Prompt: Give it time @flashfictionfridayofficial
Fandom: Carmen Sandiego 2019 (Lee Jr OC included)
Notes: Happens after Season 4 2 year timeskip, mentions of brainwashing and injuries.
That was how long she was going to be trapped in HQ for.
Itâs not like her injuries were that bad - just a couple of scratches and bruised ribs (one that she was able to get over in a week last time).
âGuys, Iâm fine.â Carmen asserted, arms crossed as she was sitting on the couch.
Ivy was not looking up from her upgrading project as she reminded her âThatâs what you said when you just got outta that blood scramble⌠and the hundred plus times before that.â
âCâmon Carm, youâre clearly pooped. Take it easy!â Zack declared - a little too loudly she feels.
âIâm not gonna sit here and let V.I.L.E. take over the world in that time. I. Can. Go.â Carmen shot as she had her gaze at Ivy especially.
âTheyâre right, Red. The fact youâre getting loud is really not helping your caseâ Player quipped from her phone.
Crud, she forgot she kept the stupid thing on.
âLetâs not forget who managed to pull 2 capers in a week after they sprained their ankle, Playerâ She exasperated, very much not liking the side her favourite hacker always took.
All she heard from the other side of the line was him mumbling âAnd letâs not forget who couldnât walk straight the week afterâŚâ
Playerâs voice then got more audible âListen Red, we have Lee and Shadowsan on our side, remember? They can handle things while you recover. Youâve done a lot for them actually.â
âOh? And whatâs that?â The red thief asked, tone expectant with her eyebrows furrowed as if it would sell the message on the other end.
Silence was what she got on the other end until the hacker defended âWell, I canât tell you yetâŚâ
âExactlyâ She asserted before hanging up.
âBesides, they donât have a brainwashed sized sin to redeemâ Carmen thought to herself, stomach reeling at the thought. Frankly, she knows that doing any more capers in pain is what she deserves after doing all that. Even a few years after that time frame in her life that felt like an eternity.
And with that, she decided her plans for tonight.
The moonlight went though the windows, Carmen was careful not to cast shadows as she passed. Footsteps steady to the point of being inaudible to Zack and Ivyâs hearing. Phone definitely on mute but not off.
Her backpack was hooked onto her shoulders, everything she could need was in there. Except maybe less first aid than required.
She then halted at the door. Her head turned to look over her shoulder for a final check. No floor creaks, no heavy breathing and no strands of hair sticking out. Clear.
Her hand grasped the handle, turned it then pulled open.
Her eyes widened. Heart spiked. A shadow. She threw a punch.
Nothing made contact. Carmenâs stance returned. The shadowâs lowered head then got illuminated by the moonlight - black baseball cap, brown eyes and a scar on the left eye.
The red thief let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Lee. Her shoulders started to relax and her hands released her fists. The pumping in her chest definitely slowed down.
Lee certainly looked relieved too with the way he had his hands on his knees with deep breaths. He started to straighten up, ending with him saying âAt least you know I protect the face, Carmen.â
If there was one thing she can admit she canât do, it was not to smirk along with Lee. The thief gave a tired chuckle as she got another look of his face - definitely still familiar⌠but⌠battered. Bruised where his scar is.
âWhat happened to you?â Lee asked, his smirk slowly vanished changing to furrowed eyebrows and jaw slowly tensing. His head tilted, eyes particularly focused on the new scratch on her brow.
Guilt started to rise up inside Carmen, but she made sure to keep eye contact with him âJust a run in with Tigress, you know how it goes. Just some scratches - itâs fineâ
She got back a skeptical nod âRight⌠and theyâre not that deep?â
Her grit in defending herself didnât particularly give out easily but at this stage, with her being faced with Leeâs injuries, it was starting to go off. Although she knew Lee was more reckless, she couldnât help feeling that Leeâs battered presence acted as a reflection on what could possibly happen⌠again.
Carmen was lucky to have her phone on mute but it didnât stop making her flinch a little. She pulled the device out of her pocket to find Playerâs contact.
âSup, Red? So⌠you know how I couldnât tell you how much you helped Mr Scarface?â The hacker didnât catch a moment for a greeting.
Off the beat, Carmen replied âYou came to tell me we should nickname Lee to that?â
âUh. Maybe?â He hesitated for a moment before cutting to his point âWell thanks to your meddling, Lee was able to use it and drill V.I.L.E. underground for a while.â
âYour point?â She asked.
âYou have the month off⌠so take it easy. No funny ideas or sneaking out again.â Player declared before hanging up.
âHm.â She couldnât really believe that.
The woman looked at the blank screen on her phone, showing her reflection - admittedly she started to notice her battered features as well. On one hand, she realised that there was no excuse for her to leave and come back from a fight. On the other hand⌠at least it gave Lee a chance to breathe
The man looked over Carmenâs shoulder as he asked âCan we go in please? I think weâve stood long enough to be classified as lemons.â