I may or may not have gotten a little carried away with a prompt fill. This is written for an anon on my Tumblr (pawprinterfanfic) who requested to see Murphy and Raven meeting for the first time in an alternate universe. I had a ton of fun writing for these two (they're both so sarcastic and fire, how could I not enjoy writing them?) so thank you for this prompt!

Warning: coarse language

Reviews are appreciated!

(Originally posted on my AO3)

A Situation Asking for Trouble

"Can you be my boyfriend?"

Exactly four seconds passed before Murphy responded.

"Who the hell are you?"

He turned away from the shelf lined with cereal, coming face to face with a stranger.

A stranger that just so happened to ask him to be her boyfriend.

Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, small wisps loose and hanging in her face. Her eyes were like fire, burning so bright and so fierce. She stood only a few feet away from him, her arms crossed and a pleading expression on her face.

She must've been a student, just like he was, as several an emblem from a university – his university – was just visible behind her open jacket. He could see a couple letters below the emblem; 'aduate.' Instantly, he recognized this sweater, after all, it was the same one he owned. It was their graduating class' sweater, after all.

"Do I know you?"

"I'm Raven." Did she expect him to remember her? Dammit. Did he know a Raven?

"Uh. Okay."

He glanced at her again, begging for a memory. He was sure he would've remembered someone with such striking features. Just her eyes were dark brown, burning with such intensity. Nope. He didn't know her. He would've remembered her.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Raven glanced over her shoulder, clearly on the look for something. While he didn't know her, he got the impression that she was nervous. Her fingers were pulling at a loose thread hanging from her sleeve and her bottom lip was firmly between her teeth.

"Sorry, I know this is weird," she said, her voice strained, "but I see my ex with his new girlfriend over there." She gestured vaguely down the aisle. Murphy looked up, noticing a couple halfway down the aisle from them. "I already know he'll be a jerk to me, especially if I'm alone and he isn't." Murphy wasn't following.

"What?" Why would she ask him to be her boyfriend if…?

Oh.

"Can you pretend to be my boyfriend if he comes over?" There it was. Finally, it clicked into place for Murphy. A grin lifted his lips, finding the situation more than amusing.

Maybe she wanted to get him to lay off, or to knock him down a few pegs, or to make him jealous – Murphy wasn't exactly sure of her reasoning. But it was hilarious.

"I'll, uh… I'll buy your groceries," she added quickly after seeing his reaction. Murphy glanced down in his basket of food, something settling over him. It was a mix of exhilaration and amusement.

He knew this was a situation asking for trouble.

But, if he knew that, then why was he considering her proposal?

His lips quirked up as he locked eyes with her. Maybe because he liked trouble.

"I'm in." She looked genuinely shocked. "Oh, don't look so surprised. You asked me for a reason."

"Yeah, because I'm desperate!" she said. "Well… thank you." He smirked.

"Don't thank me yet." His eyes flicked up, focusing on the couple part way down the aisle. "I think we'll have to put our acting skills to the test because I'm pretty sure that guy just spotted you." If possible, Raven's expression turned into one more of shock. She spun around, letting out a small groan when she seen that Murphy was right. A couple was walking towards them, the male cocky and grinning.

She swore. "Okay." She turned to him, forcing a smile onto her face. "Quick crash course. His name is Wick and is a total ass. We broke up a few months ago. Just… look pretty. Don't say anything." He snorted.

"Sure," he said sarcastically. She shot him a look before sighing and holding out her palm.

"Grab my hand." He shot her a look.

"What?"

"Grab my hand!"

"Listen, Raven, I-" It was too late to argue, as the other couple were already in hearing distance. Raven quickly dropped her hand away from him, curling it into a fist by her side.

"Raven!" The male, Wick, called out her name as he approached, cutting Murphy's sentence off. She turned to him a fake smile plastered across her face. Murphy dropped his basket to the supermarket floor, examining the two newest people to join him.

Wick was taller than him, with frosted blond hair tousled around his forehead. Murphy wasn't sure what he looked like normally, but he looked like he had a permanent sneer on his face, his overconfidence radiating out. There was something about the way he held himself that told Murphy he clearly thought he was better than everyone around him.

The girl attached to his side was smaller than him, her head only coming up to his shoulder. She looked quieter and more compassionate than Wick did, but that wasn't saying much. Murphy was sure the box of Frosted Flakes beside him had more emotion than Raven's ex, if his cocky vibe was anything to go by.

"Wick. Hi." Raven's voice was tense as she spoke to him. Murphy briefly wondered the history here. Why was she desperate enough to ask a complete stranger to be her boyfriend, just because she seen him walking around the store?

He shook himself. It wasn't really his business.

Crap, he thought. I'm just standing here. Wouldn't a real boyfriend be doing something? This was his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, not just a stranger. How would he act? How would a good boyfriend act?

Murphy wrapped his arm around Raven's shoulders, trying his best to not touch her skin. While she already told him through her actions earlier that she was okay with physical contact, he wasn't going to make her uncomfortable. He searched her face, trying to judge her reaction, looking for any discomfort.

To his surprise, Raven turned around, a soft smile on her face. While Murphy was not a romantic, he could've sworn her expression stole the air from the room. Her face held such softness that nobody else did when they regarded him. It made his throat feel tight.

It wasn't real, he reminded himself. Still, even though it was all part of an act, nobody had looked at him like that before. It was an odd feeling.

She reached up with her hand, grasping his that was rested on her shoulder. Her fingers wound themselves through his, locking their hands together. Murphy took this as her permission for his arm to be there and released the tension in his body. She leaned into his side, almost like this was normal for them.

Seemingly having missed their interaction, Wick carried on with the conversation. "How've you been? It's been too long." She forced out a pained laugh.

"Oh, not long enough, Wick. Not long enough," she said, her light like she was teasing, but Murphy had a feeling her words held a certain truth. "I'm good."

"That's nice." Wick's gaze moved from Raven, shifting over to Murphy.

Great. What would a boyfriend do?

In that second, Murphy really wished Raven would've told him this history with this guy, if only a brief one. Were they still friends? Did they have a messy breakup? Did Raven want to be on friendly terms with him or did she want to get rid of him? Should he trash talk him? Should he be glaring right now?

He felt out of his depth in that moment. He could play nice, no problem. But he could also play dirty. What did Raven want? He didn't want to ruin her friendship with this guy by saying something sarcastic. Then again, he reminded himself, Raven asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend so she didn't give the pleasure to her ex by seeing her alone. He doubted she wanted to keep her friendship with him if she had gone to these extremes.

"I'm Wick," he said, sticking his hand out towards him. Murphy dropped his arm from Raven's shoulders, reaching out to meet his grasp.

"Murphy." Unsurprisingly, Wick's grasp was so tight he felt his bones groan underneath it. Of course, he was the type of man to try to establish dominance through a simple handshake. He had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. When he let go, Murphy buried his hand in his pocket.

"You still eat that crap?" Wick questioned, his eyes falling to an item in Murphy's basket. Inexplicably, he became defensive over the poor box of cereal. It was called junk food for a reason, jerk.

Just as he was about to come to defense over his food choice, Raven spoke. "Of course, I do." She reached into the basket at the base of Murphy's toes, lifting out a box of Lucky Charms. "You know they're my favorites."

Suddenly, it dawned on Murphy. Wick thought it was their shopping basket. Whatever he had picked out was supposedly for the both of them. Somehow, fortune had apparently been on his side that day, as his favorite cereal just so happened to be Raven's favorite too.

"They're delicious," Murphy agreed. Raven's lips lifted with a teasing smile, her eyes meeting his.

"Magically." For the first time in that painfully awkward interaction, Murphy genuinely laughed. He could appreciate cereal humor.

"I thought we decided to stop eating them last year?" Wick commented lightly.

Murphy picked up on the more malicious undertones of that statement. He chose to say that, almost as if to remind Murphy that he knew Raven too, if not better than he did. His words were meant to remind him that he was a part of her past that Murphy never could be in.

While it was the honest truth, Murphy couldn't help but feel a little offended at that, if only for the sake of playing the role of boyfriend. His opinion on Wick had dropped a few levels with that snide comment. While he wasn't actually her boyfriend, Wick didn't know that.

"I guess you did, but I've always loved them," she responded.

"They're a staple in our relationship," Murphy responded, lifting his eyebrow in Wick direction. He tried to convey his thoughts with his stare. That's right. Relationship. Jerk.

"Oh, totally," Raven agreed, feigning seriousness. "Without them, I'm sure our relationship would just go up in flames." Murphy smirked at her teasing tone. Their banter was light and playful. It was domestic and normal, more so than two strangers should have been.

"Definitely. We both know that cereal is the only reason why I'm in love you." The words left his mouth before he could really consider the weight of them. Raven's eyes widened slightly at that, as if she was shocked by his words. Make that the both of them shocked by his words.

It wasn't true, not by a long shot. He didn't love her. He barely knew her. But the feeling of normality sent a shock through him. It felt like it could be normal for him to say those words. For his whole life, he doubted he would ever say those words to anyone, in any situation. Even saying them as part of this act sent a shock through his system.

This could be his life one day, maybe. In love with a girl, standing their grounds in front of her ex, shopping for groceries together, buying a crap ton of Lucky Charms. He could have a normal life with someone.

While that wasn't his life now, in that moment, he could almost see it. One day, maybe. Maybe not with her, not in this moment, or in this situation. But one day.

"I didn't know you were seeing someone," Wick commented, his eyes flicking back to Raven. Gathering her composure, her gaze left Murphy's. She lifted her eyebrow in Wick's direction, challenging him.

"I didn't know it was any of your business." Murphy felt a flash of pride for this stranger – she was a badass. So that's how she wanted to play this. She wasn't planning on staying friends with him.

Good. Maybe I can trash talk him, Murphy thought. Like he said, Murphy had an affinity for trouble.

"No need to be nasty, Ray. I was just saying." He sent her a slick smile and she frowned, clearly not happen.

"It's Raven, Wick." She stepped closer to Murphy's side, her shoulder brushing against his. His hand that had been resting against the side of his leg reached for her, grazing against the bare skin of her hand. She met his grasp, taking hold of it. Once again, their fingers twined together.

It was… Natural. It felt normal to be holding someone, to be looking at her ex with distain. It felt like it was everyday life that he was showing the tiniest signs of affection to someone.

Once again, he couldn't help but think of a day where a situation like this might be possible – where it might be real. A different girl, a different store, seemingly a different lifetime. But maybe something like this could be a reality.

"Are you still doing mechanics?" the girl at Wick's side asked, stepping into the conversation for the first time. Raven visibly gained more tension within her body by facing the girl.

"I am." Murphy could sense her unease. What would a good boyfriend do? He squeezed her hand in his before continuing the conversation, trying to relieve the tension in the air.

"We're graduating this year," he added. Raven's body went rigid at that, clearly surprised that he knew she was graduating. Apart from her standing a little straighter, there were no other signs of her surprise. Otherwise, she kept her composure. "She's a brilliant mechanic, you know? She's always working and studying hard. I'm sure she'll be the top of her class."

She glanced up, another soft smile on her face, this one more genuine than the one before. He met her eyes, letting a similar expression touch his own features. Where this softness was coming from, he wasn't sure. The only thing he did know was how light his chest felt by staring at her.

"You go to TonDC, too?" Wick questioned, his eyes narrowed. Murphy met his gaze, his features turning stony.

"That's how we met, actually," Raven commented, quickly formulating a story in her head. "Murph is also graduating this year from his program." Murphy had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at her use of a nickname. Gods, he hated when people shortened his name, but hearing it from her somehow made him want to laugh.

"You're studying mechanics, too?"

"No, actually. I'm studying criminal justice."

"Ha." Wick pressed his lips together to keep himself from laughing. Raven straightened her back and narrowed her eyes.

"Something funny, Wick?" Murphy knew he should've been annoyed at the guy for laughing at his major, but all Murphy wanted to do was burst out laughing. As if this random girl's ex was trying to insult him. Gods, what drama he get himself in to? He loved it.

"Nothing," he quickly said, a smug smile tugging at his lips. "It's just… Humanities, you know?" She scoffed, as if she was actually offended that her ex was insulting him – a stranger. Murphy found it sweet, in an odd way.

This was a weird situation.

"No, actually, I don't know. Care to explain?" Raven's tone was tight, leaving no room for questions. Wick's smile wavered.

"It's just… It's humanities, Raven. We both know how much better science is." She snorted at that.

"Okaaaaay, Wick. I love how you've worked on your superiority problems." With the roll of her eyes, she looked up at Murphy, her eyes softening. "Whatever Murphy does, he'll be great at it. Plus, his life isn't really any of your concern." There was a heavy silence over the group for a long moment. "I think Murphy and I are going to head home." She glanced back at Wick, annoyance on her features. "Thanks for stopping to say hi. It's always so enjoyable catching up with you." Murphy almost snorted out loud at her blatant sass and sarcasm. She reminded him of himself, in the best way possible.

"Nice meeting you, Murph!" Wick called back, his tone patronizing. Murphy smirked at him, his expression unreadable.

"I know."

Raven led the way down the rest of the aisle, a wide smile across her face. It looked like it was taking everything in her not to burst out laughing that very second. Once they reached the line for the cash, she turned to look at him.

"Gods, that was good." She dropped his hand, a slight softness on her features. "Thank you for doing that. Now do you see why I didn't want him to see me without someone else beside me?" Murphy snorted. He could understand after meeting him. Wick was a jerk.

"It was fun," he commented. "But, seriously, what kind of name is Wick?" Raven shrugged.

"It's his last name. I could ask you the same thing. Murphy? Is that your real name?" As her items began getting scanned through, she glanced at him again. It was in that moment that he realized he never actually introduced himself to Raven, both of them being too caught up striking a deal to do so.

"Yeah. Murphy." He chuckled. "It's my last name, too." Raven pulled a fake strained expression.

"Don't tell me your name Kyle, too?" He assumed that must've been Wick's first name, judging on the fact her expression was twisted like her finger touched a wet piece of food while doing dishes. He laughed at that.

"No," he said, "it's John. Not much better, I know, but…"

Her expression shifted to one of softness again. She glanced at him, tenderness in her expression that he hadn't seen before. It was the same way she looked at him only minutes before, when they were acting in front of Wick and his girlfriend. But they were pretending to date then. All of that was fake – their soft glances, their kind words, their confessions of love.

But this expression was… real. It wasn't his pretend girlfriend Raven looking at him with tenderness, it was the real Raven. The stranger.

"I like it," she determined. She gathered her grocery bags in her hands, pointedly avoiding his gaze. The sound of his items being scanned through filled the silence between them. "Well, I really appreciate you playing along so well."

"It wasn't hard." While his words weren't meant to have a hidden meaning, he realized it once he seen Raven's cheeks turn the faintest of pink. He understood at that. It wasn't hard pretending to be your boyfriend. It wasn't hard pretending to be in love with you.

"Well, it was easy to be with you, too, for the record." Once they both paid for their groceries and their bags in hand, she glanced at him, an unreadable expression on her face. He lifted his eyebrow.

"What?"

"Do you eat Lucky Charms?" she asked, glancing at one bag in his hand. He snorted. He could've sworn she was going to ask him a serious question.

"They're actually favorites; that wasn't a lie." With those words, that fiery spark in her eyes appeared once again. Their eyes met.

Four seconds passed before she spoke again.

"Did you want to get dinner, Murphy?" Staring into those fiery eyes, he had never felt so sure about an answer.

"I'm in."