A/N: I'm finally back at it again with the Freezerburn goodness! This is a story for Freezerburn week day 1 prompt Summer's Night, Winter's Morning. This is kind of vaguely related to that prompt title but any excuse to get back on my writing stuff.
Summer's Night.
Yang fiddled with the poker chip between her fingers. She gave the bartender a wide smile when he turned to her.
"Strawberry Sunrise, please. Shaken, not stirred," she said.
"Of course, madam."
"Oh, and don't forget the little umbrella!"
"I'll be sure to remember," he answered behind a smile.
"Thanks." Yang fluttered her eyelashes
The bartender blushed under her gaze until she returned her focus to her target across the room.
Surrounded by a group of attractive young women, he was playing a game of poker against other finely dressed men whom Yang could only guess were as rich and downright shady as her target.
Yang heard a low crackle before her discreet earpiece transmitted Ruby's voice. "I hope you're keeping an eye on the time Yang. T-minus ten minutes until I'm setting the alarm off."
Yang rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what time everything was going to happen. They had planned meticulously for weeks, and yet Ruby still worried about her when they were on a job. She sipped the drink that was placed in front of her and noted that one of the less smiley women in the target's harem was making her way toward the bar.
Yang looked away, but not quickly enough to avoid locking gazes with a pair of bright blue eyes. It was only a second but Yang could read that the look she was given was steely, suspicious even. She twisted her watch around her wrist and took a long gulp of her fruity cocktail.
Yang shot up straighter when a voice rang out beside her.
"Dry Martini, please." Of course, it was the woman who had caught her staring.
She was close enough that Yang thought ignoring her was kind of rude. "Very alcoholic. I like it." She gave what she hoped was a confident grin.
"Why waste time with a mixer?" The woman smirked as she pulled a crisp note out of her purse.
"I suppose that's one way of looking at it." Yang placed a hand on her hip. "I do like something sweet from time to time though." She turned towards the woman and took in her white hair, which, whilst odd in colour, somehow suited her. A cursory glance confirmed that she was dressed in an expensive white and sky-blue cocktail dress, but it was the red scar bisecting her eye that garnered most of Yang's attention.
"I wouldn't say I have a sweet tooth."
"Are you sure I can't tempt you?" Yang pushed her glass across the bar.
The white-haired woman looked up at her, through her eyelashes, then shrugged.
"Maybe I'll give it a try."
"Let me know what you think." Yang rested her elbow on the bar and leaned her chin on her palm. She watched the other woman take a sip of the cocktail and bit her lip. "So…?"
"Not bad."
"Really?" Yang raised an eyebrow.
"No. It's terrible. Sickly and just far too sweet." They both laughed at that.
Yang's ear piece piped up again. "Yang! Why are you stood flirting? You know now isn't the time to be picking up girls. This isn't the Alaska job." Yang had to restrain herself from muttering about that being one time.
The woman with the white hair brought Yang back into the present conversation. "Why did you keep looking over at us?" She nodded towards Yang's target.
Yang pushed out a short laugh. "I was wondering what kind of guy would have the attention of so many beautiful women."
"Are you…" Blue eyes squinted up at Yang and searched her face, "jealous?"
Yang barked out a proper laugh this time. "Of him? Or of the girls who get to be with him?"
"That's what I was trying to ascertain, yes."
"Hmmm…" Yang tapped her chin. "I have to say that having a group of doting, beautiful ladies hanging out with you whenever you want has to be a pretty nice life. He's kind of good-looking I guess but not really my type."
"Right."
"Why? Were you just checking I wasn't more competition or something?"
The woman's blue eyes widened. "No. No, he's not my type either."
Yang's brows scrunched together. "Then why were you even with them the-" Her question is cut off by the screeching fire alarm that, whilst she should have anticipated it, still had her jumping back from the bar, heart racing.
The bartender was yelling over the cacophony. "That's the fire alarm. Please all get outside to safety!"
It was time.
Yang moved from the bar just as the sprinklers came on and there were squeals of protest at the water ruining designer dresses and shoes.
Yang knew there was no real fire. She also knew that all but one of the exits would not be working which is why she wasn't surprised when pandemonium broke out as everyone realised they all had to squeeze through one fire exit.
Yang shoved her way through the crowd, never letting her eyes move from the target.
He was panicking and pushing when she reached him.
He stopped when she pressed the metal of her handgun into his back and began to lead him towards the bathrooms downstairs.
She shoved him into the ladies and made sure she wasn't being followed before closing the door.
"What do you want? Money? Drugs? I've got anything you could need. Name your price. I'll pay."
"No thanks." She pushed him again, making him slip on the wet tiles.
"Who the hell are you?"
She grabbed his arm and made him kneel. "Someone who's just doing their job."
She fired the gun.
One shot into his brain and he slumped.
Yang took a photo for proof and sent it to Ruby before walking into the first stall and climbing onto the cistern of the toilet. She banged a fist against the thin window and Blake, their assigned getaway driver, pulled it open and grabbed her hands to help hoist her up.
"Hurry! Someone must have heard the shot." Yang kicked against the toilet.
"You're not exactly light." Blake complained.
"Hey. It's all muscle you know."
"Sure." Blake rolled her eyes but gave another tug and Yang could feel herself being yanked out and onto the hard concrete of the alley behind the casino.
"Shit it's warm out here."
"I know it's night but it is the middle of summer."
"Alright-" Yang quietened when she heard the door of the ladies' crash against the wall. She peered back through the window and for the second time that night was met with wide blue eyes. Yang reeled up off the floor and started towards the car. "Someone has found him. She saw me."
"Then we need to move fast. That's not a problem." Blake smirked and started up the engine.
Yang smashed her hands against the buttons to turn on the AC and wiped away the hair that was dripping into her eyes. "Did you bring a towel at least?"
"No. You're going to have to wait till we recon with Ruby."
"Ugh." Yang pouted as she watched the palm trees that lined the streets go past the windows. "I wish I'd got that girl's number. Before she saw me run away from a dead body of course."
Winter's Morning. 3 Months Later.
Weiss dragged the unfortunate, unconscious cleaner into the storage room. She rifled through his pockets until she found the key cards he used to access the hotel suites. She tied his hands up and placed him in the corner, just to make certain she had plenty of time before any alarms were raised, and left for room 504.
She strode along the hallways until reaching the room she had tracked down as her target's current abode.
Room 504 smelt like vanilla. Sweet, but not entirely objectionable. Bright Winter's morning light sliced through the gaps in the partially open curtains. There were clothes scattered over the armchair and a pair of yellow panties by the foot of the bed. The bed in question was unmade, and a half-empty cup of coffee was left on the bedside table.
Now that she had made it in, Weiss considered hiding in the ensuite, or the wardrobe, but settled on straightening the bottom of the crumpled duvet and perching on the bed.
She spent half an hour adjusting her shirt, clasping and unclasping her hands, crossing and uncrossing her legs, and tightening her off-centre ponytail.
Weiss was checking her lipstick in the mirror when the keycard was swiped and the door handle turned.
It was time.
Her target bundled into the room, threw her bag to the side and even kicked off her boots before coming to a sudden halt at the sight of Weiss, still sat on the bed, with a small gun held up in front of her.
"Remove any weapons from your person," Weiss ordered.
"Whoa, whoa." The target held her hands above her head. "Weapons? There has to be some kind of mistake. What are you doing in my room? Why have you got a gun? Who are you?"
"I don't think either of us has changed much since we first met." Weiss moved her eyes up and down the form in front of her, which was still as tall, blonde, muscly and gorgeous as three months before. "Now, do I need to repeat myself or will you remove all weapons on your person and place them on the ground?"
"Come to think of it." The blonde woman took a step closer. "I do recognise you. August? At the Casino? How could I forget a woman with as refined tastes as your own?" She moved her hands to take a gun out of her coat pocket and placed it delicately on the plush carpet.
"You're going to gloss over the other aspects of that evening then?"
"The… unfortunate fire alarm that cut short what could have been a memorable evening for both of us?" She smirked and removed not one, but two knives from her jacket.
Weiss let out a laugh; a hollow, bitter bark. "You got me into a fine mess that evening for sure."
The woman's eyebrows creased together as she took another, smaller, knife from a strap around her ankle. "How did I do that?"
"I don't see why you deserve to know. Now," Weiss stood up from the bed, "will you tell me your name before I kill you?"
"Hey. There's no need for that." The woman took another step closer.
"Don't move again." Weiss steadied her aim.
"My name is Yang. Yang Xiao Long. What happened that night was just my job. That guy was a nasty piece of work, believe me we researched him, and he got what was coming to him."
"That guy was under my protection."
"You're a… bodyguard?" Yang raised an eyebrow.
"Not exactly, but I'm sure that title is easier for a thug like you to understand."
"I prefer the term 'secret agent' but if thug makes it easier for you to sleep at night with my death on your conscience then hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do right?"
"So you're not an assassin?"
"Well I am, but, my orders come from people who reckon they're the good guys." Yang shrugged her wide shoulders. "Anyway, since I'm gonna die will you at least tell me your name?"
Weiss tilted her head. "Weiss Schnee."
Recognition dawned on Yang's features. "Well, shit. I pissed off the daughter of one of the most powerful druglord's on the planet."
"I'm not just my father's daughter."
"Of course not. You've proven you're far more resourceful than all our intel told us you were, Weiss." Yang's eyes were wide now, and closer than Weiss had planned on letting them get to her. "Do you really want to kill me over some bullshit drugs agreement?"
"You don't understand." Weiss felt a lump in her throat that refused to go away. "That was my client, my deal. You ruined my reputation. I can't go back without something to prove I'm worthy."
"Then don't go back."
Yang made it sound so simple. As if Weiss could just walk away from the family legacy she was always doomed to inherit and continue.
Yang took another step closer. Her wide, pleading, lilac eyes never left Weiss' own as she lifted her hand and gently grasped the shaking gun.
And God, was it so easy to just let go.
Yang's smile was as disarming as her hands and Weiss still watched those eyes when she heard her gun thud to the floor.
"You don't need to surround yourself with people like that." Yang was still smiling.
"And you're better, are you? You Don't even know me."
"I don't know you, but I'd sure as hell like to." Yang shrugged and stepped closer again. "No, I'm not loads better. I'm a killer. So maybe I'm just being selfish."
Weiss whispered her next words. "I'm a killer too."
"Maybe we have more in common than our differences."
"I still would have beaten you."
"Oh, I have no doubt you could kick my ass." Yang smirked. "I can see it in your eyes. That's what I like in a lady."