New week new story. But in all seriousness, this is an idea that like most of them just popped into my head one day. Please heed the M rating for language and sexual content. It is an AU. I hope everyone enjoys. Let me know your thoughts.
Having the world firmly in the palm of her hands was boring. Well, Reyna didn't exactly have the entire world in her hands. Just a state. Okay. Not even a state. A city in a state. But, it was the most populated city, and pretty much everyone in the state lived there. The rest of the state was crops and basically countryside. Therefore, Reyna held the state in the palm of her hand.
She could have the rest of the country too, but it just wasn't fun anymore. As a teenager, it was exhilarating. Instead of spending her days in school, she spent them in the underground base that used to belong to her mother, honing her skills and pushing herself beyond her limits.
Reyna had no adult supervision. Her parents were both dead, having died when she was young. Her older sister was in some maximum-security prison, but Reyna wasn't too concerned. She had visited her sister two months ago and was a tad worried when she had been escorted further into the prison to the warden's office. That worry dissipated as she found Hylla sitting at the warden's desk with a guard feeding her grapes. Reyna just wished the warden hadn't been in the middle of pleasuring her older sister. That was an image she could not get out of her head.
Reyna's entire life had been, as a therapist described, 'fucked up'. She was on the streets with Hylla when she was twelve and hadn't even turned fifteen when her sister was arrested. Reyna slipped out of any foster home they tried to put her in until they gave up. Then, she found her mother's old lair.
Turns out that Reyna's mother was a notorious criminal with powers. Her father had been a soldier turned pirate. Together, they terrorized a lot of people. They tore entire families apart. Left both Reyna and Hylla with more scars than morals as well.
The therapist she spoke to first called her a sociopath. Then, he told her that her childhood left her with mass trauma, depression, and something called Alexith... Aleyithx... the fuck did he call it? Reyna couldn't remember the damn name, and she was sure it was nonsense anyway. She could have diagnosed herself for all the good that "doctor" did. Unless most fathers beat their kids for the smallest mistakes and mothers hit their kids just to feel any kind of emotion.
Reyna was glad she didn't pay that idiot therapist. He was lucky that she allowed him to leave. After all, she went out of her way to kidnap him and find him a room where he could be comfortable as she talked to him. Reyna even bought him pizza!
After realizing that therapy wouldn't be the answer to her problems, she went back to training. It wasn't until she had pushed herself beyond all her limits that she was satisfied. Then, she took to the streets, using her powers to trick her rivals into making stupid mistakes and fall to her whims. It wasn't hard to gather a following of gangsters and thugs, keeping them firm and snug under her heel. After all, it's what her mother taught her as a kid.
Most gangs stayed out of her business if they weren't too busy throwing themselves at her feet and pledging their lives. Others tried to defy her, but all Reyna had to do was wave her hand to silence her dissenters. She hadn't even reached the age of twenty when she pulled off her first bank heist.
At the time, Reyna debated keeping half the money for herself and then giving the other half back to the city. She then realized she was being an idiot and kept all the money for herself and college in the end. Shit was damn expensive after all.
As she was getting her degree, Reyna began to carve out a little piece of her empire. It just became boring, though. No more gangs would stand against her. Anyone who tried to rise against her was dead before they were even a blip on her radar.
Reyna became increasingly frustrated, and she used her powers to reflect her building ire. Reyna learned when she was young that she could manipulate how people feel. It wasn't like she could tell them what to do and they would do it. Instead, she could allow them to feel the anger that burned deep, like magma, in her chest.
A person could be happy in one moment, but Reyna just had to make eye contact. She could manipulate their emotions like a puppet on a string. Sure, she could channel any emotion through herself and to them, like happiness or joy. That would draw upon and drain her own happiness, and she didn't have a lot of that to spare. Anger, however, she had in spades.
Angry people made stupid mistakes. Angry people were easy to control. Angry couples screaming and arguing over their anniversary dinner were especially fun to Reyna. Whether one of them forgot the date or made unsatisfactory plans always made for a good show, especially if it led to a nasty break up. It was her favorite thing to watch when she went out to eat. But, her frustration never ceased in its crusade to boil her from the inside.
There was no challenge. Police wouldn't touch her if they wanted to keep getting their doughnuts. The government was tucked snugly in her back pocket. What the hell was life without an actual challenge?
Reyna contemplated that question and debated just dashing everything to the wind and leaving it all behind. She could start somewhere new, far away from this dirty city and the empire she had built. To help make a decision, she decided to rob another bank. One last haul of gold bullion could hopefully still give her the old rush.
Things were going well. No alarms, no difficulty from the hostages. Reyna and her gang didn't even need to kill the lobby guard. Her gang had no problems breaking into the vault. They had almost secured all of the money in the back of their getaway truck. But of course, someone just had to be a hero.
Reyna remembered the moment clearly. She turned to see what idiot hostage was trying to talk boldly to her, only to see some asshole wearing a leather jacket and motorcycle helmet approaching her. Reyna's men held their guns up, but Reyna waved them off. After all, what the fuck was this idiot going to do?
Slamming their helmet into Reyna's face. That was exactly what they did. It shouldn't have hurt so bad, but that asshole hit Reyna so hard they cracked the top of their visor and broke Reyna's nose!
Before Reyna had even hit the ground, her men were sprawled onto the cold bank floor, disarmed and knocked unconscious. A different person stood over them, wearing a jacket of cotton and a slightly different motorcycle helmet. The second Reyna hit the ground, her head was being restrained, wrapped in a neat bow made of the firmest thighs she had ever felt.
Shining blue eyes and freckle spattered cheeks glared down from behind the visor, and a woman's voice ordered Reyna to leave her boss a message. Before Reyna could correct this alluring idiot and tell her exactly who the boss was, the cotton jacketed partner walked over and promptly planted their boot into Reyna's face, damn near knocking her out.
Reyna had whimpered as her captor released her hold on her. Not because of the squeezing pain, but because of the fact that she didn't know if she would ever feel those superb thighs again. Reyna had tried to get up and received a punt to the ribs for her effort. The other person pulled the woman away, and Reyna laid there in shock.
Someone had not only hurt her but also foiled her plans. Reyna had barely managed to scramble out of the bank before the SWAT team arrived, and she found a new challenge ahead of her. A group of goody-two-shoes decided to move into her city and act like they owned the damn place.
And Reyna had just let them.
Not because she couldn't handle them. Oh no. Well, there was the gray-eyed one that was really smart and had actually foiled most of Reyna's plans. And the asshole with green eyes that could control water? She stayed well and clear of that bullshit.
But, Reyna noticed a pattern. The cops could not keep her behind bars (because they were corrupt and working for her, but the vigilantes didn't need to know that), and the vigilantes could not find it in themselves to kill her or her men. They just beat them into submission and turned them over to the cops.
And Reyna loved it. She loved trying to outwit the gray-eyed blonde. She still hated the punk with green eyes, though. Then, there was that girl. The same one that wore the helmet and stopped her last bank heist. A blue-eyed girl with the greatest thighs Reyna had ever felt, and the cutest freckles on her face.
Her muscles? Amazing. Almost as good as Reyna's. Her ass? Absolutely smashing. The way that she always smirked when she had Reyna pinned and taunted her? Reyna could just kiss those perfect lips, and she would if it wasn't for that stupid mask.
So, Reyna found herself going out of her way to make sure the girl with blue eyes was around when she wanted to commit a crime. She went out of her way to draw out their fights, and she always let the woman pin her once or twice and taunt her. It was intoxicating.
Their game had been going on for months now, and Reyna knew she wasn't the only player. The woman seemed to draw out their fights as well, not taking the clear advantages Reyna kept giving her. Sometimes, she would trap Reyna in some kind of hold, and her hands would trail in a way that was definitely not an accident.
Reyna tried to learn more about her new companion. So far. She only learned a first name: Thalia.
"Reyna?" a voice broke her train of thought. Reyna's eyes snapped open, and she studied her reflection in the window in front of her. Her gaze focused on her new black combat boots. Was there a scuff on one of them? Her cargo pants were as black as the night sky. A gun was strapped to her thigh and another to the back of her belt.
There were a few more knives strapped to various parts of her body. A simple purple shirt rested over her kevlar vest. Her black hair was neatly braided down her back. Reyna's dark eyes moved to see the reflection of the man standing at the entrance.
Octavian stared back at her through the window's reflection, concern permeating his eyes. The blue of his iris's reminded her of the soap she used to clean her toilet. His blonde hair looked like someone had used expired dye on it. Not to mention his dandy outfit. Reyna didn't care what her henchmen wore. They could have worn nothing or just a damn thong for all she cared. But a toga? A fucking toga?!
Octavian seemed to think he was some kind of super villain from a comic or television show. He wore his little outfit of blue jeans, a stupid white shirt with nonsense, literal nonsense that he wrote on there by closing his eyes and trying to copy a few paragraphs down from the Aeneid, stamped on it with a black sharpie. That fuck toga went over it. He even picked out a cute little name: Augur. So fucking lame.
The man himself was an idiot. Sure, he could talk his way out of anything, and his words could turn almost anyone. But once he turned them, he couldn't lead them. He had to follow the paths that other people carved before him. Reyna couldn't trust the man to make a plan by himself unless she wanted half of the damn city to burn down. She just couldn't handle the bullshit today.
"What do you want, Octavian? I am not in the mood for your shit," Reyna growled, her accent growing fiercer in spades. Octavian was, unfortunately, her right hand man. He kind of just weaseled his way into that slot, but considering he delivered on his word, she allowed him to stay around. And live.
"We're almost ready," Octavian informed her. Reyna closed her eyes and nodded once. Since she wasn't living in a fantasy world like the man behind her, Reyna made a plan to help out with real world needs. Mostly, the fact that there was construction going on right outside her front door. How was she supposed to sleep with all the noise?
Reyna's solution was to find out who ordered the construction and turn their headquarters into rubble. Any piece of information they had in their building would go on a flash drive, and a virus would wipe out their entire system. Then, they were going to demolish the building. Reyna loved watching things be destroyed.
"Good," Reyna remarked. She held her hand out expectantly, and Octavian gave her the remote detonator. Reyna turned around to focus back on the building. The force of the explosion and spewing debris would smash against the surrounding buildings, but they all were vacated. There used to be a park there. Maybe, they could get another one after this. Her dogs would love it. "Tell me when the team is out of the building. We'll give them five minutes after to get completely clear."
"Of cour-"
Reyna heard a thud, and her eyes flickered back to the reflective window. She studied the imposing figure standing menacingly behind her. Leather jacket, ripped jeans, and combat boots. With a stupid little mask that hid her beautiful features to top it all off: Thalia.
"What are you blowing up this time?" Thalia demanded. Reyna smirked and folded her arms behind her back, not turning around to face her. "Orphanage?"
"I would rather burn those down," Reyna admitted honestly. "Besides, who needs more brats on the street, Thalia?'
Thalia stiffened, and she drew in a sharp breath. After a moment, she spoke, "How did you know that?"
"I do my research," Reyna answered. She finally turned to look at Thalia and drank in the woman's features. Reyna walked towards the table and placed the detonator down. "Would you like to take your jacket off?"
Thalia glared at Reyna suspiciously, but she accepted the request, peeling off her leather jacket. Reyna analyzed how tone the woman's biceps were, and another smirk graced her lips. Thalia gently set her jacket on the table and eyed the detonator. "Now, now. The winner can decide what to do with that."
"You know my name. Are you going to tell me yours?" Thalia asked as she slightly bent her knees and raised her arms, adopting a sort of impromptu fighting stance. Reyna slowly stepped away from the table, so they wouldn't kick or nudge it. "I'd like to know it so I can keep track of who's ass I'm always kicking."
To the world, Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano died back in Puerto Rico. To herself, she died the second her father's blood flooded from his neck, staining the knife impaled in his throat. Reyna felt fierce rage as she twisted the blade in her father's jugular to make sure he was dead. After all, he shouldn't have fucked with her sister.
It wasn't until she pulled the knife out that she was overwhelmed with thoughts about what her mother would do when she saw all the blood that stained the nice Persian carpet. Reyna just knew she would spend the entire night trying to clean it. In reality, her blood would stain the carpet even more as her mother beat her to a broken pulp of a mess. Had her mother been that upset about the stain?
Reyna woke two days later in a hospital with her sister watching over her, a dark look in the elder sibling's eyes. They left Puerto Rico later that night. Anyone from back then would think they died on a cruise ship that went down in a storm, but the two washed aboard an island and began their new lives.
"Reyna," the criminal finally answered after what felt like an eternal moment. She looked back at Thalia. "That is my name."
Thalia's smirk was visible through her mask, and she cracked her neck. Reyna rolled her shoulders and approached her opponent. Yet another fight that promised to entertain Reyna. She so loved these little dates of theirs.
How many dates would this be? Fifteen? Twenty? Reyna had lost count. It felt like once or twice a week she was seeing Thalia, and if the woman went out of her way to find Reyna and foil her plans.
As much fun as it could be, Reyna didn't need her plans to be foiled today. Most of her schemes were things she knew her team could not actually pull off. She just wanted to give them an excuse to cause some chaos and not have to hear Octavian complain that he was 'bored' or 'having his intellect wasted'. Reyna was too invested in this plan to let Thalia stop it.
Reyna studied Thalia for another moment. The smirk felt like it was etched on her face, and she hadn't felt like this in a few months. Happiness? Excitement? Reyna wasn't sure, but as she looked at Thalia, she knew they were about to have some fun.
