#07.11.2021

He approached you with purpose, keeping the men in his peripherals.

“Hey, baby, what took you so long?” He embraced you quickly, holding you tight while you squeaked in shock. Before you had time to react he was already whispering in your ear, “There have been four men following you for the past ten minutes, stick with me and I’ll keep you safe.”

You swallowed thickly, the urgency in his voice making you believe him. His chocolate brown eyes bored into yours as he waited for your response. Picking up on your slight nod.

“Who are you?” You asked softly, letting him take his hand in yours as he leads the way through the carnival.

“Long story short, gun-for-hire.” He put it simply. Somehow that didn’t make you feel better. “We need to get out of here before those men reach us, otherwise who knows what’ll happen.”

“I don’t understand though, who sent you?” You ask pulling your hand out of his, refusing to move until he gave you something to work with. Grayson growled low in his throat as he rounded on you, the scarf that had been covering his head falling around his shoulders revealing long chocolate curls.

“If you do not comply, I will have no choice but to pick you up and carry you out of here if I have to. All you need to know is that I am here to protect you. Got it, Y/n?”

You wanted to ask how he knew your name, but the look in his eyes and the tone in his voice warned you against it.

“Fine, where are we going?” You finally gave in, trying to keep up as he started walking again.

“Safehouse.”

You were too full of adrenaline to pay much attention as this man guided you to a motorcycle that he had stashed away.

“Get on,” He demanded, motioning to the space between him and the handlebars. You did exactly as he said, sliding into the small space. He kickstarted the motorcycle and the force as he sped off sent you slamming into his chest. It was like hitting a wall as the air whipped around you as he sped through the city. He never slowed until you were far out of the city, pulling up to a cabin next to a lake.

He hopped off the bike first, extending his hand to help you down and guide you inside. You watched as he closed all of the blinds, and locked the door, ensuring that nobody could see in through the blackout curtains. After a moment he turned on the lamp that was sitting on the table next to the couch.

“Now, will you please tell me what is going on?” You asked, pulling your legs up underneath you. He stared at you from the chair across from you.

“I’m here to keep you safe.”

“Yeah, I kinda got that. Who are you? Why are we here?”

“We are here because you are Y/f/n. A Chemical engineer, who has been working on a chemical agent. A chemical agent that will take over neurological pathways to make the victim compliant. Meant for aggressive dementia patients, suicidal wards, et cetera.” He never looked away from you as he told you about your work. “Now imagine what kind of damage something like that could do if it ended up in the wrong hands.”

You frowned, not knowing what to say.

“Think James Barnes.”

You looked down at your hands folded in your lap.

“So, what? You want me to destroy my work? I can’t do that, think about the people it could potentially help-”

“That isn’t up to me. I’m only here because I was hired to keep you safe.”

“Who hired you?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter, money is money, and the less I know the better.” He stood up from the couch, making his way up the stairs leaving you alone on the ground floor, nothing but a lamp illuminating the simple room.

“Do I get to know your name, at least?” You called after him. He paused in the middle of his assent.

“They call me Starfire.” He said before he was out of sight.