself under control.

You finish your shift, completely exhausted by the end of it – emotionally and physically. The last thing you have the energy for, is Jeongguk, so of course he's waiting for you at the personnel entrance and exit when you step outside. Intent on ignoring him, you pretend that you don't see him and you start walking in the direction of the train station.

Jeongguk follows you, apparently not easily deterred. "Will you just talk to me please?"

"What would you like me to say, Sir?" You ask in your most professional voice, looking ahead and not glancing at him.

"I'd like you to talk to me and stop treating me like I'm a customer." He says, sounding frustrated and desperate.

"You are a customer, Sir." You answer, still not looking at him.

"For fuck sakes, will you stop with the 'sir' already and talk to me like you used to?" Jeongguk all but explodes, stepping infront of you, and looking down at you for a change. It's startling, for a moment. You always look down at him when he sits at the table and it never occured to you that he's taller than you. He sets his hands on your shoulders (they're big and warm and you feel surprisingly safe, even when he squeezes slightly), frantic and desperate eyes looking into yours. "You don't even have to talk, you can yell or scream or shout for all I care, just please stop."

"You want me to talk? Fine." You glare up at him, shrugging out of his hold and taking a step back. He's way to close for comfort. "Look, I get I'm not exactly from the same side of town as you are, but that doesn't mean I'm incapable of empathy. I'd bet that I have more empathy than most people you know. So, when someone I see as a kind of friend, snaps at me when I ask them what's wrong out of concern, when they could have said they don't want to talk about it, it hurts." You rant, a little out of breath. "Do you understand that? You hurt me."

"I'm sorry. Fuck, I am so sorry, you have no idea. I shouldn't have snapped at you and I regretted it the moment I did it. I was angry, and I know it isn't an excuse but it's the truth."

"Sorry isn't going to fix it," You say, voice edging on being too sharp. Your heart twists when his face falls. You soften a bit. "But it is a step in the right direction."

Jeongguk perks up, "What's another?"

"For starters, next time you don't want to talk about me, tell me instead of snapping at me." You give him a pointed glare, crossing your arms over your chest.

Jeongguk gives you an apologetic look, "Again, I'm sorry. I honestly didn't mean to snap at you. I came to talk to you, hoping I'd calm down a bit. I had an ugly fight some dumbass that tried to sell low quality material to us and I took it out of you."

You are reminded of the fact that he is the heir to his father's multi-billion won international conglomerate and for some reason, it makes you sad. You smile at him, ignoring the sadness. "Well, you're forgiven but I'm not forgotting."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He grins cheekily. He paused for a moment, then smirks at you. "So, we're friends now?"

You groan, "I should have known that would come back to bit me I'm the ass."

***

A large bouquet of pink tulips is delivered to you the next morning. Inside is a card that reads:

Thank you for never giving up on me. -JJK

Lee whistles loudly when she sees them and your cheek burn. "Someone must really like you."

"It's from a friend." You say, ignoring the fluttering in your belly.

"My point still stands. Those are out of season, you know." She remarks.

You nod, "I know. They're my favourite."

You finish your shift with a smile on your face. Until your boss calls you into his office.

"Yes, Sir?" You ask, still smiling and the bouquet of flowers in your one hand, backpack up on your shoulders and ready to go home.

"Y/N. I'll get right to the point. There's been a complaint that you've been too friendly with one of our customers." He says bluntly.

You almost drop your flowers in shock, "What?"

"I'm sorry to do this, Y/N, but it is a direct violation of the contract you signed when you started here. Professionalism is our top priority. I have no choice but to fire you." He says, and he does look sorry as he holds out an envelope to you. "This is the week's wages. Again, I'm sorry. You are a good worker."

"You're firing me because of something someone accused me off?" You ask, indignant and a little angry. "You're not even going to ask me if I did it? And if I did it, why I didn't stop?"

"The accusation came from a very trustworthy customer that was concerned that our reputation might be damaged." Your manager says. "If it gets to the owner and he finds out I did nothing, I could loose my job."

You scoff, taking the envelope. If you didn't need the money, you'd have thrown it back in his face. "So, it's okay for me to loose mine?"

"I'm sorry."

"So am I." You say before turning around and leaving.

***

The first day she's not there, Jeongguk brushes it off, thinking she has the day off and forgot to tell him. The second day, he starts to worry, just a little. The third day, he almost thinks himself into a mental breakdown. The fourth day, he demands to see the manager.

"Mr. Jeon." The manager greets with a smile that was clearly fake. Jeongguk thought back to Y/N, who never smiled much but when she did, it was honest and pure and breathtaking. He misses it and would do whatever it takes to get it back.

"Where is Y/N?" He demands, voice and gaze equally cold and intimidating. It's a side of him that she broke through within minutes, digging up the real Jeongguk and pulling him to the surface. The past months, he's been able to breathe again, live instead of just existing, waiting for the next person that wants his money. But that cold and calculating side of him is still there.

The manager pales and Jeongguk's worry increases. Did something happen to her? The manager shifts on his feet but still doesn't answer. "If you don't answer me within the next five seconds, I will call the owner and ask him to answer me."

"S-she was fired." The man stutters out.

Jeongguk feels his stomach drop. She never outright said it but he knows she depends heavily on the income from this job. It worries him, because he has this urge to take care of her. He wants to give her as much money as she needs, for her to live comfortably, but he knows she wouldn't take it. He glares at the manager, "Why?"

"Someone filed a complaint against her. She was getting to friendly with y-you." The manager says, looking a little terrified.

Jeongguk clenches his jaw, "And instead of asking me if I have a problem with it, you fired her?"

"Her contract says-"

Jeongguk stands up, towering over the man in height and size. "I don't give a shit what her contract says. How many times have I filed a complaint when the servers made me inappropriate offers and crude suggestions? I never once complained about her."

Jeongguk doesn't give the manager anymore time to do anything other than letting out a squeak before turning around and leaving the restaurant.

***

Five days after you were fired, you started too feel it. The absence of Jeongguk's presence. At first, you didn't notice it. To wrapped up in finding another job, worried about money and going to classes to think about it. But today is Sunday and the diner you found a temporary job at two days ago, is closed on Sundays. It's crappy pay and not alot of hours either but it was something and it'll help until you could get something else.

You lay on your bed, listening to your mom vacuuming the living room. University housing was expensive and you'd rather live at home and save the money than having even more debt. You laze the day away, knowing that none of the projects you have, is due that Monday. Your thoughts drift back to Jeongguk, like it always does. You honestly didn't think you'd end up missing him this much.

You like him, so fucking much. You figured it out a long time ago. You also know that you come from two different worlds. You are fine with that, you accepted it and you were content to be his friend.

Now he's completely gone from your life. Ripped out of it without warning.

You go to your classes the next day. In your last one, you doodle absentmindedly on the corner of your notebook, only half listening to the Professor. When the class is over, you look at what you drew and then groan out loud. Jeongguk's initials. Of fucking course. You scoff to yourself, leaving the class and then the building. You want to go home and sulk in privacy.

Outside, the sun was shining and you stood still for a moment, soaking in the warmth.

"Y/N!" A voice yelled your name and your head whips in the direction because you know that voice. You look, eyes searching desperately because you are so sure it was his voice. You're not hallucinating and- and there he is, running over to you.

"Jeongguk? What are you doing here?" You ask when he stops infront of you, completely bewildered.

He looks panicked and frantic. Like that day he snapped at you. He grips your shoulders, the hold almost painful. "You weren't there. I went to the restaurant and you weren't there and the manager told me you were fired and-"

"Jeongguk, stop. Breathe." You say, reaching up to hold onto his wrists, lightly rubbing your thumbs over the inside of his wrists. You wait until his grip loosens, until he was holding instead of gripping. "How did you find me?"

"You told me where you go to school one day." He answers off handedly, eyes scanning over your face, almost as if memorising the little details. Guilt flashes on his face, "I'm sorry you were fired."

You laugh at his words, removing his hands from your shoulders because it was getting a little too intimate, your heartbeat speeding up. "You know, half the time I see you, you end up apologizing to me."

"Hey, it's weird for me too." Jeongguk pouts and you have this urge to rise on your tiptoes and kiss it. "I'm not used to apologizing."

"Don't worry about it, I'm not angry." You wave him off.

"Can we talk?" He pleads and you agree immediately because you missed him so much.

"Yeah, there's a park nearby."

"Scared to be seen with me?" He teases with a smirk, and for a moment it's like nothing has changed.

You snort, "Don't you know? The walls has ears and Twitter accounts."

Jeongguk laughs, loud and unrestrained, throwing his head back. You couldn't help but smile. "This way."

You guide him to the park. It wasn't very big, and not a lot of people came here either, so it was perfect to talk. You each sit down on a swing.

"What are you gonna do now?" Jeongguk asks.

You shrug, "No clue, but I'll figure something out."

A guilty look spreads on his face again, "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have-"

You cut him off, "Shouldn't have what? Let a server talk back to you? Yeah, probably not but we both enjoyed it, so it's on you as much it is on you. More on me though, because it was my responsibility as an employee to treat you with respect."

"You did," Jeongguk says immediately, sincerely. "Even when you were at your most brutally honest moments."

You give him a slight smile. "Well, fun as it was, it seems our path has come to an end."

"Why?" Jeongguk frowns heavily at you.

"Huh?"

Jeongguk looks you in the eye, gaze piercing. "Why does it have to end?"

You snorted, thinking he was messing with you but his eyes were completely serious. You answer in a matter-of-fact tone, "Because you're you and I'm me. Besides, most of the time we argued."

"Y/N." He says your name like it is his greatest wish. He stands up from his swing, making his way infront of you and pulled you to your feet. He looks at you, eyes impossibly fond, "That wasn't arguing. It was banter. If you think that's arguing, you probably think my parents goes to war every now and again." He smiles, a little nervous. "And foe the record, I would rather argue with you for the rest of my life than ever kiss another girl again."

Your mouth drops open in shock, and you really don't know what the fuck to make of that. "I-"

He cuts you off, "And I don't want this to be over."

Silence falls between you two. You stare at him, he stares back. Until, finally, you blurt, "I don't know what to say."

Jeongguk is a little bit disappointed, but not surprised in the slightest. At least it isn't an outright rejection. "You don't have to say anything. Just answer one question."

"Okay?"

"Would you want to date me?" You choke on thin air from shock. That means that he feels the same way as you do, right? Happiness makes your blood sing. Then it sinks in and reality comes back to you. Your happiness evaporates and you swallow thickly. You open your mouth to tell him 'no', but once again Jeongguk cuts you off before you could say something. "Forget about our social status, forget about what people would say and think about me and you. Together. Really think about it. I have, and I think we could work, if you gave it a chance."

"And if it doesn't work?" You ask softly, vulnerable in a way you've never been before. Distantly you wonder how he knew what you were thinking.

"Then at least we can say we tried." He shrugs.

You look down at the ground, wanting to think without looking at him, into those mesmerizing eyes of his. He could ask you to commit murder, and chances are that you'll do it if he looks at you long enough. When did you become so completely gone for him? You think about it, but there was never a moment where you realised, this is the person I like. Maybe . . . maybe it's because you've always liked him. Right from the start, even when he was infuriating. The thought is startling, but you aren't scared by it. It's more like another piece of the puzzle between you and Jeongguk has fallen into place. But there is the problem of your different social statuses. Yeah, Jeongguk said forget about it, but for how long? If you try and this does work out, then eventually you'll have to face the reality of everything that comes with being together. Somehow that scares you more than if it doesn't work.

You look back up at him, and you know – despite all your worries and doubts – it was never really a choice because you choose Jeongguk the moment you chose to accept his offer of being honest all those months ago. "Okay."

Jeongguk looks like he's ready to argue, "I-" You watch as your answer sinks in. The stunned expression almost makes you laugh, "What?"

"Did you want me to say no?" You give him an amused look, smile curling the corners of your lips upwards.

His eyes widens and he shakes his head frantically, "No, no, no, I just wasn't expecting you to say yes to quickly."

"That makes two of us." You admit. Jeongguk is right though, better to try and either fail or succeed, or never try and forever wonder what if. You smile up at him, heart soaring happily. "You make a good case. You should have become a lawyer."

Jeongguk's eyes light up, "Just wait until you hear the case I have to make on why we should kiss."

"Tell you what, if you kiss me within the next three seconds, you don't have to make a case at all." You bargained with a grin.

Jeongguk didn't need to be told twice. He leaned close and kissed you, slow and deep, one hand slipping into your hair and the other curling around your waist, pulling you close to him. He breaks the kiss, licking his lips and your eyes are drawn to the action. You lick your own lips, liking the taste of him. His voice is deep and rough, his cheeks flushed, when he asks, "Want to go get something to drink?"

"Yeah," You nod with a goofy smile, your own cheeks also flushed, feeling like you might float away at any second. "I could go for a smoothie."

"I love smoothies." Jeongguk grins back at you, taking your hand, lacing your fingers. His other hand was still wrapped around your waist and hold you close.

An old question flashes across your mind as you run your hands up his chest, liking the strong, study feel of it, until you can lock your arms around his neck. "You know, I've been meaning to ask."

"Mmm?" Jeongguk hummed in acknowledgement, showing that he was listening.

"Why didn't you get me fired that first day?" You ask, aware that you are suppose to be getting smoothies but it could wait for a bit.

Jeongguk had been expecting this question for a while, and had come up with an answer a long time ago. He looks down at her with all he feels for her, a content smile on his lips.

"Because you were the first honest person I have met in years. Because you put me in my place without thinking twice. Because when you glared down at me after I changed my order for the sixth time, there was a fire in your eyes that woke something inside of me that I couldn't control. Not then and not now." He leaned down, rubbing his nose against hers, the gesture shy and intimate. "Because the fact is, you had me at 'indecisive snot'."

the end.

A/N: Tumblr and it's 250 box limit will be the death of me, I swear. I get it, I do. But come on! This very almost didn't fit, I had to edit and mush several chapters into one. Eventually it fit, but NEVER AGAIN! It was exhausting and time consuming. I'll rather split it again, like I did with two of my other fics. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. This took me a while with all the editing. Purple hearts for all of you!! -Kayla.

[direnightshade]

The Crusade / Chapter 1

For me, it’s a job. For you, it’s a crusade. Isn’t that what Flip had told Ron nearly a year ago? And now, here he is, his entire world turned on it’s head, smack dab in the middle of a crusade of his own.

A post-BlackKklansman fic in which Flip’s next major assignment is to infiltrate and uncover the inner workings of mob crime that’s moved into the Colorado Springs Area. He’d been ready for the drugs and the danger. What he hadn’t been ready for was you. This can also be found on AO3.

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, Mention of drug use Template credit: cashwmere

----------------------------------------------------

“A whole year, can you believe it?” Ron plops down into his chair, the very same one he’d sat in when he’d first arrived to the Intelligence Unit of the Colorado Springs Police Department.

“Woah, slow down there, Rookie,” says Flip, lining up another impending shot of balled up paper. He flicks his wrist, sending the paper flying to sink dead center of the nearby trash can. “Swish!” He turns in his seat to face Ron to circle back to the topic at hand. “You still got another, oh,” he purses his lips, checking his watch as if he’s truly trying to do the math, “how long we still got, Jimmy?”

Jimmy partially rises up from his seat, finger pointing as he calls out to Ron from across the room. “Another two weeks yet!”

“That’s right,” Flip says, enunciating each word slowly, pointing his own finger at Ron now. “Another two weeks to go.”

Ron scoffs, eyes rolling at their own accord as he utters ‘close enough’ in response to Jimmy and Flip, who are both chuckling to themselves at their respective desks. In two weeks it’ll have been one full year since they’d wrapped up their investigation into the cluster of the Klan’s members in the Colorado Springs area. Ever since then, the department had been pretty quiet, save for the usual petty criminals that filtered in and out of the station in near perfect rotation.

“Zimmerman.” Sergeant Trapp’s voice booms out into the room, calling for Flip who’s turning in his chair to face the direction from which the voice had originated. “Get your ass in my office. Ten minutes. Got somethin’ to discuss with you.”

That, of course, sets Jimmy and Ron off, the two of them behaving like children who’s friend’s just been called to the principal’s office. Their response causes Flip to wave them off carelessly with a wave of his hand. “Alright, alright,” he says to the two men with an annoyed tone. “I fucking get it, calm down.”

They’re still laughing, of course, by the time that Flip pushes himself up and out of his chair, the metal groaning beneath his hands when he does so. The soles of the cowboy boots that he wears scuff off the floor as he takes long, slow strides away from his desk and over to Sergeant Trapp’s office, his hand reaching for the doorknob to twist it and push the door open. The blinds on the other side of the door sway and knock against the window with the motion, causing Trapp’s head to lift from a file that’s open on his desk, contents spread out on the open space.

“Take a seat,” he says, waving with a hand towards the two chairs in front of his desk.

Flip does as he’s told, shutting the door behind him before making the quick walk across the room to pull the chair away from the desk just enough to allow him to step in front and take a seat. A soft breath of air is expelled through Flip’s nose as his eyes fall to the open folder on Trapp’s desk. “What’s this,” he asks curiously, though he’s fully aware it’s another case for him. “Another drug bust?”

“Not quite.” Trapp steeples his hands atop the photos and paperwork that are scattered over the open folder and across his desk. “Zimmerman, you ever heard’a the Smaldone family?”

Flip’s shoulders roll into a shrug, his head shaking when he responds. “No. Can’t say as I have.” He’s never been much of the type to go out of his way to read the news. There’s too much bad shit in the world, shit that he’s already dealing with firsthand at work. The last thing he needs to be is reminded of that when he’s on his days off or at home after a long shift.

“They’re a crime family, a big one. Doin’ everything under the sun you can think of. Racketeering, drugs, gamblin’, loansharking, extortion.” He’s counting off each bullet point with his fingers while he speaks. “The list really just goes on and fuckin’ on,” he says, huffing out a humorless laugh. “Got a ring runnin’ from Pueblo to Denver. Now this didn’t affect us much here until recently. You remember those guys that got picked up off East Platte Avenue couple months back?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I remember.” Flip nods, a finger tapping against his knee while he reclines back against the seat. “Biggest heroine bust we’ve had in a long fuckin’ while.” Hard to forget something like that, he thinks to himself, eyes still on the Sergeant.

“That’s the one,” Trapp replies, a finger pointing in Flip’s direction. “Well,” he starts, hand slamming down onto the file, turning some of the photos around to face Flip, sliding them towards him for a better look, “turns out they’ve been runnin’ the drugs for the Smaldones. Guess Denver and Pueblo’s just not enough. They’re branchin’ out here now.”

Flip leans in to get a better look at the photos, eyeing up the black and white scene of two men striding towards the front door of a restaurant, one that Flip recognizes as being a Colorado Springs establishment. “So, what, this is where you think the operation’s being run out of?” His gaze lifts to Trapp who’s head is nodding, glad to know that Flip’s pickin’ up what he’s layin’ down.

“It is. And I need you to infiltrate it.”

That statement alone has Flip’s brows raising skyward. He’s silent for a moment, just staring at Trapp, waiting for him to tell him that this is some sort of joke. But when nothing but silence follows, Flip exhales a heavy sigh and leans back into his chair, hand waving animatedly while he talks. “Let me get this straight. You want me to infiltrate the fucking mafia on my own?”

Trapp shakes his head, his own hand waving as if to emphasize his point. “No. No, you won’t be working alone. We’ll be working in tandem with the FBI.”

“Christ, the FBI?” He can’t help it. He truly cannot help himself. But Flip’s laughing now, his head shaking in disbelief. “Bunch of fucking credit stealing motherfuckers.”

“I don’t like it any more than you do, kid.” While Trapp speaks, he gathers up the folder’s contents and puts them back into an organized, neat pile. “But a job’s a job and this here’s a big one. Go home, get some rest. Tomorrow you’ll have a debriefing with the feds and we can finally get this ball rolling.”

Pushing himself up out of the chair, Flip turns without so much as a goodbye, exiting the Sergeant’s office to grab his things and call it an early day.

“What’d you do, get fired,” Jimmy quips, the question eliciting a snicker of amusement from Ron and a roll of the eyes from Flip.

“Yeah, played one too many games of trash can basketball with you idiots,” Flip deadpans. “I’ll see you two tomorrow, try not to light anything on fire while I’m gone.”

And with that, Flip makes his exit, leaving the station to head to his truck. Getting mixed up with the Klan last year was dangerous enough, now he’s got to contend with the likes of the Mafia? Colorado Springs is growing far too big too fast for his liking.

------------------------------------------------

Tagging my fellow Flip loving friends!

@gurl-ly​, @klauscarolove​, @morby​, @candycanes19​, @thatgirl1782, @ellelaconiwrites​, @duty-isnt-always-honour​

If you’d like to be added to the tag list, give me a shout!

[daniellesimagines]

Shoot Your Shot [SOCCER!CAL AU]

submitted by @calinthewatermelonshirt

The game was tied at 2 and Bia’s team only had a few minutes left on the clock to score. “Time out!” She called out to the ref, and he nodded at her. Bia had the authority as captain and the team huddled around her. 

“Here’s the plan: We’re doing the new drill we just learned in practice. I know it’s kind of new, but you guys know what to do.” 

The team fanned out, ready for the drop ball Bia was sure to win. The soccer match had gone exactly as she had expected so far: close. Bia and a player from the opposing team stood face to face with the ref holding the ball between them. Then it happened: he dropped the ball and Bia was off like a shot. Immediately she pounced on the ball, spinning away from the player. 

“Man on!” Bia heard her best friends shouting from the stands, warning her that there was a player closing in on her. They didn’t however, warn her that there were three of them. 

It made sense to her, though. The Tigers were never afraid of playing dirty, and seeing as she was the captain and one of, if not the, best players on the team, it put a huge target on Bia’s back. She and the team had planned or this, though. In attacking Bia so strong, they had left their defense with more holes in it than a 5-year-old’s smile. 

Seeing an opening, she passed the ball to Sophie, another of her best friends and fellow forward, and sprinted ahead, ready to receive the ball again. Sophie passed the ball through the other players legs, careful to get the timing exactly right so as to not be caught off-sides. 

With only Bia and opposing goalie left, she practically dribbled the ball into the goal and pulled ahead, leaving the other team only seconds to get the point back. Bia guessed that they knew they were losing the match anyways, because as soon as the whistle blew, they ignored the ball all together and started attacking her team instead. 

It wasn’t long before there was an all-out fight going on. Bia was battling the other team’s captain and she was kicking her ass, too. It was a bit of an uphill battle, though. 

Bia wasn’t a small girl by any means – standing at 5′10 and having a few pounds of muscle from playing soccer since she was 5 – but this girl was about 6′0 feet and 180 pounds of pure spite. The opposing captain got a good hit on Bia – she was sure was gonna bruise – but she still won in the end with a well-placed elbow and a cracking noise that signaled broken nose. 

The ref broke it up soon after, and called the match, declaring Bia’s team, the Bears, the winners. She cheered and smiled along with the rest of her team, happy the match had gone her way. Bia’s friends flooded the field – Ashton, Luke, Michael and Calum sweeping her up with hugs and congratulations. 

“I can’t believe you actually went through with it.” Bia grinned from ear to ear. 

“With what?” Ashton teased and then the boys all turned around, showing off their matching jerseys with Bia’s last name and number on the back. 

“I guess it wasn’t my week, huh?” Sophie jogged over and hugged the boys, too. 

“You, my dear, are in desperate need of a shower.” Luke crinkled his nose at Bia. It had rained the day before, and combined with the rough match, meant she was caked head to toe with mud. 

“I am in need of a shot.” Bia declared, wanting to celebrate with her best friends.

“I’ll second that, captain.” Sophie came up behind her and slung and equally muddy arm over your shoulders. 

“No way. We have our match tomorrow, remember? None of us are allowed to be drunk or even mildly hungover.” Calum, the boys’ team captain, warned. 

“Fine.” Bia whined, “I’m going to clean up and go to bed. See you tomorrow for pregame.” The boys all said good bye and she and Sophie – already feeling the adrenaline wear off – drove home in her Jeep. 

~

The boys were already at their usual diner when Bia and Sophie got there. The two of them slid into the booth with the boys, Bia next to Calum and Sophie next to Luke. 

“Nice bruise there, Rocky.” Michael teased Bia as she got settled. Bia playfully flipped him off in lieu of a response. 

“Alright boys. I’m just going to say this once: you had better whoop some ass tonight.” She said, stealing a tater tot off Calum’s plate.

“And why is that?” Calum asked, swatting her thieving hands away.

“Well, we won.” Sophie chimed in, giving Calum a look. “So it’ll look awful if you idiots lose.” Bia said, ordering her usual from the diner. “And Sophie and I will tease you mercilessly for months.”

“We wouldn’t expect anything different.” Ashton smiled. 

“Whatever.” Luke waved her off. “Onto more important topics: who’s wearing whose jerseys tonight?” 

Since there were only two of the girls and four of the boys, Bia and Sophie had to rotate through whose jerseys they wore, much like they did with her and Sophie. Why they didn’t just wear both of the girls jerseys at the same time was a mystery to Bia, but she had never claimed to understand them.

“Can I get a drumroll please?” Sophie got pumped and shook her shoulders, building up the suspension. “Tonight… I.. will be… wearing…” 

“Hurry up, woman!” Luke groaned. 

“Michael’s jersey!” Sophie screamed and Michael whooped with joy. The other three turned to Bia like vultures on roadkill. 

“Jeez, back off.” She said, feeling a little attacked. 

“Mine’s a surprise.” They all groaned and the rest of the afternoon went the same, all of you teasing each other. Before long it was time for the big game.

~

“Come on ref, what are you, blind?” Bia yelled, heckling and jeering for all she was worth. The Tiger’s boys’ team played even dirtier than their girls’ team, and there had been a few rough plays on the players instead of the ball that had resulted in injures. At this point, Bia was worried for her friends’ safety. 

“This game looks rougher than usual, right?” Sophie leaned into Bia, seemingly reading her mind.

“I was just thinking that.” Bia said, biting your lip. “I’m kind of worried.” Sophie nodded in agreement and the both of you turned your heads back to the game. 

Some time into the second quarter, a particularly big player decided to make a move. Calum had the ball and was looking towards Luke to pass when the opposing player slide tackled him, going directly for Calum’s ankles. Calum didn’t notice and couldn’t hear Bia’s and Sophie’s warnings, so he wasn’t able to defend himself. Bia watched in horror as Calum crumpled to the ground and felt her heart drop even further as she watched him fail to rise again. 

Without even thinking, Bia hopped the railing and sprinted onto the field. Since she was pre-med, Bia figured she’d be able to help out some. As she approached, Bia saw that some cheerleaders had gathered around him, crowding Calum and cooing over him, as if trying to heal him with the power of their asses.

“Back off!” Bia shouted at them, and practically shoved one off of Calum.

“Oof.” Cal groaned. “Motherfucker, you could have warned me.”

“Tried, my dude. I guess you couldn’t hear me.” Bia had already started unlacing Cal’s cleat as softly as she could. His ankle must have been pretty tender, though, because he groaned softly and Bia see in his face that he was in a lot of pain.

“Hey,” She said softly, trying to calm him a little, “I got you, it’s gonna be okay; you’re gonna be okay.” He locked eyes with her and reached over and squeezed her hand to let her know it had helped.  

“What’s the damage?” Luke jogged over and crouched next to Bia and Cal. “Ice and back in? Or worse?”

“Definitely worse,” Cal groaned, falling onto his back and covering his face with his hands. 

“I’ll have to agree with him on that. It’s already swelling way to much to just be rolled.” Bia said, softly prodding his ankle with her fingers in order to get a better sense of his injuries, which weren’t looking good. “I think this is a hospital-worthy injury, right here.”

“No way!” Now Luke groaned. “No fucking way!”

“Yeah. Help me get him up and I’ll take him.” Bia stood and she and Luke each took one of Cal’s hands, pulling him up. 

“Oh god,” Cal breathed. “Holy shit.”

“That bad, huh, bud?” Luke said, clearly not happy about the pain his best friend was in.

“Worse than anything else.” Cal said, grimacing. “Does anyone have any drugs?” 

“Why the fuck would we have drugs, Cal?” Bia squinted her eyes at him, trying her best to ignore the stupid that just came out of his mouth. 

“Luke, go back. The team needs you if we want a shot at winning.” Cal ordered Luke, not as a friend, but as a captain. Luke respected him and jogged back to the field. 

“Don’t try to put any weight on your foot, okay?” Bia told Cal, shifting his arm to support the weight Luke had been carrying. 

“Got it.” He said and together, he half-limped and Bia half carried him off the field and to her car. It was a bit of a walk to the parking lot, and Calum sagged more and more the farther they went. 

“Hey, guess what?” Bia told Calum, trying to cheer him up once he was seated in her car.

“What?” He sat there, eyes closed, hands in his face.

“Look.” Bia turned around and took off her jacket, revealing his jersey underneath. She couldn’t see him, but Bia knew he was smiling.

~

“Two months?!” Calum’s voice seemed to go up an octave. He was sitting up straight his back resting against Bia’s as the two of them sat on the medical examiner’s bench. Bia almost fell off because the change in his calm demeanor had shocked her so much. 

“I’m afraid so.” The doctor said, taking the ice off Calum’s foot to look at it again. “That does include rehab, though.” 

“Dear lord.” Calum slouched back against Bia once again. “How much longer are we gonna be here?” 

The both of them were exhausted at this point. After sitting in the waiting room for what felt like hours, they were finally moved back to a room, and the doctor took his sweet time getting there. Finally he ordered X-rays only to confirm Bia’s own suspicions: broken. 

“It’s a fracture, albeit a bad one. You’re going to have to keep off of this foot for the next few weeks.” The doctor had pulled out a clunky walking boot and was showing Bia and Calum how to put it on. After, he looked at Bia and said pointedly, “You’ll have someone to stay with, I presume?” 

Both of your cheeks flushed. Of course the doctor would assume they were a couple. Almost everyone did when the two of them hung out alone. The both of them coughed out simple ‘yeah’s and looked anywhere but at each other. 

“Good.” The doctor finished demonstrating how to put on the boot and left the room. 

“I think you should stay with me.” Bia told Calum, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“And why is that?” He asked leaning his head on Bia’s. 

“The boys care about you a lot, but I really doubt that they would be super helpful. I mean, you all tried to collectively take care of a plastic dog and it DIED. Also, you guys have a 2-story house and you live upstairs. You can barely walk up the stairs with two working feet, so I can’t imagine that it would go well with you on crutches. Plus I have a spare bedroom now that Sophie moved out.” Bia counted her reasons on her fingers, trying to think of any more. 

“You’re probably right.” Calum said, and he stood up, taking the crutches from the doctor who had reentered the room without her knowing. Without Calum supporting Bia, her back fell hard against the bench. Calum turned and giggled at her, always enjoying any moment Bia looked stupid. 

“Alright,” the doctor said, “You are free to go as soon as you can prove to me that you can use these crutches without any further injury.”

“Slight work.” Calum positioned the crutches under his arms and swung himself forward.

~

“I can NOT believe that we were there for an extra TWO hours.” Bia said on the way to her car.

“It’s harder than it looks!” He whined, trying to defend himself. 

“It’s really not. You guys always seem to forget the time I partially tore my ACL. I was on crutches for months. You guys called me Limpy, remember?” Bia turned around to look at Calum. 

“I’m drawing a blank,” Calum stopped in his tracks. Bia wondered why before she realized. 

Bia drove a Jeep: a LIFTED Jeep. They were hard enough into get to on their own, but this seemed like a mountain they had to climb. 

“It’ll be fine,” Calum assured her, swinging himself forward.

“Maybe I should just call an Uber.” Bia started to open the app up before Calum put his hand over her phone. 

“No need. I said it would be fine and it will be.” He gritted his teeth, leaned his crutches against the side of her car, and grabbed the dashboard in preparation.  

“How do you want me to help?” Bia stood next to Cal and placed a hand on his arm. 

“I guess catch me if I fall.”

~

Calum couldn’t believe his luck. He also couldn’t decide if it was good or bad luck. He may have broken his ankle and would be out for a while, but on the brighter side he got to stay with Bia. 

He couldn’t tell when or what, but something about her had changed recently – for the better, too, in his opinion. He just couldn’t figure out what. Now, though, he would have plenty of time to figure it out since they would be moving in together. Temporarily, he reminded himself. 

“Let’s go to my place first.” Calum said, peeling off his muddy shirt. After sitting in the dirt and sweat for hours, he needed to get the filthy material off his body. “I need a shower.” 

“Damn right you do.” Bia turned her blinker on, focusing on the road. “There’s no way you’re even getting within 100 feet of my house with that much mud caked on you.”

Calum chuckled. “I forgot how much of a clean freak you are.” 

She punched him playfully in return. “Why do you think we always hang at Sophie’s place? Your house is too messy for me to be in without throwing up and you idiots would dirty up my place in seconds.”

“Fair enough. So how are we gonna do this?” Calum dug in Bia’s back seat, finding a spare t-shirt under it. It was Bia’s. 

Calum knew it was huge on her, but that still meant it would be probably be tiny on him. He weighed his options and ended up putting on the shirt anyways. Bia didn’t have the top of her Jeep on and, since it was October, it was starting to get cold. 

Bia, of course, took one look at him and laughed. “You look so stupid.” She pulled over, brought out her phone, and took a picture before he could even protest. “Now take my shirt off before you bust the seams.”

“You know, I’ll admit that I haven’t been going to the gym as much lately, but there’s no reason to call me out like that.” Calum put a hand over his heart and feigned hurt, but Bia just rolled her eyes. 

“Whatever, nerd. We’re here.” Bia parked the car and got her backpack out of the back seat. 

Calum figured that since he had gotten in mostly on his own, he could probably get out, too. He was wrong. 

“What part of wait for me did you not understand?” Bia pushed him off of her and looked at her ruined clothes. “Seriously, tell me which word and I’ll explain it to you. Surely it would cost me less than the $80 I paid for this bag.” Bia pushed her fingertips tightly against her temples, a sure sign she was pissed. 

“I’m pretty sure you never said that. And besides, I got in the car just fine by myself!” Calum brushed himself off, still in the gutter. The fall had made his foot ache, but the heavy painkillers the doctor had prescribed him were working really well. 

“Well, clearly you couldn’t get out by yourself, huh?!” Bia’s shouting had apparently alerted the rest of their friend group that they were back because all of them came streaming out the door and sprinting over to Calum. 

‘Whoa, dude. That looks serious,” Michael pulled Cal off the ground and slung Cal’s arm over his shoulders. Ashton then appeared on his other side, helping him keep his balance. Sophie chose to help Bia, and Cal was grateful for that. He knew that if anyone could calm her down, it would be Sophie. 

“It is,” Bia grumbled and stalked into the house, Sophie trailing close behind.

“Well? What’s the damage?” Luke picked up Cal’s crutches and followed behind them into the house. 

“Broken.” Cal was dumped onto the couch by his supposed mates, and he propped his foot up on the ottoman in front of him. “I’m out for at least two months.”

“Oof.” Ashton, who already had a beer open, grimaced. “That’ll be rough without you.”

“Yeah, but we technically haven’t started the season yet. You’re cutting it really close, though.” Luke was dumping the remains of a bag of chips into his mouth. “It’s gonna suck, but we’ll make it. 

“Cal, you either shower now or you’re sleeping on floor outside my apartment!” Bia called from the bathroom where she already had the shower running. She stepped in and rinsed off, barely spending 5 minutes in the stream. 

She got out, dried off, and stalked down the hall to Cal’s room. She knew he wouldn’t be in there because, well, stairs, and that she had a change of clothes in there. Everyone in the group had, at one point or another, left clothes at the others’ houses. She quickly found her pair of skin-tight black ripped jeans and all black old-skool vans, but couldn’t find her shirt. 

She dug around for a while, occasionally throwing stuff in a pile for Cal to pack, but gave up and threw on one of his hoodies instead. She also put on one of his beanies because she didn’t want to get sick from the whole ‘wet hair, October night’ combo. 

After packing Cal’s bag for him, she jogged back downstairs happily finding him showered and clean. 

“Let’s roll.” Bia gathered her belongings and slung Cal’s bag over her shoulder. 

“Is that my hoodie?” Cal accused her, pushing himself off the couch. 

“Maybe,” Bia said and cocked an eyebrow. “What are you gonna do about it?”

“You’re taking me home. I’ll get my revenge.” Cal smirked and limped after you. 

~

“Alright, you know the rules. No sex on my bed, tell me if you have sex anywhere other than your bed, no shoes, no smoking, and no going in my office.” Bia locked the door after Cal and dropped her keys in the little dish in the foyer. 

“Whoa, that last one is new. Why can’t I be in your office?” Cal took a seat on Bia’s couch, slipping his shoe off. Bia took it from him and put it on the mat set out by her front door. 

“Because it’s my house and I said so, that’s why.” Bia sighed and rubbed her eyes. It was already 2:00 a.m. and she had shit to do tomorrow. “I’ll put your stuff in your room and then I’m going to bed. If you need me, speak now or fall on your face.” 

Cal just laughed and slung his arm over Bia’s shoulders which she slid out from under him. He looked hurt for a second, confused. 

“You need to learn how to use them.” Bia said, giving a pointed look at the crutches. She knew full and well what he was trying to pull, and she sympathized – really, she did – but he had to learn sometime. 

~

9 a.m. was too early for anything. Bia hated everything and everyone in the mornings, but her professor only had a 9:30 time slot open for a meeting so sometimes it sucked to suck. She sighed and whipped up some pancakes for herself and Cal, when he got up, and placed the chocolate chips to form a smile in the pancake. 

She was a little worried about leaving him here alone his second day being injured, but she figured he wouldn’t be up until at least 12:00. It was a Saturday, so the group would probably go do something later, but she let him sleep for now. Bia quickly scribbled out a note as to where she had gone and walked out the door.

~

“UGH,” Bia screamed and slammed her front door shut. She threw her shoes off and stomped all the way to her room to put her stuff away. She was surprised a little to see Calum on the couch when she stalked back into the living room. 

“Upsetting meeting?” Cal asked casually, not wanting to poke the bear. 

“Yeah, you could say that.” Bia said, pouring herself and knocking back a shot. 

“What’s wrong?” Cal patted the seat next to him, signaling for her to sit next to him. 

“I have to make a 95 on my exam in order to get an A in the class.” Bia collapsed sideways onto the couch, her legs hanging off the end and head resting in Cal’s lap. 

He started running his fingers through her hair – more for him than for her. He loved playing with her hair, the fibers soft on his callused skin. She wasn’t a huge fan of it – something he wasn’t aware of – but she knew he loved it, so she let him continue. 

“Oh, I thought it was something big,” Cal said, earning himself a glare from Bia.

“It is, Calum. This is literally my worst subject.” Bia flopped onto her side and turned on Netflix to her and Cal’s favorite show to watch together. “We need to be icing your ankle.” Bia sighed and rose to her feet.

“No, no, no,” Cal whined. He hated icing injuries, but Bia wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was already undoing the velcro straps on his boot and placing the ice on his ankle. “I hate you.” Cal pouted. 

“Hate you, too, nerd.” Bia was already back in the kitchen, popping popcorn for their marathon.

“Will you make hot cocoa, too?” Cal begged, reaching for some blankets and pillows out of the basket at the end of the couch. 

“Asking for a bit much now, aren’t we?” Bia put the popcorn into a bowl and sat it on Cal’s lap. She also reached over and slipped a pillow under his ankle before starting on the hot chocolate. 

It only took her a couple minutes to make it and she gave both of them a healthy amount of whipped cream. Finally, she plopped down on the couch next to him, her head back in his lap. 

“Do you think everyone else is gonna come over later?” Cal thought out loud, his fingers already back in her hair. 

“Maybe? We did make plans to go out tonight earlier this week, so…” Bia just kind of trailed of not finishing her thought. 

“Yeah, guess I ruined that, huh?” Cal pulled his fingers out of her hair and crossed his arms. 

“Cal, come on, we both know I didn’t mean it like that.” Bia tried to touch his cheek, but accidentally missed and slapped his forehead instead. 

Cal smiled and put his fingers back in her hair. 

“Stop hogging the blanket.” Bia grabbed a fistful and pulled it back over to herself. Cal found himself smiling, despite being exposed to the cold air. 

They watched the show together for a few hours, Cal stewing over his injury and Bia stressing about her test, before the rest of the squad came over. Bia stood and stretched, her back a little sore. 

“How you feeling, Bud?” Sophie came and sat next to Cal, roughing up his hair a little. 

“Fine. I can’t feel my ankle, though.” Cal swatted Sophie’s hands away before he heard Bia. 

“That would be the point.” She shouted, walking over to remove the ice. She took his ankle into her hands and started gently rubbing it to get the blood flowing again.

“It’s cool.” Cal shrugged it off, finding himself liking the feeling of her hands on his skin. 

“Well, your ankle is,” Luke did finger guns at Michael and had a shit-eating grin on his face.

“I fucking hate you,” Ashton said, but the giggle gave him away. 

“So what are we doing tonight?” Sophie said shoveling a handful of popcorn into her mouth. 

“I say we just have a chill movie night. There’s a new horror movie out.” Luke said, trying to make sure they could include Cal. 

“I don’t know, I heard it was pretty scary. I’m not sure SOME people in this room could handle it.” Bia said, giving a pointed look at Cal. 

“Are we still going out?” Michael asked as he adjusted his glasses. “Because I don’t want to leave Cal out, but I really want to go out. We need to celebrate.”

“I could still go out with you guys. I mean, I could hold a table and stuff.” Cal defended himself, trying not be the wet blanket. 

“I see no reason to cancel. Let’s get ready and get our drink on.” Bia said decidedly, already cleaning up the popcorn and hot chocolate. 

“Alright, then. Let’s meet back here in an hour and a half.” Ashton giggled again. “This is gonna be fuckin’ awesome!”

~

“Is it ok if I shower first?” Cal asked as he leaned on the doorway of the bathroom. “It won’t take me long.” 

“Yeah that’s fine especially since I’m not gonna shower.” Cal looked at her like she suddenly grew another head. “Bud, I showered this morning. I’m not trying to do my hair like that.” 

“Whatever.” Cal spun around and shut the door. 

Bia walked to her room and begun getting ready. Her long, chocolate hair was already in loose waves because she had curled it earlier in the day, so she focused on her makeup, which didn’t take her long – all she did was put on cat eye liner, mascara, highlighter, and bright red lipstick. Foundation was too heavy and didn’t even cover all the freckles dotting her skin anyways. Plus it was sort of hard to find. color that matched her pale skin tone. Then she got dressed in a sheer skin tight long sleeve crop top with a cute bralette under, a black mini skirt and heeled combat boots. 

By then it was almost time to go, so she went to check on Calum and found him just sitting on the edge of his bed. He didn’t have a shirt on so Bia could see all the muscles in his golden skin and got a little distracted for a second. She didn’t like to admit it, but her best friend gave her feelings she wasn’t quite ready to deal with. Not just because of the way he looked – which was delicious – but also because of who he was. He was so soft and cute, but Bia didn’t feel like of being that cliched. Also, Cassidy. His girlfriend. They always kind of seemed to forget about her. 

“Why aren’t you getting ready?” Bia said, pushing those thoughts out of her head. “It’s almost time to go.” 

“Couldn’t figure out how to work this stupid boot.” Cal said flopping back onto his bed. 

“How long have you been sitting here doing nothing, though?” Bia reached into Cal’s bag, pulled out his sensation t-shirt and leather jacket, and then tossed them onto his chest. Then she bent over and finished strapping on his boot for him while he pulled on his clothes. “We good?” Bia asked picking up Cal’s crutches and handing them to him. 

“Yeah. Let’s go meet up with everyone.” 

~

The group walked into the bar and made a beeline to the back and their usual table. Calum was pretty anxious to sit. By walking to the back, the group had to walk through all the dancing people and drunks who weren’t exactly conscientious of his injury. His ankle was radiating flares of pain up his shin, and he all but collapsed into the chair. 

“I’ll get drinks!” Bia shouted over the music which was pounding. “Usual for everyone?” Everyone agreed and Bia and Sophie went over to the bar, the latter having volunteered to help carry everything. 

“How’s living with her going, man?” Ashton shouted over the music. Everyone knew a conversation would be a little difficult – but hey, that’s just how it was in clubs. They knew and all didn’t care. 

“Fuck, man. It’s the best.” Calum said shaking his head slightly. 

“Yeah? Did, uh, something happen between you two?” Luke said. 

Cal’s head snapped around so fast he heard his neck pop. “The fuck you mean?” 

“Oy, mate, don’t act like you’re not pining over her. Everyone knows except her and you apparently.” Ashton gave him a look that said everything. 

“We see you staring at her when she can’t see you, tensing up when she flirts with other guys. My god, Cal, grow a pair.” Michael chimed in with his opinion, slightly buzzed from his pre-gaming. 

“Oh, fuck off the lot of you. Cassidy, remember?” Cal squinted his eyes and shook his head, denying as hard as could. 

He was spared from further talking about it because Bia and Sophie returned with their drinks. All of them had beer except Bia and Sophie themselves, the former with whiskey and the latter with a cranberry vodka.

“Could you have a more white-girl drink?” Bia started ragging on Sophie, but within good reason in Cal’s opinion. 

“Seriously, you’re embarrassing the rest of us. I don’t know if we can even be seen with you.” Cal high-fived Bia and found himself grinning hard. After a pointed look from Ashton, he suddenly knew what the other guys had been talking about. 

Maybe he did have a thing for his best friend, but there’s no way either of them would be that cliched. Plus, he had Cassidy, and he wasn’t quite ready to give her up over some school-girl crush. Cal took a long draw of his beer and tried to push the thought from his mind. It was hard, thought, because she looked damn fine in that outfit. 

“Let’s dance!” Bia shouted and downed half her drink. Calum wanted nothing more than to jump up and follow her onto the dance floor, fuck his ankle. 

She was already jumping to the music and flirting with all the guys around her. She didn’t realize they were flirting, though. Cal figured she probably just thought they were being friendly, having fun. He shook his head and took another long sip of his beer. 

He was left alone at the table with only his friends’ drinks for company, but he didn’t really mind. Cal was content sipping beers provided by friends – mainly Bia; she came to check on him the most often – and listening to the music. 

Before he knew it, it was a little past 12:00 and about half of their group was drunk. Cal, Bia, and Ash were only slightly buzzed but Luke, Sophie, and Michael were totally hammered. 

Right as they were getting ready to exit the club, Cal realized they had lost Bia. He scanned the club but wasn’t too worried seeing as she hadn’t had too much. Cal and Ash had almost finished corralling the rest of their friends out the door when she caught up with them. 

“Alright. I’ll see you guys later.” Bia said, breathing in the fresh air. The night was really pretty, the weather absolutely perfect. “I’m gonna walk home. Try and head off the hangover, you know?” 

“Are you sure?” Cal could feel the concern creeping into his voice, the desperation – stupid as he knew it was. “Frat boy, especially drunk ones, aren’t exactly known for their chivalry.”

“Actually, I think I’ll join you.” Ash linked his arm with hers. “Tonight is really pretty.” Cal just nodded his head and climbed into the Uber. 

For whatever reason, he felt jealousy thick in his throat. He knew, of course, it was misplaced. Nothing would ever happen between Bia and Ash. Right? It was moments like these he had never hated his injury more. Hell, he’d break both his ankles to be able to be the one walking her home.

~

“Ash, not that I’m not grateful or anything, but you know I can take care of myself, right?” It’s not that she didn’t want his company, but Bia knew – and wanted the boys to know – she didn’t need some big, strong man to come save her. 

“Oh, I know good and well that you didn’t need me here ‘protecting you’.” Ash did air quotes around protecting, since he really wasn’t doing much but talking. “However, I think we can agree that, had I not volunteered, then Cal would have tried to walk with you. So, really, I did this more for Cal than for you.”

Bia giggled and breathed a sigh of relief. It was nice to have some one on one time with Ash, something they hadn’t had in a while. 

“I, uh, did, however, have an ulterior motive.” Ash lowered his voice to almost a whisper, his serious demeanor a sudden change. “It’s about Cal.”

“What? Is he okay? Is there something I don’t know about going on?” Bia stopped and looked Ash square in the eyes. 

“Yes and no. Listen, Cassidy is going to give Cal an ultimatum when she gets back from her trip in three days.” Ash was looking pretty pissed at that point. 

“That bitch. What for?” Bia made a face, felt her heart beating faster. 

She had never liked Cassidy – always thought she was jealous of Cal and Bia’s friendship. Bia had always tried to be polite, but whenever Cal tried to bring Cassidy along to a group hangout, Bia would always find some excuse not to be there. 

“Her or you; Cal has to choose.” Ash barely got the words off his lips before Bia felt her blood run cold. 

No matter what Bia had with Cal, Cassidy would come first. Hell, Cal had even brought Bia along ring shopping once. He said he wasn’t anywhere near ready, thought he just wanted to have an idea. She couldn’t let him throw away his future, but what was she supposed to do, lose her best friend? 

Bia knew her face gave away no emotion, but inside she felt the hot tears rising up. Her palms went clammy and she swiftly walked over to the nearest bench and sat. 

Ash noticed she and taken a seat and settled himself next to her. “Bia, this is really up to Cal. I mean, what are you going to do, kick him out of your life?” 

And with that, she made up her mind. “I guess so.”

“Whoa, hey, I was definitely being sarcastic. I – in no way, shape, or form – meant that you should actually kick him out.” 

Bia was already walking away, though. Once she made up her mind, there was no changing it. From now on, Calum Hood was no longer her friend. 

~

As soon as she got home, Bia ran to the bathroom, shut the door, and promptly bent over the toilet to throw up. 

“Hey, listen, do you think I should get Cassidy something?” Cal opened the door but didn’t notice she was throwing up yet since he was texting Cassidy on his phone. “I mean, I haven’t seen- Oh my god, are you ok?”

Cal reached to rub Bia’s back, but she arched her spine away from him, avoiding his touch. “Go away.” 

Bia didn’t say anything else, and she really didn’t want to either. She was afraid that if she did, she’d tell him everything. 

“Um, alright.” Cal furrowed his brow, confused. Had he done something to make her mad at him? He really didn’t think so, but then why would she have pulled away from him like that. Trying to shake the paranoia, he chalked it up to her being sick. “I’ll just go make grilled cheese and tomato soup then.” 

“Don’t bother, Calum. Just leave me alone.” Bia turned around and pushed Calum out of the bathroom, a final, symbolic act to solidify her shutting him out of her life. 

Cal was stunned. She had only said seven words and yet, he felt his blood pulsing faster in his veins, almost like he couldn’t breathe. 

For starters, grilled cheese and tomato soup was their tradition. Starting when they were six, the other had made the soup and sandwich for the sick friend. To reject that felt a little like she was rejecting him, rejecting his friendship. 

Second, she called him Calum. She never called him Calum, hadn’t called called him by his full name in about eight years. The last time she had called him Calum was when he had tried to prank her, but instead had embarrassed her in front of the whole school and caused her boyfriend to break up with her. She had cried for weeks, and it had taken a awhile for them to be okay again. Cal hoped to God it was nothing like that because, although it seemed strange because he wasn’t at the receiving end, that prank-gone-wrong had almost killed him inside. 

He leaned his back against the bathroom door and slid to the floor so that he was sitting, setting his crutches on the floor beside him. He really just didn’t understand, one hot tear running down his flushed cheeks as he sat there, waiting in vain that Bia would say something – anything – to him.

~

The next morning, after not seeing her again, Cal got up and immediately went to look for Bia. His ankle was hurting more than it ever had and he was dying for a smoke, but all he really wanted was to find Bia, to talk to her. 

He looked around her house for awhile, finding her no where. It did confuse him a little because he knew she was still here since her keys were still in dish by the front door. Then it dawned on him that she must be in her office. 

Cal definitely wasn’t about to go in there, especially after last night. Still, he did really want to talk to her. He figured he’d knock – at least try. At best, she’d be feeling all better and they would laugh and make up over yesterday. At worst, he’d see her later at the mall when they would meet up with the rest of the group. 

He wouldn’t try empty-handed, though. Since it was nearing lunchtime, he made grilled cheese and tomato soup again, even though she had rejected it yesterday. He set it on the counter, wishing he could bring it to her. Once again cursing his crutches, he limped to the back of the house where her office was and knocked on the door. She didn’t answer, but he heard soft music filtering in from under the door – Buddy by Willie Nelson – her go-to sad song. 

“Bia?” Cal rested his head against the door, losing hope quicker and quicker that she would respond. “I, uh, I hope your, um, feeling better. I made you lunch, it’s waiting on the, uh, counter for you. Grilled cheese and tomato. I know... I know, you said that, uh, you didn’t want it last night, but it just didn’t feel right, to um, to not have it. I mean, I even washed all the dishes and cleaned the counter tops, too.” Bia didn’t answer, and Cal was left disoriented by what was happening. 

Their friendship seemed to be dissolving all around him and Cal didn’t know what to do. He had to talk to everyone else – maybe he was just being paranoid. They’d help him, and even if their advice didn’t work, then Cassidy would be home in just three days. Cal stood there and waited for a few more minutes before limping back into the kitchen to eat the food he had made for Bia.

~

Bia sat on the floor of her office with her knees pulled up to her chest, tears streaming down her face. She wasn’t really the type to cry, and yet here she was bawling her eyes out. 

It was the hardest thing she’d ever have to do. She was basically cutting out the happiest memories of her life, and the worst part was that she couldn’t even give him an explanation. They’d been best friends for 21 years and she was cutting him out of her life with seemingly no explanation. 

It was only because she wanted the best for him, though. Cassidy would make him happy for the rest of his life, and for that, the sacrifice would be worth it. 

It took her a while to stop crying, but she held onto that little scrap of comfort, knowing she would be securing his happiness. Besides, she needed to give her eyes time to de-puff before their group met up at the mall later. 

Her plan was just to avoid him as much as possible. Originally, she had planned on canceling, but she figured she’d need them after she was through with her self-given task. She found it quite ironic – the fact that he had moved in so she could help him out and yet here they were, not even speaking.

[hysterialevi]

cobblebats fanfic pt. 20

From Oswald’s POV

I marched into City Hall--gun in hand--as chills immediately crawled over my skin the moment I was able to hear Zsasz’s voice. I would’ve recognized that unmistakable hiss anywhere, and yet, at the same time, he sounded like a completely different person to me. I mean, Zsasz had always been crazy to a degree anyways--he proved that when I gambled with him--but now, you could practically feel the insanity sharpening his tongue. His entire vibe just screamed “Arkham.”

The further I ventured into City Hall, the more the temperature seemed to sink, and it felt like all the color in the world had drained from the environment. And on top of all that, I couldn’t shake the thought that...someone was observing my every move. After all, there was no guarantee that Zsasz was alone here. For all I knew, I could’ve been wandering into a lion’s den. I only hoped Bruce was safe.

Up ahead, I spotted a peculiar group of chairs formed in a circle, all of the hostages tied to them as Zsasz rotated around and stroked the blade of his knife with a single finger. Aside from the dozens of tally-marks engraving his flesh, his appearance was relatively similar to when I last saw him. Same, bald head. Same, ice-cold stare. It was Victor, all right.

I came to a stop. The hostages turned towards me in desperation, shrieking muffled cries behind the tape covering their lips as their eyes bulged from their sockets and they wriggled in the chairs.

“Victor!” I called out. The serial-killer’s head snapped in my direction, his glare piercing through me like a hawk’s. He was dressed in a torn suit--probably one that he looted from a corpse--and his hands were stained with blood.

“...Penguin,” Zsasz growled. “My, my, it has been some time, hasn’t it? I’ve been saving a special spot for you...” he pointed to his neck, “...right above my throat...just to remind myself of how close you led me to death.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bruce sneaking his way around the upper levels of the hall. 

“If you wanna kill me,” I siad to Zsasz, “then get to it. I’ve got other places to be.”

Zsasz shook his head in disappointment. “Arrogant. Deluded. Blind.” He chuckled. “You still think I’m weak, don’t you? You still think you can take advantage of me, just like you did so many years ago. Well, I’ve got news for you.” A maniacal grin plastered itself onto his face. “I am a revenant. I have died, and been reborn. I’ve seen the true meaning of life, and now it’s my duty to educate ignorant pigs like you.”

I glanced at Bruce who continued to work in the background. 

“Educate me, then.” I played along. “What is the meaning of life?”

“A trick question,” he answered, stalking closer to me, “because there is none. Life is nothing but an invisible cage, and everyone is too afraid to step outside the bars because they fear the unknown. But they don’t need to be afraid anymore. I’ve seen what death does. I know what lies on the other side. Death is salvation, and I’m here to release these people from their flesh prisons,” Zsasz placed his finger on the tip of the knife’s blade. “...starting with you.”

I smirked behind my mask when I saw Bruce perched directly above the serial-killer, preparing to attack.

“Try me.”

Suddenly, Bruce shot a wire from his grapple gun and swung downwards, planting his feet into Zsasz’s body along the way and sending the man flying.

For a moment, Zsasz writhed on the floor in pain, clutching his stomach and coughing until his sounds of agony slowly turned into a quite, breathy laugh.

“...Batman...!?” He croaked. “I should’ve known you’d show up. You’re practically a dog chasing a bone when it comes to saving ‘innocents.” Zsasz got back up to his feet and took out a gun. “Go on, then. Do your worst.”

Before he could shoot any of the hostages, Bruce shielded them with his cape, giving me the chance to fire a bullet into Zsasz’s leg. He let out a grunt of pain and fell against a wall, leaning on it for support. Though, he wasn’t quite ready to give up just yet.

“Lady Arkham,” he panted, “warned me...about you. That I should bring...someone else to help. Roland!”

Before I even had a chance to react, the same blue giant who once worked for me bulldozed his way through the room like an angry bull and directly into me, whamming me into a pillar as one of the lenses on my mask cracked.

I was stunned for a second, and the room seemed to spin around me when, out of nowhere, I felt a large, strong hand squeezing my neck and lifting me into the air with inhuman strength as my gun dropped from my grip and I began scratching at his arm.

Behind Roland, I could see Bruce dealing with Zsasz, the two of them throwing one another across the hall and wrecking the furniture in their way, gunfire and smoke filling the atmosphere.

“Roland,” I choked out through gritted teeth, “you...blue...motherfucker...!”

He slammed me against the pillar again. My lungs were on fire now, and the edges of my vision began to darken. I attempted to reach for my pistol, only to have Roland restrain me even further, holding my arm at an awkward and painful angle. 

Out of any other options, I finally decided to fully live-up to my alias, and with a powerful swing of my neck, impaled one of Roland’s eyes with the beak on my mask. He hurled me aside as a reflex and roared in agony as I hurriedly retrieved my weapon and brought out the special gloves Lucius had invented, preparing to beat the living shit out of Roland.

Thinking back to my boxing days, I jammed the metal knuckles into Roland’s skull, my fists blurring into a storm of punches as I threw one after another, blood gushing down his face and spurting from his mouth.

Mustering all the strength in my body, I sent a bone-shattering punch straight into the underside of Roland’s jaw, causing him to slightly go upwards before toppling over, unconscious.

Now that I was done dealing with him, it was time to help Bruce out. Bruce himself was in an all right condition, but currently, Zsasz had taken a hostage into his grip as a last resort, aiming his gun into the side of their forehead.

“Take another step, and I’ll blow his brains out!!”

Bruce and I quickly exchanged looks, both of us thinking the exact same thing and giving each other an approving nod. In a split second, Bruce had latched onto the hostage’s chair with his grapple-gun and yanked them towards him whilst I fired multiple bullets at Zsasz, unfortunately missing most of them since he jumped behind a pillar for cover.

“Shit.” I muttered, trying to get a better angle. Before I could though, Bruce stopped me with a hand on the shoulder and pointed at the chandelier hanging above.

I understood what he meant and headed to Zsasz’s position, shooting at him even more in hopes of leading him to a more open area of the room. As expected, he immediately bolted away from behind the pillar and wandered to the far end of the hall, right underneath the chandelier.

Signaling Bruce, he pulled out a Batarang and tossed it at the wire holding the light up, its sharp edges easily slicing through it as the chandelier plummeted on top of Zsasz, crushing him under its weight.

Bruce and I stood in front of Zsasz, out of breath after the fight and gazing around the ruined hall. The hostages were slouching in their chairs at this point, and the doors to the building flew open as the GCPD came storming in. I scoffed to myself. Useless as always.

Before I was even able to greet the police however, a thunderous gunshot erupted throughout the hall and my body suddenly felt numb as the metallic taste of blood began filling my mouth. I didn’t know what was happening, but I could see everyone--including Bruce--gaping at me in shock. I stared back at him in confusion and followed his gaze, looking down at my abdomen. That was when I saw an expanding blood-stain spreading on the fabric of my suit, a pang of horror kicking me in the gut when I finally realized what just occurred. 

“Well,” I blurted out, unsure of what else to say, my voice faltering. “... would y’look at that.” 

I found myself crashing to the floor, Bruce sprinting over to my side and taking me in his arms.

“What did you do!?” Bruce shouted at what appeared to be the commissioner as he tried shaking me awake, my vision going black.

“What the HELL did you do!?”