three-twelve

        but he’s not the one who was shot at. she can still feel the fury, the indignation as she narrowly avoided a bullet, her rage at his callous attempt at killing her without so much as a conversation-fine, maybe she had a contingency plan to kill him too, but that’s not the point. she wasn’t actually going to take him out until she heard what he had to say. he’s the one who moved first.     asshole.

                    you have a meeting in less than twenty-four hours and an important meeting at that :   she knows this,   keeps tabs on your calendar like a hawk.   not that you mind that much,   but the glare you give her in response to the sting of a cheekbone is defined by disbelief.   it won’t bruise,   doesn’t hurt enough to justify that conclusion,   but god damnit,  jane.   you could have left a mark.   your hands lift,   your feet backtrack :   it’s just unfortunate that every time she looks like you like that,   you inevitably begin to grin.     “ okay…   i know you’re angry… ”     another step back.     “ i know it seems like i missed your birthday… ”     that’s not the wisest thing to admit to,  john.   you try to anticipate her movement,   defensively gesturing.     “ but i did not!   i just need some more time.   so let’s…  postpone…   this sparring session until later? ”

            if you’re angry, you hide it behind a predatory smile and a laugh. but you’re not angry, not really. ok, maybe you’re a little angry. so you watch him, eyes fixed and lingering, as he tries to placate you, backing away as if you were a wild animal looking to feed. just because you can, you bare your teeth at him when you grin.     “aw, you think i’m angry, john?”     you approach with measured steps, reaching out to push at his shoulder with the tips of your fingers as you start to circle him.     “you think this is me, angry?”     your eyes narrow as you rise on your toes, lips at his ear.      “baby, if i were angry, you’d be dead.”     

expression  turns  to  disbelief ,     accented  by  the  way  her  brows  are  pulled skyward .     “  oh ,     sure -     right   …  ”     her  words  trail  off  while  her  head  gives  a  few  nods .     head  turns  away  from  jane ,     her  eyes  scanning  the  busy  city  street .     even  at  a  time  of  ease ,     she’s  still  pointing  out  all  the  possible  ways  to  escape  if  she  needed  to .     when  the  sister’s  were  younger ,     it  was  common  for  them  to  know  exactly  what  the  other  was  thinking .     it  wasn’t  telepathy  per  se ,     but  something  else .     something  far  deeper  and  meaningful .     their  unique  connection  was  the  thing  that  kept  them  close .     through  all  the  shared  dreams  and  tragedies -     knowing  her  sister ,     truly  knowing  her   …     wasn’t  even  an  issue .     she  thinks  nothing  has  changed ,     even  now  when  there  were  a  few  years  that  were  missing .     where  it  seemed  that  connection  might  have  been  severed .     mia  knows  her  sister  and  that  isn’t  an  understatement .     “  that’s  because  i’m  me ,     and  you  can’t  be  me .  ”     her  chin  lifts  as  she  positions  herself  in  the  chair  with  a  more  straight  back  and  looking  just  a  dash  more  poised .     “  you’re  the  poised  one ,  ”     she  adds  with  a  little  turn  of  her  lips .     from  the  corner  of  her  eyes ,     she  gazes  at  jane  beside  her  and  laughs  in  her  throat .

it  takes  her  a  second  to  relax ,     her  form  sinking  slightly  in  the  chair  while  she  brings  her  ankle  up  to  rest  upon  her  knee .     “  now  you  listen  here ,     we  may  not  have  talked  or  seen  one  another  for  a  few  years .     that  don’t  mean  i  don’t  know  you  as  i  know  myself .  ”     she’s  sure  it  is  the  same  for  jane .     “  and  i  know  you -     jane  smith ,  ”     she  turns  her  head  finally  and  dips  her  chin  so  she  can  watch  the  other  from  behind  her  sunglasses .     gods  jane  smith  sounds  so  unoriginal  too .     the  whole  marriage  just  seemed  so  out  of  place ,     even  for  a  cover  it  seemed  unoriginal .     however  she  hadn’t  met  john  yet  so  whose  to  say  that  it  was  as  bad  as  she  thinks  it  is .     mia  had  her  concerns ,     she  shared  it  and  will  likely  be  suspicious  until  she  meet’s  her  brother - in - law .     however  jane’s  admittance  that  mia  will  hate  the  guy ,     doesn’t  exactly  give  her  that  much  confidence .

“  wait  so ,     you  went  from  fucking  like  rabbits  for  forty - eight  hours  straight  to   …     having  boring  morning  sex  ?     jesus  fuckin’  christ  it’s  worst  than  i  thought  !  ”     was  she  joking  ?     partially -     though  she  can  tell  by  the  way  jane  is  telling  her  things .     it’s  pretty  much  not  far  from  the  truth .     the  brunette  goes  to  turn  to  face  her  twin ,     and  like  a  mirror  image  she  mimics  the  way  she  leans  on  the  table .     a  dark  brow  quirks ,     “  are  you  tryin’  to  convince  me ,     or  convince  yourself  ?  ”     mia ,     realizing  that  her  sister  is  pleading  with  her     (  whether  real  or  not ,     it  didn’t  matter .  )     takes  a  deep  breath ,     tongue  briefly  pushing  against  the  inside of  her  cheek ,     and  then  lifting  her  sunglasses  and  putting  them  on  the  top  of  her  head .     “  look  allie ,     all  i  want  if  for  you  to  be  happy  okay  ?     after  everythin’  we’ve  been  through ,     it’s  what  you  deserve  and  if  john  makes  you  happy ,  ”     a  pause  as  she  shakes  her  head  and  shrugs .     “  then  i’m  happy  for  you .     though  if  he  so  much  as  cause  you  any  sort  of  distress .     i’m  shovin’  my  boot  so  far  up  his  ass  he’ll  be  eatin’  leather  for  months .  ”  

                            you roll your eyes and grit your teeth. you love your sister : more than anything and anyone. but there are times where she grates on your nerves. usually, it’s intentional. and you can get away with rolling your eyes and cursing at her in italian, swatting at her head with an open palm or kick her none-to-gently just to make a point. it’s when you’re quiet that she’s truly fucked. you’re either irritated or upset, and neither are a particularly good option for anyone but better the former than the latter.     sure,     she emphasises, and your exhale is more of a sigh than anything. you flip her the bird in response, middle finger rising between the others curled in to your palm : it’s just as elegant a gesture as everything else you do, as made evident by the way mia mock impersonates you.     “yeah, yeah - whatever. your posture fucking sucks, sis-”

                  this ... being with mia, it feels easy - like it used to. but there’s a part of you that feels unsettled. you haven’t entirely forgiven her for her stunt, disappearing on you, letting you think her dead ( and while you didn’t wholly believe it, a part of you still questioned your instincts ... which is what upsets you more than anything ) - and a vindictive part of you, the bitch within, wants to hold a grudge. bitter and petty though it may be. because you haven’t told her yet what that felt like. you don’t think she even realises, maybe because you haven’t made the connection either, that the idea of her death is, in part, the cause of your spiralling behaviour.     this isn’t like you, jane. yeah, well - who’s fault is that ?     but you don’t say anything, because you’re the oldest. and as much as mia may think she’s protective of you, it’s almost always been you taking care of her. she’s your little sister. you’d hate for her to see you hurt.

                    “i don’t know, mi-a few years is a long time. a lot can happen in a few years.”     like you getting married, for one thing. inwardly, you flinch. god, no wonder she’s judging you. questioning your decisions, like you’re not a fully functioning adult. but, in your defence, you’ve also been shot twice and were left stranded in south america during a coup in that time. your new name spoken on mia’s tongue causes your brow to furrow as you sink back in your chair, one leg still crossed delicately over the other, your elbows resting lightly on the arms.     jane smith.     you can see it written on your twins’ face that she doesn’t like it. admittedly, it’s not your favourite alias either. but ... you could get used to it, you think. you’ve been saying all this time that john is a cover. but maybe is should be was, and maybe you’ve been lying this whole time. because you think for him, you could get damn used to jane smith. still, you smirk at her, amusement in your eyes hidden by your shades.     “on a scale of one to ten, how bad does my name irk you ?”

                  your smirk falters slightly, smile becoming stiffer as your eyes shift from amused to annoyed. half-offended, your jaw crooks and you turn your head to look out at the view.     “i said early, not boring. if you don’t want to listen to me, we don’t have to talk. we’ve gone years without speaking, we can call it a day now and go a couple more.”     if you’re defensive, you think it justifiable. she doesn’t know john. and, whether she wants to believe it or not, she doesn’t know you. not anymore. and it hurts to think you don’t know her either. again, you roll your eyes, turning them back on your sister and meeting her shaded stare with your own, a brow risen.     “i said my vows, mia. and i said i do. what’s more convincing than that ?”