I wrote this in a fever state because the idea hit me so hard, thank you so much for this ask. Pre Rebirth Chargent. Argent's POV.
What am I doing? I think for probably the hundredth time since deciding to come here. The automatic doors slide open faster for me than they would for anyone else, how anyone can tolerate how slow they usually are I'll never understand. But then again, they can't just ask them like I can.
The door man is a professional, he's not even intimidated by me. Most days my status as a Ranger is enough, let alone my reputation as one of the most dangerous women on the west coast. That's not even a brag, if they only knew…
I'm not just dangerous. I'm an apocalypse.
But I'm in control. Of my body anyway, my little friends, but I don't really know how to feel, standing here outside of Ortega's apartment. It's a restless, itchy feeling, the kind that comes with doubt.
I ask the doorbell to ring, the cameras that are hidden to anyone but me have probably already dutifully relayed the information back to their master like a dog retrieving prey after a hunt. Cameras are just like that, eager to please. So if I'm caught, hesitation would be useless. And embarrassing.
Julia answers the door quicker than I thought she would, was she waiting? All six feet of her lean in the door way like that stupid tower in Italy, a picture perfect smile stretched across her face.
"Hey." It's better to keep things short with her. Give her and inch and she'll take a mile. "So, why did you call me over?"
"You'll just have to see for yourself." That too bright, too beautiful smile doesn't drop for a second. "It's a surprise."
"I know." She retreats from the door way leaving me only to follow or leave. Asshole. I can't back down now. I have no choice but to follow her into her lair.
Ok, lair was dramatic, maybe I've been watching too many horror movies lately. Her apartment is…nice. Not stylish, not flashy like the clothes she likes to wear but it suits her.
"In here." She waves me into the kitchen.
Deeper into the den. No I already said that was dramatic, maybe I should switch it up to comedies soon.
"I hope you plan on feeding me after I came all the way-" The sarcastic remark sticks my throat that's not my throat when I see whats on the kitchen table.
It's a cake, a beautiful one, all pink shell piping and delicate little roses, and in the middle, the hardest part to miss, are the words Happy Birthday Angie.
I freeze and hate myself for it, feeling far more prey than predator. No, just off guard, I can bounce back from this, I have to, this is…
"It's not my birthday." It's a shaky recovery but I'm gaining my footing again. It's even the truth, it's not even the fake birth date that's in my file. What's Ortega's angle?
"Well maybe I'm late." Julia takes a seat at the table. "Or early, you wouldn't tell me so I had to take matters into my own hands."
"Oh did you?" I find myself taking a seat despite my better instincts.
"Mm hmm, believe it or not you're not the first secretive bastard I've dealt with when it comes to birthdays." She says as a matter of fact as she cuts two slices from the cake, handing one to me. I take a tentative bite, and then another, and another, its infuriatingly delicious, not to mention my friends are hungry too. We must have been too eager because she notices.
"Dios mio do you even ch- I mean, do you like it?" She's looking at us, me, funny.
"It's fine." But she's still looking at me, like a puzzle she needs to figure out, so I need to change tactics. Or even fight dirty. "Did you used to do this for Sidestep?"
"Ah." Julia deflates a little. "Yeah, got me there." An uncharacteristically nervous fidget. A tell, or a distraction?
But she looks at me. Looks at me with her too brown, too sincere eyes and therein lies the problem. Her eyes betray that she's still in love with Sidestep. My eyes betray nothing, sliver slick mirrors, until they aren't.
She's a mess, and I'm a monster. A B-movie plot that would never work out in real life.
She tried. And I'm grateful, even when it hurts. But I can't play second role to a ghost.
"Thanks, for the cake." I take another too big bite.
"Anytime." And she means it. It doesn't hurt less.