MY LOVES 3. I want to say thanks for the continued support and encouragement to keep going. I'll be honest why I haven't updated in a few months. I know what I wanted to happen 1-2 chapters ahead, but I was having trouble figuring out what to do for a filler. I kept thinking of things and when I started to type it all out, I either didn't like the way it was flowing, or the characters didn't seem right. So I had to step back and get at it from a different approach. However, life responsibilities got in the way and I had to focus more on those over doing something like this. Even with my limited time off, I couldn't bring myself to use that time to type away something I was unsure of. But I finally did it. It's something i'm not completely happy with, but it serves it's purpose. I was able to add story to it, too, not just a filler. It'll make more of an impact in later chapters, too. I really hope you understand, and I promise it won't be as long for the next part ;) It's all in my head, just have to type the words out.
By the way the last two DLCs had some super awesome Wrench moments. I hope it's not the end. Watch Dogs 3 needs to have the WD2 gang back! They're too good, and I have so much fun trying to write them. Long live Wrench. Enjoy! (again, sorry for typos. I just really wanted this out.)
-Blink
When Wrench left Sitara and Emma's apartment, he wished he could go right back in. Who knows what they could be talking about. They could be talking about him. Girls gossiped, even if they weren't the gossiping type. He dreaded even seeing Sitara the next day. And then Sitara would message Marcus about it, probably. Wrench pulled his phone out to text Marcus
-My garage first thing tomorrow- He sent.
Wrench put his phone back into his pocket and walked the remaining way home, deciding that home was going to be his garage. He was trying to focus on what happened, rather than worrying about tomorrow. He finally kissed Emma! Did he? Maybe he was remembering it wrong. No, he did. He was sure. He could still feel her body against his. It actually happened. However, he still didn't think it was the right time. He still wanted to wait until after Owen was dealt with, first. He had his own issues, but Emma didn't seem to mind it. She liked him, too! According to Sitara, but maybe there were other signs too. Getting jealous over her friends talking to him should have been a big one. His mind suddenly went to Scarlett and worried that she would try to meddle. She's certainly evil enough, he thought.
He unlocked the door to his garage and laid down on the nearby futon. He brought out his phone one last time to see two text messages. He assumed they were both from Marcus, but his heart fluttered when he saw one of the messages came from Emma. He opened that one first.
-Hope you got home okay!-
She was so sweet! He gushed and mentally slapped himself
-Garage is home tonight, but I did make it! See you tomorrow?- He asked. He wanted to keep it short, but he couldn't help but want to keep the conversation going.
-Yeah, I'll be around. Good night!- She texted back.
-Goodnight, Emma- He sent before falling asleep.
~~~The Next Morning~~~
"Wake up!"
Wrench heard a voice. It took a few extra moments to register that the voice belonged to Marcus. Why was he there? Oh yeah, Wrench remembered. He asked him to come by. Wrench groaned and began sitting up, "It's morning already?" He said, his voice raspy from sleeping.
"Morning? It's noon," Marcus said.
"Shit, for real?" Wrench asked, waking up even more.
"Yeah. I'd say sorry I'm late, but it seems like I was early," Marcus grinned crossing his arms.
Wrench fully stood up and casually stretched, "Slept the hangover off at least."
"Yeah, same. I actually didn't even get up until an hour ago," Marcus said, "So what'd you call me over here for?"
Wrench stopped moving mid-stretch. Emma. His stomach started feeling light, wondering why he was suddenly nervous about her. He relaxed his posture and reached to grab his phone, only to see a few texts from Marcus saying that he was on his way over. Nothing from Emma. Should he text her? Without looking up at Marcus, he spoke, "I kissed Emma," He said quietly, somewhat unsure.
"Ayyyyye!" He cheered and tapped Wrench on the arm, "That's great!"
Wrench looked up and studied Marcus' face, and squinted his eyes, displaying slant emoticons on his mask, "You already knew."
Marcus tried not to let it show on his face, "N-nooo, man, I…." He sighed, unable to lie, "Sitara told me."
"That bitch!" He said under his breath. He didn't mean it in a malicious way, they both knew.
"It's still awesome, man! Finally!" Marcus said.
"I still think it was too soon… you know I wanted to wait-"
Marcus interrupted him, "Wait until after we deal with Cyb0rg, I know. But you didn't, so you get to look forward to whatever's next with you guys. It's about time, really."
"Yeah," Wrench said quietly.
But Marcus knew it was also something more personal, "Look, man. She likes you. She cares about you. Instead of bottling up everything, talk to her. She's going to want to help you just as much as you want to help her."
Wrench nodded. She kind of already did. She was so comfortable to him, and she already expressed how he could freely wear his mask on or off however he pleased. She said she liked his voice. Wrench smiled, glad that Marcus wasn't able to see it, "She already has," He said softly.
"Man, you've got it bad," Marcus said.
"That obvious, huh?" Wrench asked.
"Then hold on to it. I know you wanted to wait, but these feelings don't come around too often. You'd regret it if you lost her because you waited too long. Focus on how lucky you are to have her in your life," Marcus said.
Wrench looked up at Marcus with circles displaying on his mask, "Damn, that was deep."
"A bit dramatic?" Marcus slightly cringed.
Wrench shrugged and agreed casually, "This conversations making me feel weird. Can we like, go blow up a garage that belongs to Lenny or something?"
Marcus chuckled, "One thing at a time, man."
~~~San Francisco County Jail~~~
Emma was sitting in an empty seat, staring ahead at a phone and a clear piece of bulletproof plastic. Sam wouldn't show, she thought. He was done talking. But still, she waited. What did either of them have to lose? A guard walked out from the door, no Sam behind him. Emma frowned. Just when she was about to give up, she heard the door open again and there he was. He glared at Emma like she were his prey, causing shivers to go up Emma's spine. He let all of his weight fall into the seat as he stared at her, waiting for her to make the first move.
Emma tried to mask her nerves. She wouldn't be the timid girl she was last time. She grabbed the phone confidently and waited for Sam to do the same, which he did, "Wasn't expecting you to give me the time of day," She said.
"I imagine you're actually alone this time?" He asked, referring to Dedsec, she guessed.
Emma raised an eyebrow, "How did you know…?" She asked.
"Reading people is on my resume," He said flatly, "Plus, I spent 8 hours a day with you for like 4 days. I learned your mannerisms."
"They don't even know I'm here," Emma said.
Sam smirked, "Taking the initiative? C'mon, that's not the Emma I know."
Emma stared at him emotionlessly, "Maybe you're not so good at reading people after all," She said.
"So defensive…" Sam mused, "I can tell you're nervous as hell right now."
Emma furrowed her eyebrows. She took a moment of silence so she didn't raise her voice, "Where's Owen?" Emma asked.
"This again? Awww," Sam drawled, "And here I thought you just wanted to talk to me," He said almost mocking her.
"Cut the shit, Sam. Why are you protecting him!?" Emma asked slightly raising her voice, looking over Sam's shoulder to see a guard giving her an angry look. She raised her hand, apologizing.
Sam smirked. He got to her. She was serious. Scared, even. Sam knew he was the best direct line she and Dedsec had to Owen, "When someone promises you the world, wouldn't you follow their every command?" He asked, being vague.
"Owen did promise me the world. And then he backstabbed me and ruined my life. Sound familiar?" Emma asked with a straight face.
Sam's smirked, "Very."
"Sam, you're in here because of him. You realize that? He's not busting you out," Emma said seriously.
Sam's smirk dropped. She was right. Sam failed in the long term plan and then became a usual suspect. Dedsec was already onto him. He was no use to Owen. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the desk in front of him, "You're his favorite, Emma. He just wants to keep you around to scare you. It's like a sick game to him. Stop messing with fire and you won't get burned," Sam said. He removed the phone from his ear and set it on the handset.
"Wait, Sam! That doesn't help!" Emma said, but Sam hung up before he could hear her finish, "Sam!" She shouted standing up. He already left. Emma groaned and slammed the phone, storming out, ignoring the scolding by the guards. She was sick of failing. She couldn't tell Dedsec she came back to talk to him. Maybe she should, she thought. Ray already didn't trust her, Sitara was even starting to lose her trust, which hurt. All Emma wanted to do was help. She shook her head. She'd come back. Sam would give her answers.
Emma's eyes were glued to the ground as she exited the jail and marched down the steps. Marcus was walking by across the street at the right time to see her walk out. He squinted in curiousity why she'd go to the jail. To visit Sam? He wondered. He followed her.
She crossed the street, to which Marcus picked up his pace to intercept her. She turned down the street toward Marcus' direction. She had her eyes glued to the ground the entire time. But when she was getting close to Marcus, he decided to speak up, "Hey Emma!" He said cheerfully.
Emma's eyes widened and she shot her head up to look up at Marcus, "M-Marcus, hey!" She said quietly, still dumbfounded. Did he see her walk out?
"Whatcha doin?" He asked casually.
He was suspicious, she thought. He definitely saw, but she was going to play it off, "Just going for a walk. What are you up to?" She asked trying to sound casual.
"Same. Saw Wrench a bit ago, running errands now," Marcus said.
Emma slightly blushed at the mention of Wrench's name. He still hasn't messaged her. Should she? "Oh, cool, I was probably going to see him later, or something," She said. She hoped, at least, "Need help with any errands?" She asked. She didn't really want to, but she figured it was less suspicious of her if she was being nice.
Marcus pretended to think about it, "Mmm, nahh I got this. Not too big of a deal."
Emma nodded, "Well, I guess I shouldn't keep you. See ya," She smiled and walked ahead, attempting to pass Marcus.
Marcus started speaking, making her stop once she passed him, "Buuuuut you could tell me why you were just in the jail talking to Sam."
Emma felt her heart sank. This looked bad, she knew it. She turned to Marcus, "It's not what you think…" She said. She knew there were some issues with her loyalty, she wasn't stupid.
"I'm sure it isn't, which is why I'm asking," Marcus said.
She felt slightly relaxed. He wasn't trying to interrogate her. She was doing something against Dedsec's back. She surely understood his concern, "Is there somewhere we can talk?" She asked.
"Yeah, good idea," Marcus said. He led them to the nearby park, away from the busy streets and any passer-bys that might want to listen in. Marcus sat down on the bench, expecting Emma to sit down as well. He remembered that she liked to pace when she was nervous, so he took her still standing as just nerves.
"I'm tired of feeling useless…" She muttered without warning.
Marcus mentally relaxed a bit, glad that she wasn't about to admit that she was a traitor, "So you went in alone…" He said.
"I know I have my role. I'm the chemist. I just hate standing by while you guys are out there doing something for my benefit. I want to be out there, too," Emma started. Marcus looked like he was about to talk, so Emma spoke up again, "I'm getting through to him! I know it."
"First of all, it's for all of Dedsec's benefit. And second, i'm not mad that you went. I'm just worried about you going alone is all," Marcus said, "Does anyone else know?"
Emma shook her head, "No, and I'd really like for it to just be between us."
"But why? You realize how dangerous it is for you to be there alone, right?" Marcus asked.
"And that's exactly why I don't want anyone to know. Last time I went, with an earpiece, he knew I wasn't alone. I think if I go alone he'll trust me more," Emma said.
"Could we just get someone to stand outside or something?" Marcus asked.
"If I expect him to trust me, I'm going to be honest as well," Emma said.
"Yeah, but Emma, think about everything he's done. To you, to Wrench," He emphasized, "You really think he deserves honesty from you?"
Marcus was right, Emma knew. And the way he emphasized it meant he knew about her and Wrench, at least she assumed he did. Either from Sitara or Wrench himself. She thought it'd be cute if Wrench just couldn't wait to tell him. But she'd gush over that later, "It's all because of Owen. Not Sam… He's being used, too."
Marcus shook his head, "I'm not okay with this."
"I know," Emma said, "Which is why I wanted it to be a secret. I'm not trying to do anything behind your guys' back, but I'm making progress with him better alone."
"Well, what'd you get so far?" Marcus asked.
"Well...Not much… Just that he said Owen enjoys messing with people and he doesn't actually want to hurt me. I don't know how true that is, but the point is that i'm breaking him down. He's protecting Owen less now. That's the kind of progress I mean," Emma explained.
"Messing with people? Em, he's making people kill themselves!" Marcus said.
"I know! It's a twisted game to him, but if he doesn't want to hurt me, it's safe for me to get close, right?" Emma asked.
Marcus sighed and let his shoulders drop, "If anyone finds out that I know-" Marcus began.
"You don't know a thing! You didn't see me walk out, and we never had this discussion. Please, Marcus?" Emma pleaded.
"Okay, but if anything happens to you, my conscious will make me confess. Which means Wrench will kill me. You know that, right?" Marcus joked.
Emma chuckled, "So he told you?"
"Well Sitara did first, but he did. It's about time, too!" Marcus said.
"Everyone keeps saying that?" Emma said in a question.
"Oh, come on. Dude's been into you since even before he met you. You're the only one who didn't see it," Marcus laughed.
Emma chuckled and blushed, "And no one said anything?"
"It's complicated. You know Wrench enough to understand why," Marcus said.
"Yeah, I guess I know what you mean," Emma said smiling softly.
"He's super lucky to have you around, Emma," Marcus smiled kindly.
"Thanks, Marcus. He's really lucky to have a best friend like you, too," Emma said.
Marcus stood up, "He is, isn't he?!" Marcus said. Emma laughed along with a quick chuckle from Marcus, "You know, with all this good luck he has, maybe he shouldn't be complaining so much about everything else."
"He doesn't complain that much!" Emma defended with a chuckle.
"Pffft, maybe not around you!" Marcus said, "All I hear from him is about that damn microchip he's been hunting down."
"He still hasn't found that thing? What's he even need it for?" Emma asked.
"I don't even think he knows anymore," Marcus chuckled, "But hey, i'll catch you later?" He asked.
Emma nodded, "Thanks again, Marcus… You won't regret it," She said and smiled. He winked and walked away.
After Marcus left, Emma took a seat and was able to enjoy the park alone. It was quiet, but it worried her. Being out in the open like that meant she was an even easier target. Owen could just kidnap or kill her now. Emma once wanted a life where she could hide from people. Her old job gave her that, and the second she thought she could change it is when things got worse. But now she had friends. She felt safer, even being alone. She figured, or at least hope, that if Owen were to kidnap her now, her friends would come to save her.
There were still doubts of her loyalty, but she still wanted to believe they'd save her.
"Excuse me, miss?" A voice struck her out of her daze. She slightly looked up at an older man, "Is this seat taken?" He asked, referring to the spot on the bench next to her. He had a lunchbox and a newspaper in his arms. Normally she'd think nothing of it, but with current circumstances, she felt the need to be suspicious of him. Even this nice looking older man. He looked like he were in his 50s, with children. Maybe even grandchildren. A family… She smiled. How could he be intimidating?
Emma stood up, "No, I was just leaving," She said and walked away. Owen won't win, she decided. Even if it meant talking to Sam every day for a month straight, she'd find Owen and stop him. He would no longer run her life. She wanted what that older man might have had. A family. A steady job with an hour lunch where she can just go sit on a bench and relax. A family, even. She wouldn't get that by giving up. Her mind snapped back to Wrench and she couldn't help but smile. She wanted to giggle at the thought of him being a family man. Even if that thought was ridiculous, she liked him and enjoyed their current time together, even if it wouldn't go anywhere. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. They just kissed once.
She brought out her phone to message him and for some reason her heart fluttered looking at his name in her text messages. She grinned and decided against texting him. She'd rather surprise him with a visit.
~~~Wrench's Garage~~~
Emma got the door to Wrench's garage opened, her ears immediately filled with loud rock music that she wasn't sure she liked. Wrench was under a car, doing what, Emma didn't know, but his legs were the only things visible. She thought about how to announce her presence. Maybe change the song? Wrench threw a tool off to the side with a groan, the clank of it hitting the ground startling her. Emma picked up the tool and walked over to the car. She kneeled down and bent forward to rest on her elbows. The car was propped up just enough to give her a perfect view of a frustrated Wrench. He wasn't wearing his mask. Probably to see better, Emma guessed.
He was muttering to himself about fuses and wires and something about outdated tech on a new car. She wasn't understanding most of it, but for some reason the sight before her just made her smile. Wrench in his element. He let his head fall back onto the ground, and outstretched his arms out, letting out a frustrated noise.
"Need help?" Emma asked.
Wrench got startled and hit his head under the car, only to let his head fall back on the ground, holding his forehead, "Fuck," He groaned.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" Emma called out, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Nah, I meant to do that," Wrench said, barely audible over the music. He rolled out from under the car, standing up. Emma got up off her knees to stand up with him. She followed him over to a counter, his back stayed turned to her. Wrench turned down the music and reached over to his mask that was on the counter. Emma wish he'd keep the mask off, but she didn't want to bring it up to upset him. She didn't want to ask him to keep it off and then him being too worried to say no to her. Wrench held the mask but didn't put it on yet. He turned to Emma, noticing she was holding the wire stripper he threw, "Did I hit you with that?" He asked.
"Hm?" She asked, distracted by seeing his face again.
"The thing you're holding," He answered.
Emma looked down into her hands, "Oh!" She walked closer to him and handed the tool to him, "No, I just picked it up. Forgot I was holding it."
Wrench saw she looked nervous walking up to him. Why was she nervous? He wondered. She's the cool one, and he was the nervous wreck. He thought that's how it'd always be. He grabbed the wire stripper from her, "Thanks," He said and set it on the table, "So how long were you here?"
Emma smiled, "Enough to see you throw a tantrum."
Wrench scoffed, "Tantrum?" He repeated.
"What would you call throwing objects around while swearing?" Emma asked.
"I call that a regular afternoon as an engineer," He said, setting his mask on the counter. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the counter.
Emma pretended to think, "Hmmm, funny. I don't think I've ever seen Marcus or Josh like that."
"Maybe because they're not real engineers," He said as a matter of factly.
"Oooo, i'm going to tell them you said that," Emma said.
"And hurt poor Josh's feelings?" Wrench asked with a smirk. He knew she had a soft spot for Josh since he was always so nice to her.
Emma wanted to swoon over Wrench's smirk. Why was she suddenly acting like a teenager, she wondered. She was able to play it off, "And Marcus feelings?"
"Oh, he'll fight back. With a vengeance. You should be concerned about my feelings," Wrench joked.
"Yeahhhh. I know how sensitive and fragile you are, after all," Emma said.
"Yeah," Wrench breathed out sarcastically, "And you're still gonna tell him and risk that?"
"Maaaaybe," Emma took a few steps forward, walking closer to Wrench. He uncrossed his arms to reach the counter behind him. Emma reached out to play with the edge of his vest, noticing how some studs are slightly crooked, "Cause then I get to find a way to make it up to you," She said looking up at him.
Wrench was right all along. She was the cool one and he was the nervous wreck. He became flustered at her flirting, "A-and, how w-would you do…. That?" Wrench asked, trying to keep his composure.
Emma was giggling on the inside, but she just shrugged, "Depends what he says. Is Marcus known to overreact and get defensive?" Emma asked. Wrench slowly shook his head. Emma nodded, "Hmmm well in that case," She let go of his vest and walked away a bit, "Probably just buy you a movie or something."
Wrench let his body relax once Emma walked away, but he missed her closeness. His body and mind were conflicted, and she knew, "That's not fair," He sighed, borderline whining.
Emma turned to look at him, "What? You can pick out the movie," She said innocently.
"You're evil," He immediately said.
Emma chuckled, but before she could say anything, a third voice spoke up, "Ahem."
Wrench and Emma looked over to see Scarlett walking in. Wrench immediately grabbed his mask from behind him to put it on, "The fuck are you doing here?" He asked angrily.
"Putting the mask on? It's just me, you know," Scarlett purred.
"That's exactly why," He muttered but loud enough for her to hear. He thought it was petty, but Scarlett didn't deserve to see his face anymore, "Now what are you doing here?" He asked more sternly.
Emma was still staring at the woman. She assumed this was Scarlett. She thought she looked familiar, but she'd remember someone with blue hair in a bob cut before. Something about her face, she thought. Scarlett looked between Emma and Wrench for a second before speaking up, "Just came to talk. A lot was unsaid last night because you seemed to be in such a hurry…" Scarlett turned more to Emma, "This must be your girlfriend?" She asked with a fake smile.
Emma looked down, blushing, but Wrench wasn't affected. He walked in front of Emma, shielding her from Scarlett's gaze, "You need to leave," he said. He already warned Scarlett to stay away from Emma.
Scarlett looked up at Wrench, looking sad, "Wrench… C'mon. I just came here to talk to you and you..."
"Not fooling anyone, Scar," Wrench breathed out, annoyed. Emma stepped back several steps to be away from the both of them. She leaned against a counter and crossed her arms, looking straight at the ground.
Scarlett rolled her eyes, "Look, can we please just talk?"
"I'd rather not, but whatever you need to say, you can say it right here," Wrench said gesturing around his garage, then crossed his arms.
"You sure that's a good idea?" Scarlett asked through her gritted teeth.
"Why not?" Wrench asked. He guessed it was either about Emma, or to try to seduce him.
Scarlett glared at Wrench. She wished she could at least see his facial expression to gauge how to handle the situation. She was angry and knew how to manipulate him. However she didn't need to see his face to figure it out. He was standing in front of Emma with his arms crossed. He was feeling defensive. Scarlett knew she got in his head. New plan, she thought. She lightened her glare and feigned defeat, "Ugh, FINE!" She sighed, "I just came to say sorry. I heard those rumors so I thought I was helping you."
Wrench didn't believe her, "You couldn't just text me that?"
Scarlett began to yell, "Hey, fuck you! I actually feel bad and you-!"
Wrench held his hands up, "Okay, okay, whatever, it's... fine. Can you go now?"
Scarlett frowned. She paused and eyed Emma, "And sorry for disrespecting what you have with your girlfriend."
Wrench felt awkward that Scarlett kept referring to Emma as his girlfriend. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, especially since they barely even expressed their feelings for each other. He nodded, "Yeahyeahyeah everyone's fine, everything's all clear. So, time to go, right?" He asked.
"I can take the hint," Scarlett said and walked back to the door. Wrench was frustrated and turned to Emma for a second with symbols in his eyes, even though she just glanced over. He turned back to Scarlett, who was standing by the door, "Oh, also, sucks about Owen, but it was really nice to see you again, Emelia," Scarlett sneered. Emma's heart sank.
Wrench's eyes turned into exclamation points, "Again? What do you-" He asked as he took a step toward Scarlett, but she already walked out and closed the door behind her. He was confused and turned to Emma, "What does she mean 'again'? Do you know her?" He asked carefully, but concerned.
Emma's eyes were wide, staring at the floor. Scarlett's identity dawned on her She knew she looked familiar, but the hair was different. It used to be red and her bangs didn't always cover her face. She'd remember the face anywhere now that she thought about it. Emma nodded.
"Recently? Alone? Has she-"
"Don't trust her," She muttered interrupting Wrench. She shook her head, turning to look at him. She grabbed his vest, "Wrench, please don't trust her! We have to tell Sitara!" Emma said frantically.
Wrench grabbed Emma's hands off his vest and held them, "Hey, calm down. Just… how do you know her?" He asked.
"Her and Owen would…. Fool around..." Emma answered awkwardly, looking away. She pulled her hands away from his. If she was going to have this conversation, she didn't want to be touched.
"Ew, he broke up with you for her?" Wrench asked disgusted.
Emma shook her head, "No… We were still together," She said quietly, trying not to make it sound as bad as it was.
"Oh…" Wrench said realizing what she meant, "Shit, Emma, I'm sorry."
Emma shrugged, "It happens…"
"Okay, well it shouldn't. You should be more angry about it!" Wrench said.
"I don't have the energy to still be angry about it… Just seeing her face reminded me of it," Emma said.
"Man, if I didn't want to kill him before… I'll get re-mad for you. That shit pisses me off," Wrench said.
"Yeah, well, I still stayed with him after I found out, so what does that say about me?" Emma asked crossing her arms.
"W-What?" Wrench asked.
"Yeah. She came over night after night and I could hear them fucking in our bedroom. He convinced me that I was just imagining things. And I believed him." Emma stated matter of factly. She was staring right into Wrench's mask.
Wrench was angry at Owen for taking advantage of someone like Emma. He eyed her carefully at first. Noticing it was difficult for her to admit all this stuff. It seemed like she just wanted to get it over with. Wrench took his mask off once again. He set it aside on the counter next to him and stood up. Emma eyed him when he did, but was too embarrassed to maintain eye contact, so she continued to gaze off to her side. Wrench wasn't about to force her to look at him, but he wanted to comfort her in some way. Taking off his mask would somehow even out the field he thought, "Emma…" He started.
Emma interrupted him, "I know it's stupid, but I just really wanted to believe him," She said calmly, trying to hold back tears she felt forming. She felt weak.
"It's not stupid," He said trying to comfort her.
"You know it is! You're just too nice to say it," Emma said.
"Maybe, but that doesn't matter. He's an asshole for taking advantage of you like that and that's it," Wrench said. Emma still looked down at the ground. Wrench wasn't sure if he should hug her or even touch her to comfort her.
"Scarlett might still be talking to Owen… We have to tell the others," Emma said, heading toward the door.
Wrench grabbed her wrist to stop her from advancing, "We will, but… are you sure you're okay?"
Emma pulled her wrist away, "I'm fine," She answered looking at the ground, "Can we just go?"
Wrench didn't blame her for putting up an emotional wall, but he felt rejected. He simply nodded and put his mask back on, for what he swore was going to be the last time that night.
~~~Hackerspace~~~
Sitara came walking down the stairs to see Ray looking at a laptop screen with his feet up on the table. Josh was on the adjacent side, looking at his own laptop, "Hey, what's up?" She asked.
"Bad news…" Ray began, gesturing towards Josh.
"We recovered every chat log we could, but Cyb0rg is somehow not in any of them," Josh said.
"How can that be?" Sitara asked.
"He could have hacked into us while we were recovering the chat log and deleted them," Josh said.
"That would require him to know we were trying to recover them," Sitara said.
Ray nodded, "We have a rat," He said. He didn't have to say it, but Sitara knew he was referring to Emma.
"We don't have proof," Sitara said.
"We have theories, and claims to back them up," Ray explained.
"We'll just keep an eye on her from now on… If she's the rat, we'll be able to see it," Sitara said.
"I thought she was your friend," Josh said.
"She is," Sitara confirmed.
"Would you set up something like this for Marcus or Wrench?" Josh asked.
"They'd never do this," Sitara said.
"And you said there's no proof Emma has done wrong," Josh said.
Sitara sighed, "You know, you're right. But we can't risk it. You have to understand that, right?"
"I do, but it's not fair that she doesn't get a chance to explain herself," Josh said and went back to typing on his laptop.
Sitara and Ray looked at each other. They knew he was right, but it was complicated. No one wanted Emma to be a traitor. Ray spoke up, "It's for the best."
Sitara nodded, "I know…"
The doors opened revealing Marcus. Sitara and Ray already agreed that they weren't going to tell Marcus about them keeping an extra eye on Emma, "Hey guys," He said casually.
"Hey," Sitara smiled, "You know where Wrench and Emma are?"
Marcus figured it was best if he didn't say he talked to Emma today. No details are better than some, "Saw Wrench earlier, I think he and Emma had plans or something."
Sitara smirked, "Awwww."
"Yeah, real cute. The quiet ogling each other from across the room evolved into holding hands and cuddling isn't it?" Ray groaned.
"They really don't seem the type," Marcus said.
"I think it's cute," Sitara said, "And overdue! Plus weren't you complaining about them taking forever?"
"Yeah, but I gotta play the bitter old man part, don't I?" Ray joked. Of course he was happy for Wrench. Emma seemed nice enough, assuming she wasn't a traitor. He didn't want to have to deal with that mess if she were. The door to the Hackerspace were heard opening, everyone knowing it had to be Wrench and Emma, "Oh, speak of the devil," Ray said, "Or… devils."
Everyone played it cool waiting for them to walk up to them. Sitara for a second was hoping she'd see them holding hands on their way down, but then laughed at the thought anyway. Marcus gave her a curious look, "You been pregaming?" He asked.
Sitara rolled her eyes and smiled. She turned to the stairs to see Emma marching down while Wrench was taking his time, "Sitara, I have to tell you something," Emma said quickly.
"Oh my god, let us see the ring!" Sitara said sarcastically, smirking.
"What?" Emma asked taken aback.
"Oh shit, we ruin the surprise?" Marcus asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about?" Emma continued.
Sitara scoffed, "If you guys don't want to invite us to the wedding, you can just say so."
"No, fuck that!" Marcus said, "I want to be the best man!"
"Guys, c'mon. We're just-" Wrench started to ask.
"Don't give us the whole, 'nooo we just fwends' shtick," Marcus said imitating them.
"The fuck kinda voice was that?" Wrench asked.
"I think that was supposed to be you," Emma smirked.
Marcus laughed, "No wait, I can do better, lend me the mask," He said holding his hand out.
Wrench smacked Marcus' hand up, "How about I do you first?"
"Oh?" Sitara asked suggestively.
"Hey, man, people already talk," Marcus said holding his hands up.
"They do?" Emma asked, covering her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"Pfft," Wrench said waving his hand, "He wishes."
"What the hell am I even listening to right now?" Ray asked himself, but loud enough for everyone else to hear.
"Actually, people were talking last night about-" Sitara began.
"Okay everyone shut-the-fuck-up!" Wrench interrupted. "That can wait, but this is serious. It's about Scarlett. We think she may be in contact with Owen."
Everyone's attention was finally at Wrench, "What do you mean?" Marcus asked.
"Wow, that uh, tone shift," He muttered at first and turned to Emma, "Em, do you want to…" He trailed off, looking at a very nervous Emma. He got the hint and looked back at the group, "Uh… Scarlett came by my garage today and Emma recognized her. Apparently she and Owen have a history," Wrench said trying to keep it vague.
"What kind of history?" Sitara asked.
"You can't trust her," Emma said.
Sitara raised a brow, "Why not?" She asked, humoring Emma.
"Her and Owen… would fool around. While he and I were together," Emma answered.
Sitara let out a single laugh, "Hun, i'm sorry to hear that, but just because they had some relations in the past, doesn't mean-"
"Scarlett was always around. Always. Owen wouldn't ditch her just because he left Dedsec," Emma said.
"Scarlett only wants the best for Dedsec," Sitara said shaking her head.
"You don't think Emma wants the same thing?" Wrench asked.
"Not like Scarlett!" Sitara argued.
"We do have a rat," Ray spoke up, "Would make sense if it were Scarlett," Ray said.
"No," Sitara said looking at Ray.
"What, so if it's not Scarlett, it's automatically Emma?" Wrench asked.
"Wrench, don't even," Sitara said rolling her eyes, "It wasn't that long ago when you were all over Scarlett. If tables were turned, you know you'd be saying the same shit as me."
Wrench's heart sank. If his mask wasn't already displaying X icons, he'd be showing them to express how he wished he was dead at that moment. Sitara promised him she wouldn't bring that up, especially not in front of Emma. Emma was curious what Sitara meant, but she could figure it out. She already guessed that Scarlett and Wrench had a history, she just didn't know the details, nor did she really want to. Wrench didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to say something. Marcus quickly interjected to the conversation, "Maybe we should listen to what they have to say?" Marcus offered. Wrench would thank Marcus later.
"Okay, fine. Why would Scarlett betray Dedsec?" Sitara asked, humoring the group.
"Owen. He'll say and do whatever he can to get Scarlett wrapped around his finger," Emma explained.
"Scarlett would never let that happen. You don't know her," Sitara said.
Emma glared, feeling like Sitara just insulted her, "You don't know Owen."
"Haven't we been over this?" Ray asked.
"And we'll keep going over it until you understand," Emma glared at Ray. She was tired of it. Emma spent years with Owen, seeing him every day. Even if he did put up a front, she knew him.
"Just because he tricked you, doesn't mean Scarlett will fall for his games," Sitara said.
"Sitara…" Wrench said quietly. After what Emma briefly told him, he felt this wasn't the right conversation to have.
"Look," Emma spoke up, "Maybe I was gullible back then," Wrench didn't like that she was still blaming herself for what Owen did to her, "But this has nothing to do with that. You know the Dedsec Scarlett, but I know the one who associates herself with Owen. If she's not being manipulated by him, then she's working with him willingly, and that's more dangerous."
"How can we be sure she is talking to him?" Marcus asked.
"I feel like this will be pointless to say, but you have to trust me on this," Emma said.
"She is," Josh spoke up. Everyone stood silent and looked over to Josh who was scrolling through data on his computer. He turned to everyone when he didn't hear a response, "I found something."
Everyone quickly rushed toward Josh except for Emma. She stood her ground for a second, not feeling welcome, but she slowly made her way to the group, "Something on Owen?" Marcus asked.
"While you guys were interrogating Emma, I looked into Scarlett's chat log," Josh began, "All messages by Owen have been deleted, probably by himself, but hers are still there," He said. The screen showed an entire chat log with just Scarlett's name and text.
"Oh shit!" Marcus called out, "Josh, you're amazing, man!" He put both hands on Josh's shoulders, which Josh immediately shrugged off. Sitara moved Josh's hands away from the keyboard so she could go through the messages.
Scarlett21: Dedsec has no idea.
Scarlett21: As long as Sitara trusts me, we're in.
Scarlett21: They keep recruiting amateurs, Dedsec will fall.
"I KNEW it! That devil woman!" Wrench shouted, angry icons on his mask. Emma put her hand on his arm, making him calm down, for Sitara's sake.
"I can't believe it…." Sitara said. She sounded heart broken. Scarlett could have been considered one of her best friends, so seeing her name next to anti-Dedsec comments felt like a stab in the back. Sitara slammed her fist on the desk, making Josh cringe, "That BITCH!" She backed up and shook her head, "She fucking played me."
"Yeah, it's what she does," Wrench muttered, crossing his arms. Emma wondered how well he really knew Scarlett, but decided to worry about it later. That moment was about Sitara.
"Wait, could she be setting us up?" Marcus asked, "That channel doesn't seem that secure."
"It was a private server, but when Cyb0rg hacked in to delete it, it left an opening that Josh and I were able to find," Ray answered.
Sitara looked at Emma, "Did she say anything to you?"
Emma shook her head, "She just said it was nice to see me again. That's when I remembered who she was. She looked different before."
"She knows," Sitara said, "She was hoping you'd remember her and tell us."
"I saw it more as she was trying to instigate me," Emma said, "I think she'd want to keep her alliance with Dedsec safe."
"That's a good point. Why expose herself like that?" Marcus asked.
"Maybe she wants to create a rift between us and Emma. No one knows we have these chat logs," Ray said pointing to the screen, "Without these, for all we'd know, you could be making this up."
Sitara nodded, "She's already been trying to create a rift… Emma," Sitara said looking over to her, "I'm sorry," Sitara said sincerely.
"It's okay. You were just trying to protect Dedsec. I understand," Emma said with a smile, "But what purpose would she have to make you guys not trust me?"
"To keep Owen safe, I imagine," Marcus shrugged.
Ray patted Sitara's shoulder, "Well now we know who the rat is. Let's focus on that," He said and walked over to the fridge to grab a beer, "And maybe we can celebrate our new breakthrough. We're getting closer, kids!"
Sitara nodded, "And I have an idea," Sitara said maliciously and walked over to the table to open up her laptop. Everyone began to follow her, but Wrench and Emma stood their ground. Josh walked by and Emma stopped him.
"Josh… thank you," She said.
"For what?" He asked.
"I don't think she would have ever believed me about Scarlett… Thanks for looking it up. You really had my back," Emma explained, smiling.
"Oh," Josh answered, "You're welcome for that. But we still have a lot left to do," Josh answered.
"Yeah," Emma nodded and let Josh walk away. Emma turned to see Wrench's mask changing expressions. Wrench was both excited and angry at the same time. Angry that Scarlett was able to play Dedsec for so long, but excited that she was finally exposed. Emma raised an eyebrow, "You, uh… got something to say?" Emma asked humorously.
Wrench stopped the changing icons to regular smile icons and looked at Emma, "So much I wouldn't even know where to begin," He said eagerly.
Emma chuckled, "Well, you got all night," She said and forced a smiled, but it wavered. She thought about the comments about Scarlett and it made her paranoid.
Wrench noticed, "Hey listen, about what Sitara said about, uh... me and Scarlett..."
Emma held a hand up, making him pause, "Hey, it's fine. We just kissed, right? Not like it means anything." She didn't like where the conversation could have ended. Better to go out on her terms than be rejected, she thought.
Wrench felt like he got slapped in the face, but played it cool, "Y-yeah," He said quietly and cleared his throat, "Totally," He said, more confidently.
Wrench's agreement hurt Emma, but she tried not to show it. Was it really nothing more? Marcus came up and put both his arms over their shoulders, "What are we whispering about?" He asked cheekily.
"Nothing," Emma answered quietly. She shrugged Marcus' arm off her shoulders and quietly walked over to the table to sit next to Sitara.
Marcus let his arm drop off of Wrench's shoulders too and looked at him in the mask. Wrench's mask displayed two angry icons and Marcus whispered an apology. They both walked over to the table, Wrench sitting across from Emma. He was once again glad that no one could really see his face behind the mask. He tried to read Emma's face, wondering what she was thinking. Ray looked between Wrench and Emma, "Uh oh, they're already fighting," Ray muttered to Sitara.
Sitara ignored him and looked to Wrench, "Flirt with Scarlett."
"Fuuuuuck that!" Wrench immediately piped in.
"Hear me out," Sitara started.
"Sitara, there's nothing you could say that would make me think this is a good idea," Wrench said.
"Wrench, we need you to cooperate, just for a second-" Sitara continued trying.
"Look, you know I'd do anything. Just not that," Wrench said.
Sitara turned to Emma, "Emma, you'd understand, right?"
Wrench interrupted, "This has nothing to do with her. I'M saying no."
"I like this idea, though. Keeping her close," Ray said.
"Is there anyone else that can do it?" Marcus asked, "Sitara, you and her are friends."
"There's only so much our friendship goes. It's mostly professional and she's not going to give a shit if I flirt with her," Sitara said.
"She only tries to get close to people if it's convenient for her," Wrench said, annoyed.
"And she started talking to you again, so clearly she needs something. Play along!" Sitara said.
"To what extent, Sitara?" Wrench asked, angry icons displaying on his mask, "Until I wake up bound and gagged in a trunk somewhere in Syria?"
"Well…" Sitara pretended to think about it.
Wrench's eyes turned into exclamation points, "Really?!"
"I'm kidding! No! God, Wrench, she's not that psychotic," Sitara said.
"I'd like to argue that," Wrench said.
"She's definitely above the slash-your-tires type of psycho," Ray said.
"How the fuck would you know?" Wrench asked, sounding slightly offended, even if he didn't mean it.
"Call it a sixth sense. I can see crazy from a mile away," Ray answered.
"You think you could use that sixth sense to track down Cyb0rg?" Marcus asked.
Ray shrugged, "Works on women only. No can do," he joked then looked at Wrench, "Guess we're back to you. Wrench, we're counting on you, buddy."
"Once again, i'm saying 'fuck no', and just like that we're back at square one!" Wrench said and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. He was angry and annoyed, but tried his best not to cause a scene. Had Emma not been there, he probably would have been throwing chairs around. Emma… his eyes lingered on her for a moment and realized she hadn't looked up or said a single word since they all sat down at the table.
Sitara noticed where his head was facing and improvised, "Wrench, c'mon! It's our best shot at tracking down Cyb0rg. Don't think of it as actually flirting with Scarlett. Think of it as helping Emma here," Sitara smiled and threw an arm around Emma, hugging her.
Wrench's eyes still focused on her. She looked uncomfortable. It was written on her face, even if she was looking down the whole time. He could tell Emma didn't want to be bait for Sitara's plan, and neither did Wrench. He stood up, "No. You're gonna have to find a new plan," He said and turned around, kicking the chair out of his way to the stairs. Maybe he couldn't help the physical aggression, after all. Emma finally looked up at the commotion to see Wrench leaving.
"Wrench!" Sitara called out, removing her arm from Emma. Wrench ignored her and the door to the hackerspace was heard locking up behind him.
"Way to go, you got Plan A to leave," Ray said.
"I didn't see you helping!" She said.
Marcus held out a hand, "Wait a minute... So if she's suddenly trying to get back into Wrench's business, that means…." He trailed off looking at Emma, "She's after you." Emma picked up on that earlier, but didn't want to put attention on her. She shook her head, staying silent. Marcus continued, "Like you said, Scarlett knew that you would tell us. She assumed Wrench would take your side. So when they try to frame Emma for more shit, it'll create a rift not only between you guys, but all of us. Scarlett is trying to take Dedsec down from within!"
"That's impossible," Ray suggested.
"Maybe, but it'd at least divide us. Two weaker Dedsecs are easier to take down than one strong one," Marcus said.
"But what would her end game with that be? There would still be a Dedsec and in no universe would she be a leader of one," Sitara asked.
They were going in circles, Emma thought. Scarlett made herself a decoy, but Emma wasn't about to bring it up and start a new argument. They could figure that out themselves. Her plan was still to get information out of Sam. She was proud she had her own secret back up plan.
Emma stopped paying attention All she could focus on was Wrench. She wanted to see him and talk to him. Emma stood up silently, but no one noticed. She was ready to use a bathroom excuse, but thankfully she didn't need to. Emma walked up the stairs, the voices fading, making her feel relieved. Opening the door to the game store, she was expecting Wrench to be sitting there. No such luck. She sighed and walked out the door, remembering to lock up on her way out. The street was empty, and the only sounds she could hear was the wind rustling the trees softly. What a relief, she smiled. She turned down the street to walk home.
"Going home?" She heard. Emma jumped lightly and turned around quickly only to see Wrench sitting in the alley, along the game store's building. He brought up smiling eyes on his mask, "Didn't mean to scare you."
Emma shook her head, "It's okay, it was just so quiet," She walked over and sat in the alley, sitting across from him, "What are you doing here?" She asked, forgetting to answer his question.
Wrench couldn't bring himself to tell her why exactly so he shrugged, "Getting some fresh air."
Emma looked down feeling awkward suddenly, "They're focusing too much on Scarlett… That was her plan. They're ignoring the bigger picture…" She said, face scrunched, trying not to cry. Emma kept her head slightly turned down, but she lifted her eyes up to look at him. He was slouching against the wall slightly with his arms crossed. One leg stretched out, the other with the knee bent. She couldn't really point out what she thought was so attractive about him at the moment. He looked the same as he always did.
"I know. They won't listen right now. New information is always like this. Just gotta wait it out," Wrench said. He'd normally be arguing in circles with them, coming up with his own solutions for people to shoot down. That night he didn't have it in him. Emma said and sat down in the alley, across from Wrench. Her knees were to her chest. Wrench eyed her, noticing she still looked as uncomfortable as before, "Sorry it was so awkward in there," He said, not sure why he was apologizing.
"No, it's okay. Sorry they tried to put you in that position," Emma said back.
"Why are we apologizing?" Wrench asked out loud.
Emma smirked, "Cause if we don't, who knows if they will."
Wrench felt like he did have something to apologize to Emma for, unrelated to Sitara's plans, "Look, about Scarlett-"
"N-no, really, you don't have to explain," Emma interrupted.
"I know, but I want to," He said. Emma paid careful attention, giving Wrench the clue to continue, "Few years ago, Scarlett was still kind of new to Dedsec. She was always talking to me and flirting with me. I've never been good with girls, so I guess I liked the attention. When I wanted to make it official, she just stopped talking to me. Turns out, she was just trying to get on Dedsec's good side. You know, getting all the important missions, making everyone trust her and think she was a better hacker than others."
"So she manipulated and used you, too," Emma said.
Wrench nodded, "Yeah. She acted all nice around me, too. No one else really liked her personality and I couldn't understand why. But eventually her act dropped entirely."
"She was talking to Owen a few years ago, too. Maybe she was using a bunch of people," Emma said.
"Yeah, seems so," Wrench said quietly.
"I'm sorry…" Emma said once again.
"Nah, it doesn't bother me now. I can't stand the woman, but any sadness I felt about her ditching me just turned into anger when I see her. I see corporations do this shit all the time. CEOs just circle jerk each other into being worse than the guy next to him… but when it's one person, especially one that you think you know, it gives it a totally different perspective," Wrench said.
"Yeah, I thought I knew Owen down to his very core. I still wonder what part of our relationship was even real, and what the point of it all was," Emma said.
"Yeah, doesn't help the trust issues, either," Wrench said lightly.
Emma smiled sadly. She understood what he was saying, "Does Sitara even know all this?" Emma asked.
"Yeah, I told her. She just sees it as having a crazy one-sided crush on her. But, she wasn't there."
"Maybe she believes you now," Emma said.
"Doesn't really matter. I'm just happy Scarlett's finally getting what she deserves," Wrench said.
"Her and Owen both," Emma said.
There was a comfortable silence between the two. They never quite had a conversation like that before where they were both so open with each other. Emma still felt like she was closing herself off, she could only guess Wrench felt the same, "You think they even care we left?" Wrench asked.
Emma shrugged, "We should probably leave before they start looking for us. It's a nice night, you want to uh… go for a walk? Or something?" Emma asked.
Wrench smiled through his mask and stood up, offering a hand to Emma, "I got something even better." Emma smiled and grabbed his hand, allowing him to lift her up, a little too close to him. This was the closest they've been since last night. The time at the garage just felt friendly, at least to Emma. He enjoyed the closeness, but he knew he had to keep his distance for his sake, "C'mon," He said quietly walking away from her, down the street.
When Wrench stepped away, Emma didn't want to admit how let down she felt. She was expecting too much, surely. Maybe last night was only a kiss, she thought. Ignoring the chance to start a self-loathing session, she instead turned to follow Wrench, "Where we going?" She asked.
"You'll see…" He said looking down each alley, "Should be in one of these…" He muttered.
"What are you looking for?" Emma asked.
"You'll see," Wrench said continuing to look down alleys, started to get frustrated, "Where the fuck did he put it?" He asked "It should have been here."
"You know, if you tell me what you're looking for, I might be able to help," Emma said. Wrench groaned and walked into the alley, Emma following him cautiously, "You know… most people wouldn't follow you in an alley-"
"Ah hah!" Wrench cheered, interrupting Emma.
Emma looked up to see a climbax machine tucked behind a building, "This?" She asked.
Wrench walked over to the climbax and lifted himself up, hoping over the edge. Emma just realized how athletic he must have been. He looked back over to Emma and held his hand out, "Come on down!" He said in a mock-announcer voice. Emma was apprehensive but grabbed the edge and pulled herself up, not accepting his hand to help her. He pulled his hand back and pulled out his phone, "Hang on," He said and hit a button on his phone.
The climbax jerked around causing Emma to stumble forward into Wrench. The climbax was still going up but steadied itself, "Some warning," She said letting go of Wrench and grabbing the rail.
Wrench chuckled, "I said to hang on!"
"Yeah, and maybe I meant to hang on to you," She muttered.
"I wasn't complaining," He said humorously.
The climbax reached the top. Wrench hopped over the rail first, Emma following over, "Are we even allowed up here?"
Wrench shrugged, "We're not trespassing."
"You know all the loopholes, don't you?" Emma asked and sat on the stone ledge, looking over to the ocean.
"I know San Francisco like the back of my hand, remember?" He repeated from a previous night. He walked to the other side of the building, looking off into the city. He leaned against the stone guard that was lining the edge of the building, "Plus, knowing the loopholes gets me out of legal troubles," He winked.
Emma followed him and smirked, "Had practice dealing with legal troubles?"
"Listen, it happens to the best of us. You'd know!" He said, hoping it wasn't a sore subject for her.
"You ever been arrested?" She asked.
Wrench shrugged, "Got taken in by the FBI once. Does that count?"
Emma snapped her head to him, "How was that?" She asked, trying to hide her concern.
"About how you'd think," He tried to answer casually. He didn't want to relive that situation, but it was hard to forget. Emma still looked at him, looking off into the distance, opposite of her. He had his arms crossed, leaning back on the stone edge. She wondering if he was angry with her. He wasn't looking at her, and she wasn't going to force it, "Hey, um..." she began, "It was… more than just a kiss… right?" She asked carefully.
He looked over to her, his mask blank, which only worried Emma further. Maybe she shouldn't have asked. Before she could take back the question, he spoke up, "It was to me," he confirmed quietly.
Emma smiled softly, not tearing her eyes away from him, even though she had no idea what expression he had under his still blank mask, "Me too," She said redundantly.
Wrench turned his head away from Emma to look down at the ground in front of him. There was a comfortable silence between them as he thought about how he was going to word his next sentence, "I thought it was maybe it was too soon…" He began, Emma's heart dropping. He continued, "I wanted to wait until after this whole Owen thing was over. I didn't really know if you liked me back, and I didn't want to bug you or distract you or anything. You had your own problems to deal with, and I wasn't about to add mine to that list, too," He said.
Emma couldn't believe it. He wanted to wait for her sake. He was being completely selfless to his own feelings and respected her enough not to overwhelm her, "That's so sweet," She muttered to herself, stunned. But she was upset that he didn't think she cared enough about him.
Wrench didn't hear her say anything, "You already seem to be okay with the mask thing, but there's more, and it's not fair to put it all on you, especially right now and-"
"Wrench," She interrupted, reaching over to touch his arm. He seemed to tense up a bit when she did, so she slowly retracted her arm, "That's so sweet of you... " She couldn't help but repeat with a wide grin.
Wrench outstretched his arms, "Right?! I thought it was a good thing! Marcus told me to I should have made a move like day one!"
Emma chuckled, admiring how proud he suddenly was, "I think waiting let us get to know each other better anyway," She said. She reached over again to grab one of his hands that were at his side, "I'm glad to know you Wrench. You're a very welcome distraction," She said. She wanted to say so much more, but she wanted to keep it short not to overwhelm him as well, "I'll gladly add your problems to my list. We're in this together, now… right?"
Wrench couldn't process the music that was going through his ears. Did Emma really just admit that she'd accept his problems? "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," Wrench said squeezing her hand.
"You scared?" She asked coyly.
"Terrified," He answered honestly.
Emma let go of his hand briefly to move and stand right in front of him. She reached her hands up to rest softly against the sides of his face, "Can I take your mask off?" She asked softly. Wrench nodded slowly, his mask still blank. She reached into his hood to take his mask off, only to realize she didn't know how to. She groaned, "Help?"
Wrench chuckled and brought up his hands, resting them on Emma, "There's buttons here," He said and guided her index fingers to glide over the part that will unhatch his mask.
Emma's heart fluttered when his hands were on hers, moving them how he wanted them to move. Once the hatch came undone and the mask started to get loose, he slowly brought his hands back down. Emma held the mask and pulled it off, carefully. She knew Wrench had trust issues, and she didn't want to take for granted the amount of trust he had in her, handling the mask. She lowered the mask to be in between them, but still maintaining eye contact with Wrench. She smiled. He smiled lightly with her, feeling nervous. He grabbed the mask from Emma and set it down on the stone ledge that he was leaning on.
"Do you ever get tired wearing it?" Emma asked softly.
"Not really. It's a part of me," He answered.
"You seem different when it's off," Emma said. She was hoping she wasn't overstepping her boundaries.
"It's a big part of me," Wrench added.
Emma smiled kindly, glad he didn't take what she said the wrong way, "But do you feel okay without it?"
Wrench thought about it for a moment, studying Emma's face for a moment. "I do around you."
Emma took a step forward, closing the remaining distance between them. Wrench watched as she moved her hands up to rest on his chest, under the vest. "Good," Emma said, smiling.
Wrench put his hands on her waist, holding her close to him. "You really don't know what you're getting yourself into," He repeated, staring deep into her eyes, trying to find any fear or doubt that was reflecting off his own insecurities. He was scared. Of course he liked Emma, but he doubted himself. He thought he wasn't good enough for her. She seemed okay with his problems, she even said so himself, but he didn't feel like he could believe it.
"A little too late for that, don't you think?" She asked.
"You can walk away and I won't hold it against you," Wrench said.
"You trying to get rid of me already?" Emma asked, jokingly.
"No! I-" Wrench said immediately.
"Hey," Emma interrupted and moved a hand what was resting on his chest, to the side of his neck, "I'm not going anywhere," She said gently.
Wrench leaned down to kiss her. It was a slow, gentle kiss. They were both still nervous about what was happening between the two of them. Emma couldn't help but think that maybe she couldn't be as strong for Wrench as he needed. Wrench worried he wasn't good enough for Emma. But they worried less and less as their kiss got more passionate. Emma wrapped both her arms around his neck, while Wrench let his hands move from her sides, to wrap around her back.
Sure enough, Marcus and Sitara walked out of their hideout to walk down the street. Marcus stopped the both of them when he spotted Wrench and Emma on the rooftop a few blocks down. He put his finger to his lip to shush Sitara then pointed up at the rooftop. Sitara grinned and Marcus nodded, as they started approaching. Once they got close enough, Marcus called out, "So that's where you went!" along with Sitara cheering.
Wrench and Emma immediately broke their kiss and let go of each other, but they maintained their closeness, "Okay, are you like stalking us?!" Wrench shouted back.
Sitara laughed, "Not my fault you're shoving your PDA down our throats like you shove your tongue down-"
"Going home, Sitara?!" Emma interrupted with a shriek, her face turning red.
"Yup. Should I even wait up for you?" Sitara asked, suggestively.
"Uhh," Emma muttered and looked up to make eye contact with Wrench. They both blushed and finally stepped away from each other. Emma turned her side to Wrench as he grabbed his mask off the ledge and stepped away, toward the climbax, "N-no, i'll be right there," She answered. She walked away from the ledge, following Wrench, who was waiting, "I should go with her… make sure she's really okay. Scarlett was her friend, too, after all..."
Wrench couldn't help but want to be selfish and spend more time with her, but he agreed without hesitation. He wanted Sitara to be okay, too, "Good idea."
Emma grabbed his hand one last time that night, "Hey, thanks for telling me about the whole Scarlett thing," Emma said. She knew how vulnerable he must have felt talking about it, "And i'm sorry I got jealous."
Wrench chuckled, "Yeah, you have nothing to worry about, I promise."
"I know," She said, trusting him.
"I just really don't want to screw this up," Wrench said squeezing her hand lightly.
"You won't," Emma smiled. They hoped up on the climbax, riding it down while Wrench put on his mask. Once they stepped off, Emma spoke up again. "Oh, and I think you're pretty good with girls."
Wrench let out a single chuckle, "Oh, yeah?"
Emma shrugged, "With me at least."
"Well, good thing your opinion's the only one that really matters," Wrench said and winked through his mask. Emma blushed. He didn't have to say much to make her feel special.
They walked out from the alley to be greeted by Marcus, "Ayyee, and they made up! Awwww," He cheered.
"Okay, thanks DAD," Wrench teased only to get a chuckle from Marcus.
Emma looked down the road to see Sitara already heading home, "I'll see you guys later?" Emma asked, pointing her thumb over in her direction. Wrench nodded, "Alright, goodnight," She smiled, eyes lingering on Wrench's mask a few extra seconds longer before turning around to follow Sitara.
Marcus waited a few moments before Emma was out of listening range, "Ahhhhh," He quietly shrieked as he kept lightly throwing jabs in Wrench's abdomen, "You twooooo."
"Yeah, Yeah," Wrench said pretending to sound annoyed while trying to protect himself from the jabs. His mask changed expressions doing so, but they managed to linger on a smiling face, "So what'd you guys figure out?" Wrench asked.
"We were all getting kind of heated over the topic, so we'll worry about it later. Sitara and Josh are going to go through her logs first," Marcus answered. But Wrench worried about it then. He knew Sitara's idea was still her go-to plan. He didn't want to be a pawn, but he didn't want to be around Scarlett even more. He thought maybe it'd be worth it for Emma's sake, after all. He wanted to say he'd be able to do anything for Emma. He'd think up a better plan. Scarlett wasn't the priority anyway. Why bother with the middleman when you can go straight to the source? Wrench thought. They were wasting time. The goal was still Cyb0rg. Not Scarlett.