think twice

Elliot grinned sheepishly “Well if you see everything at least you see everyone else’s embarrassing moments too.” Elliot kept her eyes on the other blonde as she circled her. “In my defense, it was a small fire. It could definitely have been much bigger. And at least it was outside, I mean could have accidentally set the training room on fire.”

Laurel smirked. “Well remind me to not have you as my sparring partner,” she joked, dryly. She crossed her arms over her chest and stopped. The ability to start fires could be interesting, and it sounded just like something sentinel services would be interesting in harnessing. 

“Do you usually struggle with control?” Laurel asked, not at all deterred from asking a personal question to a stranger. “No offense, but you come off a little temperamental.” 

“Don’t talk to me about your issues.” Adrien said. “I’m just the dude that helps with training. You have to send your issues about supplies to the founders.” He noted, deciding against telling her that he was definitely dating one of them, not that she was in charge of supplies though. She was one of the head guards.

Laurel rolled her eyes. “Do you guys wait for the founders to take care of everything here?” she asked with a scoff. “No wonder this place is in shambles. I mean, for real, when was the last thing you did something that wasn’t an order? Or do you just hide in here and train all day?” 

His eyebrows raised quickly at her words, before letting them fall back in place. “I don’t think that’s all you are. I like to think people are more than just one thing.” He didn’t really know her, but he refused to think she wasn’t more than that. “Well, all I wish is for a peace between us and the mutants. Nothing anyone can give me though.”

Laurel shrugged. She didn’t particularly care what the guy thought about her. She could always change his mind later if she decided it was worth him seeing her a certain way. “It might be the only thing I choose to show you. Haven’t decided yet,” Laurel mused. At his wish, Laurel scoffed. “Peace isn’t something you wish for. Everyone wishes for peace but no one does anything. People who just wish for peace are the reason we are in this mess.”

There was just something about this blond that made Adam wonder if he should’ve found someone else. The way she sat, the way she looked at him, the way she was so focused on her make-up - there’d been people like that back home. Not all good, at least for people like him. Not five words in and Adam’s face fell into a bored, grumpy scowl to match quite nicely with the bitchy tone.

He should’ve known. The way she dressed compared to him, he should’ve known she’d be like that. IT wasn’t the first time he’d been looked at like a skid mark. For just a second he was tempted to freeze her and smear her perfect little face up - turn her from Paris Hilton into IT. “Dunno just what this place is love but it’s a damn sight better lookin’ than you, Barbie.”

Adam fared better in a fist fight than a word fight but his heated eyes and his clenched teeth would add some bite. Probably. Maybe. “Lemme guess, people back ‘ome were glad to see the back of ya?”

Laurel raised her brow at the guy, eyeing him once more. “You say Barbie as if that is an insult,” Laurel hummed, snapping the compact in her hand with a flourish. “Did you know the doll was actually the first toy to show a woman with a career that did not revolve around being a wife and mother? And while her figure is often criticized by our society today, it was actually revolutionary to show a woman with curves, let alone one who could drive a rocketship.” Laurel might be pretty, but she was also pretty quick and smart. She had been compared to the toy enough to learn its history. 

At his next comment, a smirk formed on her glossy lips. “Everyone is glad to the see the back of me, Scruffy. A regular pilates routine and genetics ensures that. She leaned forward. “Now tell me, did they grow you on a farm? Or do you naturally sound like a pig?”

As much as Ari would have liked to witness Laurel’s moment of unmatched badassery, she wasn’t exactly paying attention. It was nearly impossible to focus on what was happening ahead of her after the first bullet made contact with her back. The pain she felt was comparable to the pain she felt after the car crash but all concentrated to one area. In other words, it fucking hurt. She had little option but to seal the bullet inside her since the biggest danger was bleeding out and that process continued every time she felt another one. Fuck, TV always made it seem like federal officers had no fucking aim what so ever.

She didn’t know how long their little car chase lasted but when Laurel finally turned around, Ari released her grip on her shoulder and collapsed against the back of the driver’s seat. “Fuck,” she groaned, pushing herself off of it. “Yep, that’s my blood and you’re going to really hate what happens next.” It was pretty stupid how Ari’s tone managed to be teasing all the while her throat was dry and she sounded barely strong enough to talk. She gave Laurel a less than convincing smirk, her eyes barely open.

The only thing keeping her from passing out was her body’s instinct to pump as much adrenaline as she could possibly handle. She held herself up and looked Laurel dead in the eyes. "Can you do anything to make this hurt less? I need to basically break open my skin and push the bullets out,” she explained. 

Laurel felt her stomach twist. It churned uncomfortably at the sight of Ari’s bloodied skin, the bullet a bump underneath her shoulder like a giant metal cyst. With slow hands she carefully undid her seatbelt, looking away as she collected her breath. She had never been good with blood or gore. 

Her face was pale as she turned back around and looked back at Ari. “Break open your--” she swallowed some stomach acid that was climbing up her throat, gagging. When she recovered, she nodded her head. “Just--just focus on my eyes, okay?”

Ari’s eyes widened at Laurel’s command, knowing exactly where this was going and not liking it one bit. Still, she did as she ordered before gripping her seat for dear life. Did Laurel happen to miss the part where she had gotten into a car crash just a few weeks ago? She may have physically recovered but she could still remember the moments just before it happened, thinking she would die. Waking up was no walk in the park either. Pulling metal chunks out of her skin while she was conscious and fully aware of the pain, all the while focusing enough to make sure she didn’t bleed out, was not her idea of fun. 

At Laurel’s question, Ari’s eyes opened and she looked behind them. If they were wondering whether they were being followed before, the answer was now obvious. “Shit!” She looked behind them just in time to see the shotgun passenger pull something much more automatic than a shotgun out. Before Ari could even explain what she saw, the agent fired a few shots and made it quite obvious that they were in a lot of trouble. 

“Keep ahead of them!” She immediately reinforced her body before she undid her seatbelt and wiggled her way into the back. She saw two options really, risk the driver getting shot and send them swerving off a cliff or something, or protect the driver. Fuck, she really hoped the Sentinel agents had terrible aim or this was going to fucking hurt. She reached for Laurel and placed her hand on her shoulder as extra reassurance, focusing on her body to make sure absolutely nothing could go wrong with it. 

Laurel’s eyes darted back and forth. For a split second she wondered if she had accidentally compelled Ari to block them. While it was unusual for her powers to act without her control or without her feeling someone’s mind, desperate times could call forth unexpected results. But she felt no hold on Ari’s mind. Ari was risking herself all on her own. 

The realization hit her hard and fast, and Laurel felt a newfound determination as she slammed hard against the gas pedal. They raced down the highway, the wheels barely holding them up as Laurel made a series of sharp turns. The gun shots were loud in Laurel’s ears, and she could make out the sentinel car catching up to them. They weren’t going to be able to escape. 

Just as she almost lost hope, she saw an eighteen-wheeler driving up ahead of them. Narrowing her eyes, Laurel she pulled up next to the massive truck and met his speed. 

Come on come on come on, she thought as she turned her attention from the road to stare at the truck driver. The distance was already farther then ideal, if she didn’t manage to get eye contact it would all be over. 

Thankfully, rubberknecking appeared to still be the social norm and the truck driver turned his head to look at Laurel. She managed to catch his eye for the second she needed to instruct his to turn sharply in the other direction. Just as he swerved, she pressed back down on the gas and sped off as the eighteen-wheeler crashed behind them, creating a mass of cars in its wake. Whether the sentinel car was among them was relative. There was no passing the wreckage. 

Laurel let out a huge breath, rubbing the sweat that had started dripping off her forehead as she felt the heavy weight on her shoulder lift. “That was close. How did they find us? What did they--” she stopped as her eyes saw the blood on the body behind her. “Oh my god, Ari. Ari what happened? Is that your bloo-- Oh my god. Oh my god.”

“An espresso machine? I suppose that’s something I’d enjoy, and a lot of others too.” He replied, her answer bringing a small laugh to escape his lips. “All I need right now sounds a little too cliché to share. Although I think anyone would want that.” He replied with a small shrug after thinking about it for a moment.

“I’m a hot blonde with a rockin’ body and a bitchy personality,” Laurel said, meeting his shrug. Laurel came by her sour attitude honestly. The only time she had a problem with it was when someone pointed it out before her. “Nothing can be too cliche for me.”

If there was anything Wil considered a weakness, it was feminine wiles, or in actuality, women giving him any kind of attention. It was rare that he made much of an effort of trying to seem cool for the sake of being impressive, but he briefly considered it before it occurred to him he had already showed his nerd hand, so he’d let it be.

“Un placer conocerte, Laurel” he said shaking then kissing her hand. He pretended to think for a moment. “No, no, I think I can I can keep that straight.” He chuckled softly before turning slightly and lifting his shirt. “Green, indeed.” he teased with a smirk. “Nah, I don’t mind. I do love a nice tour, and I can’t say no to a pretty face, so, I’m in.”

“You, I like you,” Laurel said, a controlled grin on her face. Her grin turned into a smirk as she kept hold of his hand and lead him out of the room. “Play your cards right jawline and next time I’ll let you kiss more than my hand.”

She turned back and focused on the tour. “Right. Here is some dusty and broken floors, framed imperfectly by some dusty broken walls. If you upstairs you will find more hungry and depressed mutants and maybe a few granola bars.” Laurel was rather unimpressed by the rebellion so far. Seriously, what did their leadership do all day? Couldn’t they at least clean? Laurel might a spy, but she knew she could run the resistance campus better from her sleep then these morons were. 

“So Jawline, what brings you to our less-then-lovely bed and breakfast for mutants?”

Ari chuckled at Laurel’s response. “I’m not as shallow as you, your majesty. If you haven’t noticed, appearance means nothing to me and it’s not like a woman needs a stunning personality to be good in bed. You, for example, unless you’re telling me you’re a total deadweight.” Did Ari prefer sleeping with attractive women? Yes, she did, but she enjoyed the act of it more than anything else. 

When Laurel asked about the van, Ari furrowed her brows. “There’s a van following us?” Clearly, Ari was not born to be a criminal. “Should we stop and see if they pass us?” she suggested. Ari was now only realizing just how poor planning it was for this trip to be just the two of them. Both of their powers were useful if someone was close enough but they both were helpless if they couldn’t reach their targets. 

Laurel didn’t look at Ari as she offered her truly horrible idea. Her attention was focused on the van behind them. She had seen many of them lined up at the Sentinel Services headquarters in Dallas, usually with some mutant pounding on the back door. Her heart sank a centimeter, even though she couldn’t quite explain why. She would be perfectly fine if they stopped her. She was untouchable. But Ari...

She shouldn’t care if Ari was taken. She was annoying and crude and a total pain in Laurel’s perky ass. But despite all of that, Laurel felt uncomfortable at the idea of someone taking her away. She told herself it was because Ari was so unimportant to the mutant resistance it would be a waste of sentinel services resources, but she could spot lies from a mile away...even when they came from her own mind. 

“Ari, put on your seatbelt,” Laurel instructed, her voice serious. She gazed back at the van, and then the road in front of her. Without warning she swerved into a barely open stretch of road next to them, causing a couple cars behind her to skirt to a crash. Her heeled foot pressed down on the gaspedal, flooring it as they zoomed through the cars. 

“Are they still behind us?” Laurel asked, going too fast and dodging through too many cars to be able to look. 

Ari rolled her eyes as Laurel checked for what felt like the hundredth time that Ariadne wasn’t screwing up. “I may seem like an idiot but I do have a science degree, babe. I’m pretty sure I can do something as simple as make sure I collected all the soup cans.” Honestly, she knew they were playing Bonnie and Clyde but the past hour had felt like they were actually a couple that could barely stand each other. Ari had no problem being bossed around but only when she was in some varied state of undress.

“Besides, you can’t publicly shame me. I have no shame.” She stuck her tongue out at Laurel. While making a big public fuss would probably spike Laurel’s anxiety, Ari couldn’t care less what other people thought about her. “Though I wouldn’t mind making you loud in other ways. I did promise you that after we were done being criminals, I’d let you find out firsthand just how amazing my knowledge of anatomy is.”  

Laurel scoffed. “Unlike you, I am not interested in sleeping with the first apt body I find. I spend more time picking out shoes then you do finding people to hook up with, and the shoes are only going on my feet.” Too be fair, her shoe collection was far more impressive then any human being could ever be, 

She looked up at the rear-view mirror and frowned. “How long has that van been following us?” Laurel asked, wondering if she was just being paranoid. 

“My Dads. Portia. That’s three, but one of them is a dog so you can save the lecture on me breaking the rules.”

♞: Favorite animal(s)

“I am partial to all animals, but dogs have to be my favorite. Although my little Portia is superior to them all.”