warning: violence, kind of gory (beginning), intimacy (end)
"You're gonna get us killed. She's gonna get us killed-"
"Alright, alright already. Will you just calm down?"
"Calm down? You're perfectly okay with this-"
"Lee, listen-"
"No, don't tell me to listen. She damn near blew us all up. That bow and arrow is a joke. It's gonna get us killed. It almost did."
"But it didn't."
Amelia looked between both Barney and Lee as they went back and forth, tugging her along towards the truck they had stolen like a child. Gunner, Toll, and Caesar all climbed in the back to avoid listening to the bickering.
She felt guilty. One split decision and the arrow she had shot sailed passed the target and hit a gas tank instead, sending it up in a blaze. The target seemed to have gotten away- temporarily- and Lee was very, very pissed off about it. She wanted to blame herself, but what would self-pity do? It would just make it harder to finish the job.
Lee and Barney continued their back and forth and she shook her head, biting back some angry tears and turning away from them.
"Where the hell are you going?" Lee asked.
She turned back to them as she walked away, holding her arms out with her bow in one hand, eyes wide and annoyed, affronted. Barney pinched the bridge of his nose and rested one hand on his hip.
Lee shook his head and she turned away again, pulling back the canvas that covered the back of the truck. The guys looked at her, confused, and she just shoved her bow along the floor and looked up at them. She pulled her pistol from its holster and checked the clip, sighing as she reached over and grabbed a few extra ones.
"What're you doing, kid?" Toll asked.
"Fixing the shit I fucked up," she grunted, pulling off her arm guard and tossing it aside. Gunner watched it roll to his feet but didn't move a muscle or make a sound.
"We usually work as a team," Caesar said.
"Usually. This is my mistake. I'll fix it."
They shared a look and she sighed, pulling her quiver over her shoulder and slamming it down as the sound of Barney and Lee's arguing got louder.
"Tell those two lovebirds I'll have it figured out by morning. And I can find a ride back."
"What're you gonna do?" Gunner asked.
"I'm gonna kill the son of a bitch. I missed my shot. I won't miss this," she said, looking down at her Expendables blade that Barney had once gifted her father, which he had, in turn, given to her. Always expendable, never replaceable. That's what he had said when he gave it to her.
"Make yourself so damn useful that even when your life means nothing to the people in charge, your skills mean everything." His voice echoed in her head and she grimaced.
She had failed that today. She swallowed over a lump in her throat as she tried not to picture the disappointed look in her father's eyes. Not to mention how utterly pissed off Lee was. The fire from the explosion had seared off a chunk of his sleeve, just barely getting put out before it burned up his arm. The pain and anger she felt towards herself while she watched it all happen from a distance made her sick. So she tucked her blade away and saluted the boys, adjusting her leather jacket as she did. She scooped the beret off her head and tossed it down before she let the canvas close, and she listened carefully for Lee and Barney.
"Barney, she's not fucking ready. She's a kid. She's naive, impractical, and is gonna get us all killed. Who the fuck even is she that you-"
"Lee, I'll tell you one more time. You better watch your mouth."
"Or what, Barney? Or what?"
"Trust me, Lee. I wasn't thrilled about this either- about her joining us. But she's been an asset so far, you can't ignore that. This is one mistake."
"If any one of us made this kind of mistake, you'd have shipped us off already."
"Is that what you think of me?" Barney asked, clearly insulted. "You've made your share of mistakes in your day."
"I didn't almost kill everyone," Lee spat. "Just because you're getting jerked off by whoever the hell her father is doesn't mean she's gotta be responsible for our lives. And just because she's got that stupid, ridiculous little crush on me doesn't mean I-"
She swallowed, biting down on her lip as she turned away. She fingered the blade in its holster and wished for a split second that she could just throw it right at Lee. It was a fleeting thought, but it kept her company as she stalked away from the truck and towards the hideout the original target was laid up in. She heard the other guys jump out of the truck and quickened her pace, ducking into the brush and out of their sight.
After a few minutes her headset crackled to life, and she heard Barney on the other end.
"Amelia, whatever you're doing, it's not worth it. Come back here and we'll figure it out. That's an order."
She shook her head, hurrying along through the dense forest.
"Sorry sir. I can't do that," she said, her voice a whisper in the breeze. She knew Lee was probably even more pissed off now, if that was possible.
"What the hell are you trying to do?"
She groaned and pulled the piece from her ear, ripping it from her gear and tossing it to the ground. She didn't feel like justifying herself to him- or, really, to Lee.
She climbed up a thick, tall tree to get a better view of the hideout. The bark scratched her hands and stuck to her clothing. There was access inside through the roof of the building, which seemed temporarily unguarded. In wake of the explosion, it made sense that their resources would be scattered. She may have narrowly missed that gang of misfits she traveled with, but she had still taken out quite a few of their guys.
She swung herself over and landed nimbly on the roof, condensing her weight and rolling to try and keep quiet. She held herself low, making her way to the dusty ladder that lead to the inside. She listened for a second to the foreign language, trying to get an understanding of what was going on. Her guy definitely seemed to be there, but she'd have to find a way to create some sort of distraction to get the guards away from him.
It didn't take long before the gang rolled up, guns blazing, below her. She rolled her eyes and listened as they reacted beneath her, grabbing their weapons and loading them. The sound of gunfire irritated her, especially after such a long and frustrating day. She dreaded the idea of being stuck on that plane after all of it. Regardless, she waited until she heard most of the guards leave and then she swung herself down, landing stealthily behind one of the remaining ones. She pulled out her knife and slid it across his throat, the gurgling spray catching the attention of her target and the other two guards in the small room. She used the dead guards body as a human shield and pulled out her pistol, shooting from under his arm and taking down another guard.
She threw the body over the last remaining guard and he toppled backwards, leaving her standing face to face with the target. He smiled.
"I didn't know they sent in little girls to do their dirty work," he said, his thick accent dripping from his tongue. She grimaced.
"Well, I guess you do now."
She sent a bullet into the torso of the guard trapped under the limp body and he groaned, hands twitching as he started to bleed out. The target made a quick move for a gun but she shot him in the hand, sending him tumbling backwards in horror. He held up his other hand desperately, but she shot a hole through that one too and he yelled.
"This little girl is tired of these old guys shit," she said, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him to the ladder. "Go to the roof. Go!"
She jammed the pistol into his back and he complied, weakly climbing the ladder as blood dripped from his palms. It took him awhile to get onto the roof, but she climbed up after him, pistol aimed at his head.
"Stand up," she said.
"Listen. Let's work this out, huh? You want money?"
She rolled her eyes. "I have money. Stand up, or I shoot you in the balls next."
He flinched, struggling to his feet. She motioned to the edge of the building and he walked, blood staining his already tarnished clothes. She stood just behind him, holding him by the collar and looking down at the guys at the door, face to face with a bunch of armed guards. She rolled her eyes and whistled.
They all looked up. She waved, and then she turned her attention back to her little friend.
"Sorry about this, but I need to make a point."
"What- no, no, no-"
She sighed and tucked the pistol away. She pulled out her blade and pressed it to his throat. Before he could protest anymore, she dragged it across his skin, and blood rained down on all the men below. She let his body fall forward and land with a thump right in front of the guards. Lee looked up at her, furious, mouth pressed into a tight snarl. Her mind and body were numb.
She saw one of the guards twitch in the corner of her eye and looked towards him, catching sight of him raising his gun and aiming for what looked like Lee's head. She reacted quickly, throwing the blade without hesitation and watching as it made contact. A few more shots went off and she walked back towards the ladder, sliding down the extra few floors until she found the exit. When she walked out, the rest of the guards were on the ground and the guys were standing there, waiting for her. She ignored their stares and yanked her knife from the guard, wiping it on his uniform before slipping it back into its holster on her waist. She crossed her arms.
"Sorry I missed. I guess my little crush got in my eye," she said, looking Lee up and down as she passed him, headed for the truck, which now was littered with bullet holes.
Barney looked over to Lee and raised his eyebrows.
"Jobs done. Get in the car," he said, motioning to the truck.
Lee rolled his eyes and followed the guys, climbing into the backseat since she had quickly claimed shotgun. Barney slid into the driver's seat and started up the engine, looking her over.
"That was stupid," he said.
"Gonna tell on me?" She asked, looking out the window as he pulled away.
"Not my job," he said. "Why'd you miss?"
"Wind," she said a bit too quickly, teeth clenched as she watched the world fly by.
"Why'd you miss, really?" He asked again, glancing sidelong at her.
"I didn't miss. I hit my shot," she grunted, sinking down into her seat.
"Care to explain?" He asked.
"From my vantage point I saw a group of that jerks men flanking you all. Or- well, trying to. If I sent my arrow into the target like we planned, they still would've been able to get to you guys and would have an advantage. So I weighed the risks. Send the arrow into the tank and cause an explosion which would knock most of them back and give you all a chance to live to see another day, or send the arrow into the target and risk somebody coming home in a bodybag."
Barney sighed and shook his head. "Why didn't you say so?" He asked.
"Big mouth didn't give me much of a chance," she grumbled, arms crossed. "Just because he makes stupid decisions about who he fawns over doesn't mean I have to, too."
Barney looked over at her, pressuring her to look back at him. After a second she did, sinking under his glare.
"Lee is a good guy, Amelia."
She scoffed. "Yeah, he just doesn't like me."
"He's not good with change," he tried.
She sighed. "Well, neither am I. And this is a bigger change for me than it is for him."
Barney turned his attention back to the road and it was quiet for a moment. She looked forward into the sky and tried to make shapes out of the clouds.
"Why'd you come to us?" He asked finally.
She glanced over at him and pulled out the blade, flipping it in her hands. She ran her thumb over the sharp edge and locked her eyes on the Expendables logo.
"I grew up with the stories. I learned how to fight, shoot, track, and drive. I hate taking orders, so I would've sucked in the military. I can't sit still for fifteen minutes so a desk job was out of the question."
"Your father would have my head if he knew about today," he said.
She snorted. "Sure, sure. He's all talk, Barney. You should know that better than anyone."
Barney shrugged as though he was weighing the words. "He may be all talk but those words got bite, you know what I mean?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Listen, if this is what you wanna do, then who am I to stop you? But maybe it would be good to take some time to yourself before signing your life away with us, you know? That little display you put on… it was kind of dark."
She shook her head and looked down at her hands. She considered his words but tried to brush them off. "I'm not good at anything else, Barney."
"No, no, I meant-" he tried, shaking his head and drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, "I mean that I might have an opportunity for you. I don't think it'll take too long, but it would be some good field experience. CIA needs an unknown to get into some compound or other, and from what I've seen, I think you got the guts, kid."
She pressed her lips together. "You trying to get rid of me, old man?"
He chuckled. "Nah, but I don't think it would hurt for you and Lee to put some space between you both. And for you to see the world before you get all dark and twisted."
She rolled her eyes again, more aggressively. "It's not my fault! I don't-"
He held up his hand and she paused, crossing her arms back over her stomach. "I don't care for any details. Just think about it, yeah? Maybe call your old man."
"I don't really feel like talking to him. I'm a grown woman. I can make my own decisions."
Barney threw a sad glance her way and eventually nodded in agreement. "I guess you're right. We can talk more about it after we get some rest from this mission."
"Sounds good," she said, turning over onto her side so that she was staring out the window, arms tucked across her ribs.
—-
She was sitting in the hangar prepping her gear for the next job. Barney and Lee had done some reconnaissance and claimed that it wouldn't be the easiest, but it was doable and probably worth the price tag. Gunner slapped her back and sat down on her table, looking over her gear and then to her.
"How was your night?" He asked.
She raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"
"The one after the bar," he laughed. "You were trashed when I went out with that girl."
She shrugged, "uneventful."
"Boo," he frowned, holding up his meaty thumb and pointing it down. "You're losing your touch, you know that?"
"Eh, maybe I never had one to begin with," she said, finally look up at him and forcing a smile onto her face. "Maybe it was all just dumb luck."
He looked down at her gear and fiddled with her tactical vest. "Still don't like this one?"
"No," she grumbled, "it's stiff. I can't move right."
"Too bad the other one got sliced," he said. "But, hey. At least I'll be here to protect you this time."
She laughed, nodding as he stood and pulled out his flask, making his way towards the other guys. She turned her attention back towards her clips, loading them up with bullets. After Lee had left a few days ago, she didn't feel the need to get drunk. She cleaned up her apartment, did some laundry, and even tried to make some food. She was starting to feel downright domesticated when Barney had sent out the text that the job was a-go. When she arrived at the hangar, Lee was leaning against the plane in a tank top, arms crossed over his chest, watching as she approached. The tension between them both may have been picked up on by Tool and Barney, but the rest of the guys were as clueless as ever. She wanted to keep it that way- it may be more fun, and in the long run, probably for the best. Things could get messy.
"Feeling good?" Lee asked, making her jump. He chuckled.
"Christ, Lee. Yes, I'm fine."
He pulled one of his throwing knives out and placed it down on the table. "Wanna go a few rounds before lift off?"
She looked up at him from the corner of her eye and she could tell he wasn't talking about throwing knives.
"I don't know if there's anywhere to go right now," she said, lowering her voice and slamming a full clip into her pistol with a satisfying click.
He smirked, picking his blade back up and twirling it in his fingers. "I loaded my stuff on the plane already. We can head out back."
She turned and looked up at him, fighting the urge to anxiously bite her lower lip for fear that one of the guys would be watching. It would be incredibly embarrassing for them to get caught with their pants down, quite literally.
"I'm not sure if its smart," she said, rolling up her tactical belt and placing it next to her bow and arrows.
"It's brilliant," Lee said. "Wanna live a little?"
She rolled her eyes and picked up her gear, heading towards the plane to load it up while Lee followed. She climbed up into the plane and set her stuff down, heading back out to find Lee waiting for her with a squint and a smirk. She walked up to him and crossed her arms, satisfied that there was nobody around to hear the conversation.
"I don't think there's any place to go right now that's subtle enough for us to not get caught," she said.
"Just around back, where we put our bikes."
"You're desperate, aren't you?" She teased, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh come on. Give me some credit. A few days have gone by and all I had to think about was that afternoon we had. Now you expect me to just sit around next to you this entire mission?"
"No, I don't, mostly because you won't be sitting around. You'll be hunting people, like you always do."
"Are you trying to make me beg?" He asked.
"No," she said, smiling. "I'm not. Really, I'm not. I'm just scared of getting caught and then having to go on this mission."
He sighed and then nodded, moving his hands to his hips. "I get it, I get it. It's fine."
She sighed, stepping a bit closer to him and looking up at him. He looked down at her, a smile spreading across his face.
"Fine," she said finally, "but it's gotta be fast."
He smiled, glancing behind him to the inside of the hangar before he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the back quickly. She laughed, trying to keep her voice low as he pulled her along. She tripped a little bit as he yanked her behind some big cans of fuel, giggling as he held her up. He paused and turned to her, pushing her up against a wall before he sunk his lips into hers and lifted her up. She drew in a deep breath, reaching her hands under his shirt to feel his chest. He sighed into her with a smile.
"Seriously," she said between breaths, "I don't wanna get caught. So make it fast."
He laughed and set her down.
She reached out and undid his belt with steady hands. He lifted her back up, squeezing her upper thighs for support, and she wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck.
"Be quiet," he said into her ear.
She wished that they were back in one of their apartments so that they had privacy and all day, but she figured this would have to do until they got back.
Afterwards, Lee held her there for a second and tried to catch his breath. She held onto him, carefully stroking his back, and focused on her breathing as well.
She heard some voices getting closer and she panicked, peeling herself off of him and scrambling to look normal. Lee looked around and awkwardly tugged his pants up, buckling his belt and pulling out a few throwing blades he had in his pockets.
Barney and Caesar rounded the corner just as she grabbed one of the blades from Lee and started aiming it towards some stacked up cardboard near the edge of the field.
"Do it, go," Lee said, clearing his throat a little. She rolled her eyes and let the blade fly, sticking it into the cardboard with a low thud. She dusted her hands together and shrugged, sending him a look.
"There you are," Caesar said, raising his voice. "Thought maybe you two had finally run off on us."
She turned to him and pressed a smile onto her face. "Just showing Lee he isn't all that," she said, shooting him a wider smile.
Barney glanced between them both, uneasy, and looked to the knife lodged in the cardboard.
"Alright, alright," Barney said. "Get your shit, Lee. Let's get ready to go."
Lee pressed his lips together and shrugged, heading over to the cardboard to retrieve his knife. When he looked back, Caesar had an arm thrown over Dusty and they were heading away. Barney watched Lee with his arms crossed.
Lee jogged up to him. "Something wrong?"
Barney looked him up and down. "Throwing knives, huh?"
Lee spun the blade in his hand and held it out for Barney, "wanna try?"
"I'll stick to bullets," he said, not entirely convinced. "Don't do anything stupid."
Lee chuckled and gave him a pat on the shoulder, shoving the knife back into his pocket. They all boarded the plane, finding their respective spots and settling in for the flight. Dusty pulled a book out from her backpack and curled up on the ground with it, smiling to herself as she thought over the close call.
The plane took off with a rumble and she sighed, adjusting herself so she wouldn't hit her head as the metal walls shook.
Lee settled into his seat at Barney's right hand, still hazy from his high. He watched the plane lift up and pull itself into the sky, towards the clear bright blue and occasional fluffy white clouds. Barney shot him a look, shifting in his seat as he controlled the ascent.
He wasn't sure if he preferred the both of them now, or when they were occasionally at each other's throats.