Written for QLFC, Round 7- Movies that killed their franchises
Arrows, Chaser 1.
Prompt: Charlie's Angels- Full Throttle
Additional prompts: 7) (dialogue) "Well, that did not go according to the plan."
12) (word) aftertaste
15) (genre) angst
Word Count (without A/N) : 2225
Masquerade
"We have wasted enough time, Mrs. Malfoy."
Astoria briefly glances up to look at the source of the voice, her investigator-John Smith. His lips are tightly pursed with irritation, forehead wrinkled and eyebrows furrowed with obvious impatience. She doesn't let her gaze linger on him for too long and her eyes return to stare at her lap, where she keeps clenching and unclenching her fist.
"You must understand," Astoria speaks, "this is not easy for me."
"It was you who agreed to give a statement against—"
"He is still my husband." Astoria snaps, interrupting the man.
Smith sighs. A glass of water is placed in front of her and she looks up. "You don't look too well right now, Mrs. Malfoy. Are you sure you want to continue this?"
A part of her wants to say no, it would give her more time to collect her thoughts, to think carefully about what she has to state. But they have wasted enough time as it is and they can't afford to lose more.
"Draco Malfoy," she starts, "is an unscrupulous bastard who deserves to rot in the prison." She can see Smith sitting a little bit straighter, eager to finally get some information and her whole body revolts.
She closes her eyes briefly, looking away.
…
Their relationship wasn't some whirlwind romance, like books or movies. It had its hard moments and it definitely wasn't perfect. But it was something they wouldn't have traded in the world, in spite of the bad times that occurred.
"Do you think it is appropriate to drink at work?"
Astoria grimaces at the aftertaste of the drink, eyes narrowing in annoyance. Draco smirks, sliding next to her. He slowly takes the glass from her hand and places it on the counter behind them.
"Tut-tut, what would father say when he hears that his favorite employee is slacking behind?"
Astoria scoffs. "We are at a bar and you've been having a time of your life with all those girls right there." As if to proof her point, Draco winks in those girls' direction and Astoria scrunches her nose in displeasure. "Remind me once again why your father manages to find such shady yet posh places for business dealings."
"Is someone getting jealous?" He teases her, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "You should know, I'm only yours." He whispers.
Astoria ignores him, fumbling with her purse and taking out her phone. She looks up after eyeing at the time. "It is time. They should be here."
"And they are." His arm leaves her waist and he corrects his stance. Tall, strong and with an air of power around him. Astoria does the same and observes their new guests.
"How many have you noticed?" she whispers from the corner of her mouth as she watches their business partners walk towards them.
"Two," he murmurs back eyes scanning their surrounding quickly, "on our left and on our right."
"Five behind them." She pauses, mouth dry and fingers itching for her weapon. "They are armed, all of them. And here we were thinking this could be done peacefully."
He grins. "If worse comes to worse, we are going to show them our best. You ready, darling?"
Before Astoria can get a chance to reply, Draco moves forwards, welcoming smile plastered on his face as he extends his hand forward.
"Mr. Lestrange! What a pleasure to have you here."
Astoria follows him, already planning moves and tactics to obliterate Lestranges's group of goons.
…
"Our marriage was doomed from the start," she says quietly. "Draco went for work early in the morning and returned late at night. Sometimes he would disappear for days and I wouldn't know where he was." Astoria pauses for a moment breathing deeply. "I threatened to file a divorce, to leave him and things went normal for a while." She smiles at Smith, "And now, here we are."
The story doesn't have a flow to it. The way Smith wrinkles his forehead and keeps tapping his foot, tells Astoria that he isn't convinced either.
"Do you know how long Mr. Malfoy has been running his family business?"
"Since our marriage?" Astoria licks her lips, "or maybe before that. I don't know."
"Do you know any accomplice or work-colleague who would visit often?"
"No."
"Draco Malfoy has an assistant, Miss Pansy Parkinson. Do you have any details about her?"
"I know nothing but her name."
Smith releases a sigh. "You claim to know very little about someone who seems to be your husband."
Astoria flinches, when she looks up, she has unshed tears in her eyes.
"Draco doesn't share much with me. I made that clear before." Astoria stares at the investigator, hoping in million ways that he would believe in her.
"Mrs. Malfoy, you know for what crime your husband is arrested, don't you?"
"O-Of course!" The smile vanishes instantly, something Smith takes notice of. He raises his eyebrow in question, indicating for her to continue.
Fuck. "For the…" Astoria closes her eyes to hide her panicked look. John Smith will think she doesn't know, he thinks she doesn't know—
"For the what?"
"The drug dealings!" Astoria blurts out. It's the first thing that comes in her mind and she mentally berates herself. If she acts quickly she can turn this she around, turn the odds in her favour.
"He is arrested for suspected robbery."
"Yes, that." Shaking her head little, she runs her fingers in her neatly combed hair. "Sorry. This is just all too much for me. I…I panicked."
"You look tense. Are you scared, Mrs. Malfoy?" Smith is slowly getting from his seat, collecting the files in front of him.
What?
"Draco Malfoy is in custody now. You don't have to be afraid of him." For the first time, a small smile breaks in his face. Relief washes over Astoria quickly.
"I think we had enough for today." He turns towards the door. "We'll continue this tomorrow."
"Mr. Smith? Can I….Can I please see Draco?" Astoria is pleading. Her brown eyes for once look hopeful. "It may be the last time I get to talk to him."
…
"All that bravado, all that witty comebacks, just to hide how terrified you are." Astoria has been with Draco for many years, married to him for three and still hasn't seen him this broken before.
Draco looks at her with a grimace and Astoria is sure he is scolding himself for not locking the study as soon as he entered. Astoria expects him to close himself off, fall back into that emotionless mask he is proud of, she may even expect a demand to leave but she never expects him to pull her into an embrace and clung to her.
"Draco," Astoria chokes out.
"I messed up, Astoria," he whispers and she notices how terrified his voice sounds, she tightens her hold around him, "I fucking messed up. He is going to kill me."
"Don't say that!" Dread washed over her like a tidal wave. "He knew this wasn't a one man game. He knew you were going to fail!" God, Lucius fucking knew.
Draco chuckles. A humourless laugh over his choked cries. "When has he ever played fair? He has been trying to find a way to dispose me after the Barcelona accident. He told me that himself. I shouldn't have accepted this project. I thought that maybe if I accomplish this task he might forgive, but I screwed up. I did exactly what he wanted. I'm never going to eat your homemade meals anymore and I'm never going to see you again. I have to report in an hour, he is going shoot me dead—"
Draco is freaking out.
"Draco, listen—"
"—and I'm tired of—"
"Draco if you don't shut up right now, I'm going to cut your tongue out with my bloody knife."
The silence that follows is deafening, Draco immediately stops his rant but Astoria is still unsure what to say.
"You still have another ongoing assignment to complete. He can't kill you in the middle of that." What Astoria has said apparently works because Astoria feels him relax slightly, and she feels relief too, there is still hope. Hope to cover this mess up.
"We can worry what happens next later. For now you are going to walk up there, give your report and come back alive. Did you get that, Draco Malfoy?"
Moments later, when Draco is ready to leave, Astoria kisses him soundly, uneasy to let him go just yet, because Lucius Malfoy is vicious and expected to do the unexpected. "Draco, I'm tired of this shit too."
And he knows. The way his eyes widen slightly and he grips her arm a little tighter. He knows.
…
Draco arrives two and a half hours later, safe and badly shaken. And Astoria tries to thank every deity above them.
"You're an idiot." She mutters, smiling of the tears and Draco smiles too, quickly sweeping her into a kiss. "I love you too." He whispers back.
…
In that swift moment Astoria wonders when they started being terrified of their jobs. When it became tiring and when they started fearing their lives over it.
"Astoria?" Draco looks at her with a soft gaze. It feels like that those grey eyes are penetrating her thoughts. "Let us end this."
"I'm sorry?"
"I'm serious, let us end this whole business." Astoria gives him a look. A look that clearly says, 'Explain, now.'
"We can't keep going like this anymore. I don't want to be father's puppet any longer. What is the use of this job that makes us live with a fear that we can be shot dead anytime? We fucked up our lives, Astoria. But we can still fix this. There is still time."
"You are not making sense, Draco. You said it yourself, we destroyed our lives severely. We can't get out of this situation even if we tried. Don't you remember what happed to John Davis?"
Draco smiled wanly. "The Malfoy Empire is only standing because of the people who work for it and not because of my father. There might be many people like Davis, like us who want out. We can try—"
"Are you mad? Do you know what you are even saying? We can't just quit this job, Draco. We can't just walk into his office and tell him we are resigning!"
"Who said about resigning?" Draco gives her a small smile. "My dear, we are going to bring the Malfoy Empire down"
…
"Astoria, please don't do this."
That is the first thing Draco says as soon as he sees her. Smith gives her a questioning look, there is no doubt that he is going to observe this conversation carefully.
"You don't have to do this. Just tell him." Draco points a finger at Smith and then looks back at her. "This isn't supposed to end like this."
"I'm sorry." She whispers. "I'm so sorry, Draco." She turns suddenly, grabbing Smith's collar with shaking hands.
"Please, you have to prove him guilty!" She can see the surprise etched on his face. The way he stops struggling out of his hold instantly, processing the words.
"He'll kill him, if you don't. He told me he would!"
"Astoria, love, please stop crying." Draco pleads from behind the bars, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Mrs. Malfoy, there is no need to be afraid. No one is going to kill…" Smith pauses for a second, "…anyone. No one is dying tonight." He gently removes her fingers from her collars. "Let us get to the bottom of this then. Exactly who is threatening you, Mrs. Malfoy?"
Astoria gives an unsure glance towards Draco but he smiles nodding for her to continue. "Barty Crouch Junior. He told me that if I don't gave a statement, he would kill Draco himself."
Smith gives out a loud exhale and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"This is all so fucking messed up."
Astoria has the urge to snort at that.
"Let's continue this somewhere else. Tell me everything. I will try to bring you justice."
…
"I didn't knew you could be so sly, darling."
"It is your bloody fault," Astoria scowls at Draco. They are sitting in the living room, tired and exhausted, "I literally had to get you out for robbing your own father's company. It was a one day assignment and because of your recklessness it took us seven!"
"Well, that did not go according to the plan. But at least I have what we needed!"
"Draco, you can't think of all of this as a joke. This is not a game."
"I was working on two hours sleep, I was bound to mess up." He shrugs, leaning forward and grabbing the pen drive he had been caught robbing. "Good thing I could transfer all this data before I was caught." he turns to look at her, grinning. "Crouch easily agreed to his crimes. You had a hand in it didn't you?"
"The coward was scared as hell that I would slit his throat. He was the most easy to manipulate."
"Father is going to be so pissed. You made a very smart move there." Draco is still skimming through the files.
"Hmm."