Another chap rewritten! This one was pretty fun to revise, 'cause...the Gio stuff happens. *Dun dun DUUUUN*
To be out of that ominous building and back at the familiar Team Rocket HQ was a relief, to say the least.
Giovanni had kept to his word; after letting Butch and Cassidy suffer in between the walls of their jail cell for another hour or so, the barred doors were eventually opened and the pair were informed they were free to leave. One of Giovanni's executives had turned up with the bail and then formally escorted the duo back to Headquarters in a sleek black car; blacked-out windows, leather seats- the works. This was a little odd, considered they'd never been personally escorted back any of the other times. They were usually left to make their own way back, regardless of the weather conditions or time of day.
Perhaps, this time Giovanni wanted to be sure they wouldn't sneak off. After all, he couldn't serve up a punishment if the felons ran away.
Now Butch and Cassidy were making their way down the familiar carpeted hallway to their dorm room. Cassidy knew she couldn't put off her visit to Giovanni for any more than five minutes. His icy demand kept repeating itself in her head.
Come up to my office without delay.
What did he want with her? The way he'd paused before adding that rather chilling "Alone." sent paranoid scenarios through the blondes mind. Alone. Why not with Butch? What was going to happen to her?
Of course, there was still a tiny voice of reason telling her that they were exactly that. Paranoid scenarios. She was conjuring up countless frightening punishment methods in her mind; yet the worst that could happen was likely just having to stand there in front of her Boss as he tore her apart emotionally and told her how she was incompetent, a liability. Or maybe he'd demote her...
A demotion. In other words, her worst nightmare.
Once Cassidy unlocked and opened the door to her and Butch's shared dorm room, they were greeted with that long-familiar smell of...home. Their home. It was a mixture of, well, Cassidy and Butch. Designer perfume and cigarette smoke. Vanilla scented candles and sports cologne. The two adjacent single beds were still how they'd been left before the night of the mission. One, perfectly made with an open gossip magazine by the pillow, the other still rumpled with the bedsheets half thrown back and the pillows askew.
Cassidy headed straight over to her small vanity table, grimacing at her dishevelled appearance in the mirror. She couldn't turn up to the Boss's office in this state. Her strawberry-blonde hair was unkempt and last nights make-up was smudged, making her eyes look reminiscent of a pandas. She immediately let her long hair free and began running a paddle brush through the mane, tired eyes fixed anxiously on her reflection. At least as she was getting ready she could buy herself some time to come up with how to approach a potentially furious Giovanni. Should she be polite? Confident? Remorseful? Flirty?
Anything to get herself out of this mess. Now that she'd got the idea of a demotion in her head, she was convinced that it was exactly what was going to happen to her.
Her brows furrowed into a frown when a second reflection appeared behind her in the mirror, giving her a stupid little smirk as he watched her fondly. "Go away, Butch," the blonde said in a cold tone as she tugged the brush through the spiked ends of her hair.
"No. I wanna talk," Butch replied, sitting himself down on the edge of the dressing table, still watching her. "Before you go see the Boss."
Cassidy sighed wearily. He wouldn't shut up about it. Of course, the moment she'd arrived back to their cell after calling Giovanni, she was pelted with question after question.
What'd you say? What'd he say? Did you tell him what I told ya to?
And in response, she'd simply made something up on the spot. She knew for a fact that if Butch found out she'd landed herself in trouble for his sake, he'd overreact. She knew it'd probably hurt his pride. There was a chance that he'd then go to the Boss and own up, merely for the sake of getting his own way, which would only get her into trouble for lying in the first place. It was a potential vicious circle; one that wasn't worth dealing with. This whole thing was complex enough as it was.
So she told him something plausible. "I told him it was your fault, just like you said. He sounded pretty mad. Don't worry though; I didn't rat you out about killing that cop. I just blamed it on your incompetence."
He accepted it easily enough, falling for it without any doubts. He believed her next lie too.
"The Boss wants us to pay him a visit when we get back to HQ. At least, he said the two of us, but I'm not sure it'd be a good idea for you to show your face yet. He's angry, and I mean, angry. I'm scared he'll lash out at you; so I'll see to him myself. Anything you say is only going to make him ten times more pissed at you than he already is."
"But, Cass...I need to justify myself."
"No. Let me handle it, Butch. You couldn't talk to him on the phone, I doubt you'll do any better in person- and the last thing we need is your stupidity interfering. I'll get you off the hook, 'kay? Just leave the talking to me. I'm going to the office by myself."
"Yeah but what if-"
"Butch. You got your way with the phone call, now just let me have my way with this. I'm going alone- end of story."
She'd been obstinate and stern enough to convince him. He was easy to manipulate, and the moment she mentioned getting him off the hook, justifying himself suddenly didn't seem to be an issue worth attending to.
It didn't feel good, lying to him. It felt wrong. And she knew, if she left that office with a demotion, all those lies would have been in vain. Butch would find out, he'd think she was stupid, and he'd be mad at her for not just going along with his idea. And as much as Cassidy hated to admit it, his idea was beginning to seem like it would have been a smarter option.
But it was too late now.
"Whaddaya gonna say to him, Cass?" Butch pressed curiously as he absent-mindedly fingered one of the girly trinkets on the dressing table.
"I don't know yet," she replied, irritably slapping his gloved hand away. "Don't touch my things."
He cocked an eyebrow at her snappiness, but obediently rested his hands in his lap. "I still think I oughta come with you. I don't have to say anything, I'll just be with you. We're a team, right?"
"Yeah, but I've already told you multiple times why you can't. Just...let me handle this. You've done enough damage," Cassidy replied in a resentful tone, still frowning as she fixed her brushed hair into it's usual style.
She was making it clear that Butch was getting on her last nerve. He saw it too; so he gave a small shrug and dejectedly slid off the corner of the table, before he slunk over to the window to light a cigarette.
Cassidy continued to preen herself, almost obsessively now; applying cherry-colored lipstick, and coating her already long lashes with jet black mascara. She covered her eyelids with pale violet shadow, and dabbed a little red blush on her cheeks, then squirted on her most expensive French perfume as a finishing touch. Sure, this was far too over the top, and she knew it. But presentation was important, and she knew what men liked.
She stood up and examined herself in the mirror, hitching the short skirt of her uniform dress up to put her taut thighs on show just a tad more than usual. That'd have to do.
Butch glanced over his shoulder halfway through a drag on his cigarette, his mouth forming an indignant O at Cassidy's enhanced appearance and consequently letting a puff of smoke out. He stared at her as she briskly put her cosmetics away. She'd always been quite vain and appearance-conscious, but not to this extent. All that make-up certainly seemed a little much, considering she was only going to see the Boss. Unless...she was making herself look like that specifically for him... Butch scowled, his possessiveness getting the better of him. "Y'know, C, if you doll yourself up too much, you're gonna give guys the wrong idea."
Cassidy just rolled her eyes at this obviously bitter remark, giving him a glance. "Is a girl not allowed to look good once in a while?" she snapped. "The Boss favours the pretty ones."
"But you're already-"
"I need to go now," she cut in briskly, leaving her now tidy dressing table and walking over to the door. "See you later."
Butch sighed. "Right. Well, good luck. I'll be wait-" The door slammed closed. "...ing here for you."
The churning in the pit of Cassidy's stomach didn't decrease one bit as she headed out of the comfort of her dorm room, staring down at her feet with each step she took down the corridor. She walked as slowly as possible, regardless of the fact that her lack of punctuality would only anger Giovanni further. It had been half an hour since they arrived back at the building. If he wasn't mad already, he certainly would be now.
The suspense was a nightmare. She silently cursed Giovanni for not just telling her over the phone what her penalty was. He was somewhat unpredictable. She didn't know which of the possible punishments seemed worse- a demotion; something that would be not only humiliating, but the loss of everything she'd ever worked for. She feared failure in itself, so being moved down even one rank would leave her with a bruised ego and shattered confidence. Or, there was the possibility she'd just get scolded- aggressively so. That didn't seem so terrible right now, but it would be when she was standing in that room alone with him and he hit the ceiling.
No matter how much she dawdled, her fate was fast approaching. She soon reached the large, black double doors to Giovanni's office, each one embellished with a metal plated red R. Her head was spinning. She hated this. In an attempt to calm her nerves, she took a single deep breath, her fist hovering slightly before she gave three firm knocks on the door. A small intercom mounted to the left of the doors buzzed suddenly, causing the blonde's head to jerk towards it.
"Yes?" Giovanni's haughty voice demanded through the speakers.
"It's Cassidy, Boss," she replied.
The faint rustle implying the intercoms activeness ceased, and the double doors slid open to reveal a spacious, modernised office. Giovanni was, as usual, at his black, leather-topped desk- but he wasn't facing her. No, he was sitting in his large managers swivel chair, which was facing the vast window behind his desk. The window looked out over Kanto's scenery for miles, right to the peak of the mountains in the distance. It was beautiful, but Giovanni's ominous presence overshadowed it.
The fact that Cassidy couldn't see his face only made her anxiety peak. Her heart skipped a single beat as the doors swiftly slid shut behind her with a sealing noise. She stood as straight as possible and chose to make her way closer to the desk, making sure to stop once she was a few feet away. Always a few feet away. There were never any other chairs for employees to take a comfortable seat at- and standing certainly made you feel more vulnerable.
After a short silence, the chair turned with a slight creak, until Giovanni was fully facing his subordinate. She tried not to avert her eyes, experience reminded her that lack of eye contact just irritated the man. He scared her. There was no doubting it. He scared everyone- it was doubtful that there was even one person in the organization who didn't fear the ruthless crime lord on some level. He was huge; not only very broad, but tall- way over six foot. His eyes were cold, completely lacking all emotions aside from the occasional hint of sadism or anger. His furrowed brow never seemed to go away- even when he smiled- a rare occasion- he still remained frowning.
Cassidy didn't say a word, but did give a quick, courteous bow. Though, judging by the expression on the orange-clad mans face, sucking up to him wasn't going to work on this occasion.
"Not only have you failed me," he began after a pregnant pause, resting clasped fingers together and leaning forward slightly on his desk. "You failed to conform to my orders, which I recall were; come to my office without delay."
"I apologize, sincerely, sir. I got held up with one of the grunts and-"
"Apologies are meaningless. Apologies are merely...words. Empty words," Giovanni replied, staring the girl down for all she was worth. "I've been far too lenient- a grave mistake, obviously. 'Lenient' is not the reputation I wish to exert. Absolute perfection is expected from every single subordinate in this syndicate- and you are no different. Do you not grasp the concept of perfection? If all my minions got themselves thrown behind bars at every opportunity, this organization would be a wreck."
"Yes, Boss," Cassidy managed to reply. It barely came out as a whisper. "I messed up; but I never wanted to disrespect your wishes- I put one hundred percent into everything I do, and I do aim for perfection, always, I just... messed up, Boss."
"Regardless, you must pay the price for your mistake," Giovanni said coldly, refusing to even take her feeble excuses into consideration. "No cleaning the corridors, no minor scolding. Something that will...remain planted in your mind, something to consider before you flunk next time I decide to assign you and your partner a mission. If."
With that, he raised to his feet, at the same time a he began to tug off his red tie.
Cassidy blinked, a look of faint confusion crossing her face. What was this? What was he doing? She had no clue what he had in store for her as she warily watched him edge around his desk, placing the tie down upon it.
But suddenly, it became clear. Too clear. The look on the large gentleman's face was that of a predator, the way he was eyeing her form relentlessly as he approached her, beginning to unbuckle his leather belt.
Cassidy opened her mouth to speak, to object...but the words refused to leave her lips, all she could manage was a stifled squeak. She took a step back, eyes fixed on her boss in horror. He showed no signs of sympathy towards her and he eased closer and closer, slipping his orange jacket off of his broad shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. Cassidy took another step back. And another, until she was backed up against the very doors she'd been naive enough to come through in the first place. A frantic hand reached out for a doorknob or handle; but her heart sank when she realized the only possible way to open these doors was by Giovanni's command- presumably there was a button hidden by his desk.
She was trapped.
"Trying to escape is futile," Giovanni said in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone that sent chills down her spine. How could he sound so casual? So mundane? He was clearly about to violate a young woman's body; yet, he was acting as if this was something he did on a day to day basis.
Cassidy shook her head as she looked up at her boss, desperate pleads dying on her lips. The stomach-churning, heart-pounding anxiety she'd been feeling on her way to the office was now intensified to a point where she felt forcefully making herself pass out would, possibly, be a good idea. She edged sideways, still backed against the wall, eyes still glued to him.
Giovanni rested his hands on the wall either side of her head before she could move any further- not that she was going to get very far. He was so close that she could feel his hot, minty breath on her face, and his overwhelmingly strong cologne burned her nostrils.
The brunette brought his chiselled face closer to hers, only to leave a menacing whisper in her ear. "You belong to Team Rocket. Team Rocket belongs to me. Therefore you, also, belong to me. And do you know what that means?"
She shook her head rapidly, tears dribbling down her face and spoiling the heavy make-up she'd applied earlier. Although she did know. She did, and it sickened her, but she couldn't do a thing about it now.
"I," he began. "Can do whatever I please to you..."
As her fears were confirmed, she let out a shriek at the top of her lungs, hoping that someone, anyone, would hear and...do something, save her from this monster. He abruptly clamped a large hand over her agape mouth, stifling the scream. "Take off your clothes."
She shook her head rapidly, continuing to sob and scream to no avail, voice remaining muffled by his hand. Tears flooded from her eyes now and her face was contorted with fear. She managed to yell a despairing plea through his hand, "Please, no!"
"Take off your clothes, Cassidy."
"A-anything...but that," she sobbed meekly, tear after tear streaming down her red cheeks.
"One last chance. Or I'll knock you unconscious and we'll do things the hard way," he snapped.
This threat terrified her even further, sending her into panic mode and causing her to break out in hyperventilations as she sobbed. Although the thought of what was going to follow made her feel physically sick, she knew, realistically, there was no way out of this one. It wasn't worth it to fight him- he could crush her without effort. And she knew denying him control would only make things worse.
The sobbing, gasping, and struggling came to a sudden halt. Her silent tears of despair didn't, however, and she looked up at him with watering violet eyes; hoping, maybe, he'd see the desperation through them and let her go. But he didn't. "...Yes, Boss," she whispered shakily, hating herself for giving in, hating him for making her.
Giovanni didn't say another word, but he removed his hand from her mouth and took the slightest step back, unbuttoning his pale yellow shirt and eyeing his victim as she slowly began to take off her own clothes.
The slight tapping of Cassidy's boot heels was the only sound in the vacant hallway as she walked down it, away from the room she'd just been freed from.
Her pale face was tear stained and blotched with spoiled make-up, and her bloodshot eyes seemed a little vacant. But whatever was going on behind those hazy lavender eyes, certainly wasn't vacant. It was anything but. All her thoughts and reasoning were drowned out by flashbacks of what had just happened to her. What he'd done. It just wouldn't stop replaying itself in her mind.
She felt tainted. Dirty, abused, used. She'd never felt such shame. She wouldn't have felt this way if her assumptions had been correct and he'd demoted her. That punishment would have been favourable over what actually happened. This pain wasn't going to be short lived.
She stopped when she reached the door to her dorm room. Now what? She wanted nothing more than to break down and cry in the shower, and to lock herself away until the shame and pain wore off- which, right now, seemed like it wouldn't be doing for a long while. But Butch would be waiting. No doubt he'd want to know what had been said. Her mind was far too distracted at the moment to muster up any more slick lies...so how could she possibly come up with an entire alibi to satisfy him?
Despite this, she opened the door and let herself in. Now was the time to put her acting skills into use; she had to pretend she was fine. He'd surely go out for a cigarette at some point, and then she could let the tears out.
Butch was relaxing on his bed when she entered the room, too engrossed in one of her girly gossip magazines to even look up. "Cass, I officially don't understand women," he announced as he flicked onto the next page. "What is it with you gals being so obsessed with clothes and hair and diets? It's beyond me!"
Cassidy was too distracted by her appearance as she caught sight of herself in the mirror to even listen to him. She looked a mess. Sickly pale, make-up all smudged, hair tousled, and the pinkness of her eyes made it all too evident she'd been weeping.
"Cassidy...?"
She swallowed, tearing her eyes away from the mirror and feigning a smile. "Sorry, what?"
Butch's brow creased with mild worry as he scanned her appearance. She looked...awful. She had always been naturally pale, but now she looked practically as white as snow. Her eyes appeared fragile too. No tears, but it was easy to see something was bothering her. Butch put the magazine down in his lap, continuing to eye her with concern. "Are you...okay? Did the Boss yell at you?"
"A little," she replied briskly. "But I've dealt with it; we're off the hook. All he gave me was a firm warning- if we fail again, we're outta this organization for good. Okay?"
There was a doubtful pause, but Butch nodded; accepting her short, simple story as fact. They were in the clear- which meant he could finally stop worrying about potentially getting fired. One load off his mind. The only weight on his shoulders now was the fact that he'd killed a police officer in cold blood and had likely swooped right to the top of Kanto's most wanted list. But he wasn't going to acknowledge that unless he had to. "Okay. Man...that's a huge relief. I kinda thought we were screwed," he said, exhaling the pent-up breath he was holding in his cheeks, then smiling at over his partner. "Gonna come and lay down with me? I bet you're as beat as I am after today."
"I...yeah, but I need to take a shower," she replied wearily, eyes drifting over to the ajar bathroom door. She didn't just want to shower. She wanted to scrub and scrub and scrub at herself until she was raw, because she didn't feel clean. She didn't feel right. She just wanted to get rid of...him...his touch and smell and...she just wanted to erase it all.
"Five minutes?"
She shrugged weakly, not as defiant as she would usually be, and trudged over to the single bed. She tried to relax as she squeezed on next to Butch, she really did, but she was stiff as a board and twitched suddenly when he reached to put his arm around her.
He noticed this and frowned, hesitating before he let his arm rest back on the mattress. He cocked his head to one side to look at her, but his inquisitive eyes didn't get the chance to meet hers as she looked away. "You mad at me?"
"No...not at all. Like you said...I'm just as beat as you are."
"Ah, I thought so. I guess you won't wanna come down to the cafeteria with me and get a bite to eat then?" he presumed, glancing at her with his teal-green eyebrows raised hopefully. Spending a whole night in jail without food had certainly worked up his appetite.
"I'm not exactly hungry," Cassidy replied wearily.
"Aw, c'mon. I'm craving a taco."
"Then by all means, you go ahead." She glanced at him, seeing the perfect opportunity to get rid so she could be alone for a little while. "Honestly, don't let me stop you. Go on, you must be starving."
"Nah. Never mind, it'll wait," he replied, giving her a small smile. They didn't get much peaceful free time to themselves like this- there was always a blockade, like work, or time, or Cassidy PMSing. It was nice to just...be alone with her. Butch smirked, letting his chocolate-brown eyes meet her violets after a contemplative silence. "Heh, Cassie... are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
Cassidy heaved a sigh, her brow furrowing a little deeper. It was typical that the moment she needed her personal space, he was being attentive. "Probably not."
"Well, here's what I'm thinkin'. We're alone...we got nothing better to do...doesn't now seem like the perfect time to uh...y'know..." There was a pregnant pause. Butch smirked at his partner, waiting for her to get the hint as she stared back, wearily. "Y'know," he repeated with a snicker, gently placing a hand on her thigh.
Cassidy flinched, slapping his hand away immediately as she shot him an appalled stare. "I told you I'm tired, Butch!" she scolded defiantly, voice cracking in the middle of her sentence as if she was on the verge of tears. She jerked her head away from him, casting her eyes down and crossing her arms over her chest tightly. She couldn't bear to be touched right now. Not even by Butch; her partner in crime and the man she trusted more than anyone in the world. But that didn't matter. Her overall trust in the male species was on an all time low at this point.
Butch blinked and raised his eyebrows; taken aback by her sudden defensiveness. Her expression had been that of a rabbit in headlights...scared. Scared of...him? That wasn't logical. She was scowling down at her lap now, her head hanging slightly so that her bangs curtained her eyes. "Okay, chill...not gonna force ya."
Cassidy let her head hang further, pressing her lips together. God, if only he saw the morbid irony behind what he'd just said. She wanted to cry. "Butch...please...just, do me a favour and leave me be, will you? Just for a little while. I'm tired and I need to think, because it's just been so hectic and-"
"Want me to go out for a while so you can have the dorm to yourself?" Butch cut in wearily, cocking an eyebrow. He then nudged her with his elbow and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay, ya know. If you want some space."
She returned his smile with a grateful one. She certainly deemed herself lucky that Butch had that sympathetic, understanding side- something that most guys she knew, didn't have. Butch was different to them, and she loved him for that. "Yeah, thanks. Just a little. Give me half an hour or so...I'll be fine."
Butch nodded and got up off the bed. "No worries. I need a cigarette anyway," he added, grabbing his lighter and pack of cigarettes off of his nightstand. "Catch ya later, babe."
"Don't come back too soon," she joked feebly.
"Heh, I'll try."
The moment her partner left the room, Cassidy slipped off the bed and hurried into the rooms ensuit bathroom, slamming the door closed and locking it firmly behind her. Hot tears streamed from her eyes as her back hit the cold bathroom wall. She squeezed them shut, bottom lip trembling as she struggled to hold back her emotions. Let it all out, her inner self urged. Nobody can see you. Let it all out. If it was any other situation, her pride would have prevented a single droplet from leaking out of her eyes. But now, she broke down, and let each horribly authentic tear fall freely; her shoulders jerking with each sob of despair.
She took off her clothes and stepped into the confined shower stall, turning the adjustment knob and changing the temperature to cold. As the icy water began running, she lifted her head to let it fall directly onto her face. The sound of rushing water hitting the marble floor below her feet was soothing, almost. It drowned out her thoughts.
She could cry all she liked while she was shut inside these glass walls. She could think without the pretences of the outside world. She could pretend the tears streaming down her cheeks were the drizzling water dripping from her hair.