Aside from the upcoming wedding, this was a chapter I was waiting for.

Chapter 140: Letters & Arrows

The Day Before - Merida's Apartment - Manhattan - 12:57 PM

Blake is sitting on her couch, dressed casually but wearing his glasses as he types on his computer. Merida was beside him, looking over his shoulder because she wanted to make sure his information was accurate when writing his follow-up emails to his editor about his article on Emily's press conference. Merida watched him as he typed the main article and she didn't leave when he called his work classified journalist business. It's not like he badgered it further when she didn't move.

"Why don't you write a full article when you tell people to get their love shit together instead of a snippet response?" Merida asks, pointing at the email chain that has scans of all the letters he has to make responses for.

"Why don't you?" Blake asks, moving his laptop closer to her. "You seem so knowledgeable about relationships."

Merida gives him a face. "My only issue is, and this sounds so naive, but why don't people realize their relationship is doomed from the start? It seems too obvious to me that people aren't going to work out because they just don't click. Someone is always going to be more invested in the relationship than the other or they later find out that they have nothing in common."

Blake closes his laptop and puts it on the couch cushion behind him. He takes off his glasses and puts them on top. "Merida, relationships never make sense from the outside. The only people truly qualified to weigh in on a relationship are the people in them. That's a reason why I hate my job. Who am I to give some strangers advice on their intimate personal lives? I don't have a counselling or relationship degree, let alone actually being in the relationship. I'm just a man who has a gift with words and lots of sisters who talk constantly about their love lives that, except for some of their current husbands, look like they're never going to work out. You can't tell me you know every detail about your friends' relationships."

"No!" Merida yells. "It's frustrating. Do you know how agonizing it was to watch Emily and Daniel pine over each other for years and watch nothing happen? Then I couldn't understand why Xavier was that sad after Sigyn broke up with him and left. Iqadi and Imanu are surviving an arranged marriage and they got married without even knowing each other that well. Angela and James broke up during The Academy and didn't even think to tell us. Oh, and Apollo would've never mentioned his Asgardian friend or girlfriend, whatever they fucking are, if Sigyn didn't spill. And don't get me started on my parents. But I guess it makes sense since those weren't my relationships, right? That's what you're getting at."

Blake is stunned into silence for a moment. "Wow. Lucky you never had to deal with that, right?"

Merida shrugs before sitting back. "Lucky me."

Blake leans forwards, resting an elbow on her leg. "Are you lonely, Merida? Do you have needs?"

"Back off." She swipes his elbow away and he scoots closer to her.

"Because you could tell me about your needs. I think our friendship is ready for that."

"We're not friends."

"Where not means totally and your friend means girlfriend."

"I am totally girlfriend?"

"I didn't think that one through either and I just said I have a gift with words too. This is embarrassing. Forget the last five seconds happened."

Merida looks at Blake and he's serious. She can't find it in her to scowl at him. He's such an idiot, a smart one, but an idiot.

"I don't know why I haven't killed you yet," Merida mutters. She gets up and heads over to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

A relieved grin fills Blake's face. "We're having another moment, aren't we?"

"If by moment, you mean me not wanting to strangle you, then I guess we are."

"I'll take it." Blake gets up and follows her, stopping at the fridge as she looks for a glass in her cupboard. "You know, Agent Mer, I'm going back to San Francisco next week.

"So?"

"At some point, you'll have to give me your phone number."

"Or else what?"

Blake pauses. "...I thought that line would've worked."

Merida closes the cupboard without a glass and glances at him. She never wondered if she would ever be a part of something so private and intense. It was something she never thought would happen to her. Being in love is so complicated. She didn't realize how insane and intense it is because, with all her friends, she was on the outside. She could never understand how it makes everyone feel, good and bad but still desirable.

-o-

Later in the afternoon, Blake and Merida were walking around the city to get something to eat. Merida didn't stock up on groceries since not only did she not know exactly how long Blake would be around, but she didn't know if she would return to work after the wedding. She didn't want to buy too much food and have it go to waste so she went shopping daily. Although she wasn't at work now, she checked her email and saw that she has business in the Academy to handle. Between that, accompanying Emily to pick her wedding dress, driving to The Academy, and the wedding - all with Blake Wilde - she has a tighter schedule than she thought.

"Are you doing anything in two days?" Merida asks.

"No," Blake responds as they stop at a street corner at a red light. "Why?"

"Cool. We're hanging out."

"I thought we weren't friends."

"We're not." Merida starts crossing right before the light turns green. Blake speeds up to catch up with her, still not getting used to the New York pace. "What about in three days?"

"Still no. Will we hang out again?"

"Actually, Emily's getting married and -"

"I would love for that to be our third date."

Merida pauses. Blake has to take her arm and guide her to the sidewalk since she stopped in the middle of the road.

"I never said that," Merida says.

"Which is why I said it." Blake grins at her scowl. "What about it?"

"I was about to ask you to join me."

"That's exactly what I said."

"No, I was going to say that you would be the only reporter with access to that prestigious event. Emily and Daniel would want it private and all that but she wouldn't mind if you were the only one out there with an article because she would confirm it. Besides, she'd love to read about the best day of her life and you'd get promoted from responding to those stupid letters."

Blake stops in front of a shop. Merida stands in front of him, waiting for him to respond. New Yorkers walk around them, carrying on with their day. None of them know or care about the redhead and her dark-haired partner's situation. Merida can't tell either. She thought he'd be thrilled at her invitation, especially since he likes flirting with her, but he's not saying anything and she's starting to regret what she said.

"Merida…" Blake mutters. "I don't want to use you like that."

"You're not. Just join me."

Now Blake grins again. Now he gets it. "Are you trying to ask me on a date? You really have no experience. Merida, you don't have to negotiate or promise me anything."

"Who said I was doing that?"

"From what I've seen, you've done that so far. On our first date, the day I met you, you said you wouldn't arrest me for collusion because you told me possible classified information so we'd be even. Second date, you came to the press conference because you said you could help me and you did. I can never thank you for that but you didn't have to do that to come along. You could've just sat beside me. We're hanging out, not making a business deal."

Merida pauses, not wanting to say he's right. "So what if I do that?"

"I could just be your date for the wedding, simple as that."

"It's not simple. My parents will be there and so will all my friends and their parents."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I need an excuse not to dance with James."

"So that means you'll be dancing with me for the whole night?"

Blake cocks a brow, waiting for her to answer. Merida looks away and curses once she realizes the trap she made and fell into. Frustrated, she storms off, hearing Blake laugh as he runs to catch up with her again.

"Fine, you don't have to dance with me," Blake says, "and I'll avoid your parents and friends and their parents the best I could. Who does that leave me with?"

"Me."

Blake lights up. "Perfect."

Merida doesn't know what to do because her own trap is getting worse for her. "I should just not go to the wedding."

"Don't say that. I left a suit in the hotel room I was at before so that's taken care of. I'm also great at weddings and meeting parents and friends, and friends' parents. Besides, nobody will be looking at me. I'm not the bride or groom."

Merida laughs with an obnoxiously loud ha that came from the back of her throat. "Dude, you don't get it."

"Okay, fine. What were you like in high school to have never gone out with anyone, even for fun? You had to have been attractive."

Merida shrugs. "I was alright."

"Come on, Agent Mer, I wasn't conventionally attractive but I had my first girlfriend at thirteen."

"And how long did that last for?"

"A week but the point is … I don't know where I was going with that."

-o-

They returned to her place after sundown with pizza and beer. After Merida told him that New York had the best pizza, Blake wanted her to prove it so she did her best. They went as far as they could in a walking distance, getting boxes from every shop Merida thought was worthy enough. They planned to eat them back at her place but the slices would've gotten cold so they ate them along the way. Although Blake forgot every place and their respective slice, Merida stated her point was proven.

All they had left for the night were beers but they didn't complain.

"I never asked; did you have fun at the press conference?" Blake asks as Merida locks the door behind them.

Merida takes off her jacket and throws it over the arm of her couch. "Honestly, yeah."

"For reasons other than your friends being the focus."

"For what it's worth, Emily would buy you a car."

"Sweet. Would she pay my student loans?"

"Yes, but don't push it."

Blake laughs, leaning back against the wall. Merida opens a beer bottle by using another bottle as the opener. When she hands it to him, she opens her with a bottle opener on her keychain. She owes that to him since, on their first date, she left him with their bar tab. He never brought it up and she thought she forgot about it but it came back to her on a whim.

"Speaking of Emily, I'll do this right," Merida says after taking a sip.

"Do what?" Blake asks.

"Will you join me at her wedding?"

"Sorry, I have plans."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I'm a busy man."

Merida rolls her eyes. She knows what he wants. "Will you be my date to the wedding of the century?"

"Oh look!" Blake exclaims. "My schedule just cleared up. How convenient."

Merida walks past him, taking a seat on her couch with her beer. Seconds later, Blake joins her. They're silent minus the occasional sips of beer.

"What do you really want to do?" Merida asks him.

"With what?"

"With life, I guess."

"Travel the world and write about that. I thought I was fulfilled being a journalist, doing these interviews or investigative pieces between those stupid love letters but the thing nobody tells you when you're following your dreams is that once you get there, it's not enough. I want to do those but intending to do things isn't nearly as powerful as doing. We aren't promised tomorrow."

"No, we're not."

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"What do you really want to do with your life?"

Merida shrugs. She never had to think about that because it happened. Like Blake, she wanted the career she has and got it. Sure, she doesn't like some parts of it like training recruits or debriefings but she enjoys being an agent and doing missions. Life happened the way she expected, minus Ragnarök and Blake Wilde beside her. She's content with her life. Satisfied.

"For the record," Merida says, about to change the topic, "I was neither good-looking nor well-adjusted at thirteen years old. I had braces."

"Well, you've made up for it since then."

Merida's eyes go wide and she uncontrollably blushes. She'll blame the beer for that. She hates that she can see him smirking at her in her peripheral vision.

"See?" Blake says, putting his beer down on her table. "If you really want to know about someone and their life, you trip them up so they tell you accidentally."

"Another one of your journalist tactics, I see. School must've been fun for you."

"I wish I was back in school doing fractions instead of doing taxes."

"I have a SHIELD accountant doing mine for me."

"Can he do mine?"

"No."

He laughs. "Wait, you said your weapon choice is a bow, right?"

"Yeah."

"Want to teach me?"

Merida perks up at this opportunity of a lifetime. She leaps out of her seat and runs over to her bed. She crouches and pulls out a box. Blake walks over, standing above her as she pulls out a bow and a handful of arrows. He smiles at the excitement on her face as she dumps the arrows on her bed and kicks the box back underneath. They only got the standard arrows since she didn't want him missing a target and blowing a hole in her wall. Merida takes a moment to tighten her bow and Blake watches the intense concentration and focus on her face. The way she bites the inside of her cheek and furrows her brows.

"It's easy," Merida says. She loads her bow and hits the target on the bullseye across from her bed. She didn't aim for long, only straining the strength of her bow before releasing the arrow.

"You have perfect aim and SHIELD training," Blake argues, "and came from an archer father with SHIELD training."

"Here." Merida hands him the bow, showing him how to hold it properly. She puts one hand on his back and the other on top of his hand holding the bow, almost like she was about to judo throw him. When she adds the arrow, she looks at him with an excited grin. "You need to be steady. Widen your stance by positioning your body like a lowercase T. You do that by keeping your bow arm straight and directly out and ready. The arm pulling the string," she positions his arm, "should be parallel to the bow arm. Your spine and neck are straight. My dad told me to picture arrows acting like rulers, keeping your back and arms in position. When you grasp the bow, keep your wrist straight and steady. When you pull the string back, your hand goes under the chin."

Merida was nearby Blake with the pulled-back arrow between their faces. She can hear their breathing so she holds his breath, feeling like she's expressing his nerves but she's excited for this moment.

"You're feeling the wire tension," Merida whispers since she's already standing close to him. She hears Blake take a sharp breath. "Your back muscles are tightening and locking as you look at your target. Your breathing is slowing down and you're finding a new pace to inhale and exhale."

Their breathing changes, eventually syncing up.

"And just relax the hand to release."

Blake lets go and the arrow flies. It doesn't hit the target but it lands on the board.

They keep trying. Merida had a lot of arrows and they still had beers to finish.

They lost track of time because they were having too much fun. Merida got another bow out and they were both firing arrows at her wall. It got to the point where they would be standing on her bed. She would show him some trick shots and he would attempt to mimic her. His failures would get her roaring laughter that he would join in on. Eventually, they were both tipsy and lying on her bed. Her bedroom area was a mess of arrows on the wall and the floor and their bows have someone found their way on her couch. The only reason why her bed was clear was because they didn't want to lie on an arrowhead.

At the same time, they turn to look at each other. Blake sits up and she does the same but she doesn't know why. Blake turns to face her and holds her face in both of his hands. Her eyes are looking directly into his. They're so tired that their foreheads are resting against each other's, not caring how sweaty they are.

"One smile," Blake whispers, "come on Agent Mer."

Merida exhales a soft laugh, shaking her head. "I won't smile."

Blake lets her go. "Well, I tried."

"Wait."

"What?"

"You've made up for it since then as well."

Blake says nothing but when he sees her smiling, he kisses her.

I'm not crying, you are.