I seem to have a thing for crackships involving Glynda these days.
Now, what do you name a one-shot which contains a crackship? A crack-shot! This one was born from my ever so wild imagination, a fan art and Rodin's prompt.
On with the - LONG - story, hope you'll like it!
Finally, she was about to win her bet. It had taken weeks, a few mastered lies and a whole bunch of half-said truths, but she had finally tricked Glynda in a one-sided affection. Roman would eat his hat when he'll see that she had managed to charm one of their most dangerous enemies. Well, almost charm, there was one step further she needed to make in order to complete her bet. A step she was reluctant about.
She had to, somehow, convince Glynda in a date. Which was a delicate task enough without her own displeasure at the idea. But she wasn't one to withdraw from a bet : no matter what it will cost her, beating Roman at his own, stupid game was worth everything. Plus, who wouldn't like manipulating a renowned huntress until having her whipped?
Of course, the reactions on her team were mixed : Mercury was flabbergasted by her talent, Neopolitan just didn't care, and Emerald kept telling her that it was too dangerous. As she was now, while Cinder tried to guess which outfit would work the best on the blonde foe.
"You're not listening to me!" the green haired whined. "What if you accidentally reveal something? What if she know who you are and try to capture you? What if she's tricking you?"
"Emerald, don't mix things up. I'm the liar here, and miss Goodwitch is far too well-minded to even try to trick me. And believe me, she has absolutely no idea of who I am."
She hesitated a few seconds more between her scholar outfit and her regular outfit, before settling on the last one. No need of a reminder that it was supposedly a forbidden teacher-student relation. And since it was Sunday, there was no need of wearing something too official. She slipped on her brown leather jacket before turning to Emerald and Mercury, both waiting on the corner of their respective beds.
"How do I look?" she rotated slowly, showing her entire outfit
"Stunning, as always." Emerald answered in a sigh
Mercury nodded slightly, approving both Emerald's words and Cinder's choice.
Her alarm rang, signaling that Glynda had finally stopped her daily check of the school grounds and was heading to her office. She knew that because they had made a quick resume of each professor's habits, and as she had guessed, Glynda was the most regular of them. Even if at first it had been all work, spying on their professor rapidly revealed its fun, mostly because they felt so safe that they couldn't even imagine being spied on. What fools.
"That's my cue." she waved before exiting the room, slowly walking to the library.
She needed a little time to get in the right mood and attitude, and a reason to pass in front of Glynda's office, so she planned on getting a book or two before deviating to the nearest corridor. All along the way, she switched from 'nefarious planning' to 'innocent lost' behaviors, each seconds adding layers to her now perfected mask.
By the time she made it to the library, no one could have guessed she was planning to trick one of the most respectable woman of Vale into the worst trap of betrayal. She was just a sweet, innocent student going to the library.
And, as she had guessed, she saw Glynda heading back to her office. Of course, she waved her professor before feeling – more like forcing – a blush creep to her face. She promptly entered the library, so deep in character that she almost felt really flustered. If it had been her room, she would have laughed out loud, but that wasn't so she kept her facade, walking to the bookshelves and nervously running a hand through her hair. She was fascinated by how quick she had found the right gestures, the right expression to look exactly like what she wanted... she seemed to be born for manipulation.
She carefully chose her books, knowing that even if it was just to give her countenance, their tittle would be scanned and analyzed by the headmaster's second in command and carefully thought about. She inhaled deeply before getting back in the corridor again, to prepare herself as well as to keep her lie. Next thing she knows, she's in Glynda's office waiting for the professor to turn to her.
"Miss Goodwitch?" she coughed quietly, her own voice sending shivers down her spine as it was almost dripping with innocence.
The elder turned to her, sighing and visibly annoyed to be disturbed that early in the morning... But Cinder knew better than to stop to this cold appearance: despite the seemings, Glynda's lips were irresistibly curling into a small smile, and there was that glimpse in her eyes that said otherwise.
"Yes, miss Fall, do you need something?"
For a raw, crazy second, she was tempted to let down her innocent mask and to go all out on seducing answer – the first one passing to her mind being "Yes. You in my life" – but she stopped at the last second, knowing that this was the worst way she could think about when it came to Glynda. She stared at her feet, gladly taking the opportunity to seem even more vulnerable and to put back her sweet behavior, before taking a few steps more and a ragged breath. She then looked at her hands, pleased that she mastered her body at a point she could quiver on command, and timidly looked at Glynda.
"Yes. Actually..." she paused for a second, admiring the perfect scenery she had created – and searching her words as well – before pursuing with a renewed strength. "I was wondering if you'd agree on going out to town with me..." she attempted a wry smile, nervously waiting for the answer.
That was the tipping point. The exact instant she could win, or loose her bet. For this one, she was entirely relying on luck, and she hoped it wouldn't abandon her.
If Glynda was surprised, she didn't show it the slightest. She replaced her glasses on the bridge of her nose, pushing them back with her index as she was thinking through Cinder's proposition.
"Do you mean it as a date, miss Fall?" the blonde's voice was calm, emotionless. As if she was asking who won the last sparring match.
"Yes." she sighed, unable to fake hesitation.
A few killings seconds passed by, with their silence only disturbed by the muffled sound of paper sheets rustling against one another, before Glynda answered, replacing her glasses once again.
"You do realize that I am your professor, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I guess you know what I should be telling you now."
"Yes Ma'am." She dropped her head in defeat.
She had almost had it! But almost isn't enough. She was lucky she wasn't the kind to brag in advance, or she wouldn't have heard the end of it.
"Cinder?"
She raised her head at the use of her name, only to lock eyes with Glynda who had finally stopped working and was staring at her. For a split second she wondered what exactly was happening, until she got the answer directly from the teacher.
"I should tell you that this kind of relation is frowned upon. I should tell you to try and forget it. I should, but I won't. How does 5 am sound?"
Dumbstruck wasn't powerful enough to describe her current state.
"P-perfect" she hadn't faked her stuttering. It had come naturally after such surprise.
"We'll meet at Vale downtown airport then?" a warm, reassuring smile accompanied these words.
A slight nod was all she could manage, between the surprise and the triumph. There was also a small prick of guilt, but it soon disappeared under the jubilation.
"By the way, 'Breathtaking places in Vale and its surroundings'? Great choice." Glynda's voice rose once again as she was about to turn.
She had almost forgot about the book.
She left the office breathless and with a true joy radiating from her : in the end, she had won her bet. She got back to her room with a smug smile irresistibly stuck on her face, ignoring the other students she eventually crossed on the corridors.
"So, how'd it go ?" Mercury asked, and – rare occasion – even Neo raised her head from her Scroll she used to keep in touch with Roman.
"You doubted me?" she emphasized by placing a hand on her heart, fake hurt spreading across her face.
"Quit the act, cinder." the robotic voice surprised her, until she found out Neo's ravished smile.
Apparently, Roman had showed her an application that converted text to voice. How useful! She had another annoying talk ahead of her now. Speaking of which, Emerald was nowhere to be found.
"Neo, you're no fun. And to answer you, Mercury, it went exactly how I wanted it to go. And I need to find something to wear, and I have about... half an hour."
She started scrambling around her very small closet, only to find that she had actually four potential outfits which she examined carefully whilst trying to ignore Neo's furious tapping on the screen, clear warning of an endless speech.
"I can't wear the same outfit, that would be rude..."
"Why that?" Mercury asked, completely clueless
"Shut up, I'm trying to think here!" she rummaged a little more, retrieving her school outfit. "Nope, can't, same reason as before..."
She didn't even bother think about her long-sleeved, crimson dress. As much as she loved it, it was a red flag, a flashing neon sign with "I'm the criminal who attacked you!" written on it. That left her one only outfit : a casual, short-sleeved and medium long night-blue dress.
She hesitated a real long time – about half a second – before settling on it. It was casual enough for an afternoon in the city, and pretty enough for a date, with its delicate gold embroidering running around the neck and shoulders. She then paired it with some simple, flat black boots that covered her anklet. Everything that could have made her recognizable was gone, and the fact that she was wearing blue completely changed her. She fiddled a few seconds with her hair, only half thinking about it. She tied it in a low ponytail, resisting the urge to flip it over her shoulder, and then admired the result.
Completely different was an understatement. She was satisfied with it, though now she was starting to realize what she had done exactly. She turned and took the phone from Neo's hands, earning a couple kicks in the leg and an indescribable angry mute noise, but didn't care the slightest. She sent a quick message to Roman, announcing that she had won their bet, before tossing the device back into Neo's hand. Of course she had quickly deleted the app, and got silence as a reward. Something was bothering her, something in the back of her mind... Now that she had won the bet, she just had to go to the date and then everything should be over. No lies, no manipulation, no fake emotions anymore.
What a shame. She liked it, no, she loved it! Twisting mind has such a way to bring adrenaline, always up on the thin edge of the knife. Knowing that one slip would be deadly. Dancing over the fire, laughing at everyone's confidence, vulnerability... That was what she lived for. And soon, it would be over.
That's when she realized. The plan wasn't nearly deployed yet, she had plenty of time to play with Glynda's feeling. In fact, she'd better keep up the play until the very last moment if she wanted everything to be destroyed, including the poor witch's heart. She was about to laugh evilly when something unexpected hit her like a blade in her throat. She had to keep up the play... that meant she'd probably have to venture in some acts that she would have preferably dodged. Faking love wasn't a problem, she had mastered this art long ago. Faking love with a woman though? That was her test run. She didn't swing that way, and she couldn't help but shiver with nervousness, thinking where her little play could lead her.. she shook her head, as to eliminate those inappropriate thoughts, and started getting in touch with present time as Emerald burst through the door.
She was expecting a long, reproachful speech but was met only with deafening silence.
"Are you checking me out?" She said, playfully swinging her hips as to emphasize her point.
"Apparently you won't listen to me. I give up, you do what you want." the end of the young girl's sentence was drowned in her pillow as she fall onto her bed.
She hadn't answered Cinder's question, though her slight and almost invisible blush might have given it out. The raven haired woman shrugged it off: there was no harm in checking out someone. If anything, she was flattered. She checked the clock almost automatically. 4:45 am... time had flown much faster than she had expected, and she might want to leave now.
"Well, I'm out. Wish me luck."
"Break a leg!" the muffled voice could be no other than Emerald
"Hers, preferably!" and Mercury's sarcastic comment came to her the moment she closed the door.
She started walking the corridors, quickly blending in the small crowd of students departing or entering their dorms, and making her way toward Beacon's airport.
She was just keeping the part. Yeah, that's it, she was just keeping the part. Not losing herself in her own lies. She kept telling herself that, as she was walking quietly in a park. Well... quietly wasn't exactly it. Nervously pacing around more like it, even if she was doing so in absolute silence.
Her entire mind told her to slap herself awake, to ban nervousness from her behavior and thoughts. A small, but ever so powerful voice told her to avoid making a fool of herself, especially when her date could arrive at any moment. Yes that's right, her date. The reason of her nervousness.
Who wouldn't be nervous? She had made perhaps one of the biggest mistakes of her life... taking a bet against Roman. As his boss, she should have known that winning wouldn't be a problem... The consequences would.
"Nervous?"
She jumped and turned around to face her blonde foe – yes, that's the point, a FOE – her silky black dress twirling around her ankles. The sun was setting behind her, its remaining light just powerful enough to highlight every feature of the woman facing her: her golden mane; for once free of the usual bun, her glimmering green eyes, her bright smile, her elegant white suit... She was a foe, certainly, but also one hell of a woman.
"That obvious, uh?" she tilted her head slightly, letting her own hair flow in the slight breeze surrounding them.
Being checked out by Glynda was awkward, as awkward as checking her out was... but in a strange, comforting way, the two sources of awkwardness were annihilating each other; leaving only a sunset and two gorgeous woman.
And she was losing it again. Keep the part, do not drown in it, dammit! Why had she agreed on that bet again? Ah yes that's right. Self-esteem.
"May we?" Glynda extended her arm, slightly bowing as if she was a gentleman from the past century.
And Cinder took it with the confidence that only experience can bring. They had gone out quite a few times already, and the fact that her date was acting and dressing like a man was certainly helpful. She had, in fact, let slip that she had never dated a woman before, and since then Glynda had started behaving a little manlier. Not much of course, but that was still noticeable... and she couldn't quite decide if she found it stupid or sweet. Stupidly sweet would do for now.
They then started to walk and to make small talk, hands still interlaced. Cinder was very self-conscious about that innocent, simple contact. As she was very self-conscious of her revealing dress, that made her feel indecent. She almost laughed at this thought, knowing that she was used to wear much more revealing and indecent outfits. But still, maybe it was because of Glynda, maybe it was because she couldn't seem to pinpoint her feelings whenever she was with her... but she felt like a little girl, all awkward and nervous.
The rest of the evening passed calmly, they were dining in a cozy little restaurant... and at some point in time, Cinder just stopped worrying, instead focusing on the genuine feeling of having a pleasant night in a pleasant company. She completely forgot Salem, Emerald, Roman, the bet, their plan, her lies… She was just enjoying a night out with a pretty smart woman. Later, she would wonder when exactly she had seen her sanity for the last time… and 'before entering this restaurant' seemed like a good answer. Or maybe alongside the dinner?
Anyway, what was sure is that when she got out of here, her brain was long gone.
They walked out, awkwardness raising again as it was time for them to part ways. Wouldn't it be easier to just… not part? As both parting and reuniting with each other was awkward, it seemed logic. Not even bothering to shake these thoughts out of her mind, she slowly said:
"Seems like it's time for me to head back… Thanks for the evening, it was charming" she smiled before getting on the tip of her heels and softly planting a kiss on Glynda's cheek. Damn, how tall was this woman exactly? 6"7, maybe more?
Glynda's slight surprised but definitely bemused expression brought her mind straight back on track, and a fierce blush that this time she hadn't needed faking. Almost automatically, her hand came resting against her lips as the reality of the situation – the reality of her actions – sunk in.
And then she fled.
With all her might she fled. Like she had the devil on her tracks – and that shouldn't take much more than Salem, or worse, Emerald to find out what she had done to happen. She ran randomly, leaving a perhaps shocked Glynda on the restaurant's entrance, aiming for nowhere.
Surprisingly, she found that merciful 'nowhere' in the form of Junior's nightclub. She entered, for once unable of wearing her signature smirk, and came crashing against one of the bar stools, suddenly craving for a strong alcohol. Anything that could get her out of consciousness was good right now.
"Melanie, who is this girl?" the horrendous voice of one of the twins rang through her head, already painful despite her complete soberness
"I don't know Miltiades, but she certainly need a drink." their heels went clattering away, and minutes later Junior's voice sounded through the air.
"What can I get you, sweetheart?"
"The strongest thing you have in stock. And a hella lot of it" she grunted
"Cinder? For a surprise! What are you doing here?"
"I'm playing croquet!" she said with her usual irony, before adding on a more somber tone. "I'm getting wasted, that's what I'm doing here smartbutt."
"Okay, now that's something you don't see every day."
"Well congratulations witnessing one of my bad days! Before you claim your prize for seeing an endangered species, could I get my drink?"
"Sure, don't move"
"Like I would anyway!"
Snarling on him like that made her feel better. Made her feel herself. And she sure needed it, after venturing way too far from her true self, she needed every bit of sour answers and well-thought comebacks she could find now. In a minute she would be wasted, and nothing would matter anymore, but in the meantime… If she could, she would gladly get wasted by any other mean than alcohol but for now it was absolute necessity for her to stay away from people in general.
"So, what's getting you all upside down?" Junior said, divinely accompanied by the heavy noise of a full glass hitting the bar
Not bothering to answer, she took the glass and downed it immediately, slightly coughing at the fire that accompanied it down her throat
"Whoa! Slow down with that, it's Eesti Piiritus!"
"Whatever."
"Listen Cinder, I know you can hold your liquor, but this could knock the heaviest drinker dead in a single shot. Do you know how much alcohol there's in this?"
"Well tell your 'heavy drinkers' that they are wimp and get me another one. I'm still thinking."
"98%" he muttered, still he served her
"I'm here because I made a mistake," she downed her glass, now much more prepared to the Hell's coming through her throat and lungs, and added blankly "Perhaps the worst of all"
"And what is that mistake?" Junior said, suspiciously watching her down another glass he had served. How glad he was that they were shot glasses, and not regular ones!
"Say junior, what do you know about women?"
"What? Why are you asking that?"
"I, for one, know quite a bunch on them. Perks of being one, I guess!" she ended up laughing, the 'devil in a bottle' already taking its toll on her language filters. "But I have not a clue when it comes to dating them."
An awful noise rung, tearing her hears apart even above the loud music of the club. And then a worse one took its place.
"Oh my god. Cinder, since when are you onto that side?" Miltiades' voice cringed, hastily signing Junior to add one more drink to the pile.
"For fuck's sake Miltiades, either you stop moving, either you get those heels off!" Cinder spat, already feeling her temper rise. "And I've never been on that side. Never have been, never will be!" she sighed, downed her glass, and then admitted. "That's what I thought."
That's all for now foxes ! I know this falls a bit short… But I think it's better that way. If I pursue, it'll either be all fluffy idealistic and unrealistic shipping story, either a depressing tale of truth and giving up. And since those two extremes can't impose themselves I wont be able to write anything else than something strange and ambiguous that I would never really be satisfied about
Coming back soon with some bumblebees I swear, I just had this one in stock for a while.
I know you're not here to hear about my life, but I really want to say that somehow, during these three last years, writing is the only thing that I kept. I've sunk, then I've grown, but I was always writing. And I wanted to thank all those who read me up to this point