Feelings of the heart
Fury flew beside Limelight as they patrolled the skies of Berk. The crime rate in Berk was relatively low thanks to Fury and Frost. The only constant annoyance came in the form of the local street gang called the Outcasts. But they weren't too big a threat ever since Fury put away their leader.
Fury landed on a building and tapped into the police frequencies to listen and wait for a crime to occur. Limelight landed next to him and just kept an eye on the streets below. Checking for any small time muggers or car jackers.
As she did she glanced over at Fury. He was a very mysterious man. He was clever, highly intelligent, and seemed like a natural leader. But what she really wondered is if what she guessed had been true. Did he have an interest in Merida? He seemed to. Why else would he have gone through the trouble of giving her the biggest room and making her new arrows?
"So," she began casually. Fury didn't acknowledge her as he continued listening to police scanners. "That was quite the gift you made Archer."
He turned to look at her. "I guess?" he said in confusion.
"And you gave her the biggest room," she added. He shrugged. "And I couldn't help but notice how you chose to show her to her room instead of me," she pointed out.
"I don't know what you're getting at," he lied.
"Oh nothing," Rapunzel said dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. Fury shrugged it off and looked away. "Just that you totally like my best friend," he suddenly heard her mutter.
Fury stiffened in surprise which unfortunately let Rapunzel know all she needed. "Ha! I knew it," he said triumphantly.
"No, no, no. I do not LIKE Archer like that. I'm just being friendly because we're teammates," he said frantically.
"Why not?" Limelight asked curiously. "You don't think she's attractive?"
"Of course she is. She's beautiful and clever and passionate and brave and—. " He immediately shut up as he realized he'd said too much.
"OOOOO. You totally have a crush on her," Rapunzel squealed, her face wide in a grin. "If you're going to ask her out you should wait a little bit. She's kind of on the rebound at the moment," Rapunzel suggested.
"I don't believe this," Fury mumbled palming his forehead.
Rapunzel giggled. She hoped he would make a move on Merida. Maybe then she could get over Hiccup. And Fury seemed like a nice enough guy. Plus he was a superhero too.
How awesome would that be?
And plus she couldn't help but feel something between the two of them. She just couldn't put her finger on it.
Frost flew above Archer as she ran along rooftops. He had to admit she was very agile. He scowled to himself in disappointment that he wasn't partnered with Rapunzel. He figured Fury separated them because he wanted to limit the amount of time they spent together with him as Frost.
But Merida was so boring. So serious. She be better partnered with Fury who would be equally as serious as she was. But he was probably also trying to avoid being with Merida. Poor guy was still head over heels for her.
He didn't get why he was being so stubborn. With all the good they did they deserved some happiness too. And that especially went for Fury.
He glanced down to see Archer peering over rooftops. From what Rapunzel had told him Merida still had a thing for Hiccup too. Apparently a big thing as Rapunzel claimed to have never seen Merida so torn up about a guy before. He remembered cringing when Rapunzel asked him if he knew why Hiccup had called it off with her. He made up an excuse about him not being ready to date or just being scared.
But he knew the real reason.
Deciding to make conversation he landed beside her on the rooftop.
"So was that you guys at the docks the night the sword came in?" he asked.
"Aye. Limelight called me and told me about these weird creature she saw as she flew in. They were made from some kind of black sand. And then there was this dragon robot," Archer replied.
Frost frowned in annoyance. "Yeah. That would be Pitch Black and Drago Bludvist," he informed her.
"Fury said they were enemies of yours?"
"Yep. Me and him have clashed against Drago and Pitch over the years. Pitch was an enemy from my time with the Guardians while Drago was an enemy of Fury's almost since he started his superhero career."
"Hmmm. So what can they do?"
"Well Pitch is a practitioner of dark magic. He twisted the magic of a friend of mine in the Guardians to what it is now. He can control black sand and form it into creature and weapons. Plus he has this nasty ability to control and manipulate your fears. Got to watch out for that," he warned.
"And Drago?"
"Meh. Typical mad scientist. Went psycho after losing his family to war. Started trying to conquer the world. You know, the usual," Frost said with a shrug.
"Have they worked together in the past?" Archer inquired.
"No," Frost said with a serious tone. "That's what makes me nervous. None of them are team players. Plus it seems like that Gothel woman is in the mix too. It makes me wonder what's so special about the sword," he said rubbing his chin. He glanced over to Archer and noticed her shift nervously.
"You know what's so special about it don't you?" he asked.
Archer remained silent. "I just know we can't let anyone get their hands on it," she said firmly. Frost frowned at her. She was hiding something. But then again so were Fury and he. He let it go for now.
"Fury is a bossy one ain't he?" Archer piped in changing the subject.
Frost chuckled beside her. "Yep."
"Friendly one too," she added.
"Not always," Frost said casually. He noticed Archer turned to look at him and cocked her head to the side. "He used to be a lot…darker, more serious than he is now. Wasn't one to work with a team," he explained.
"Really?" she asked in surprise. He was the one who proposed the alliance. She had a hard time imagining him as cold and uncooperative.
"Yeah. It took a while, but M and I got him to open up. Got him back to what he says is the
"real him"," he said making air quotes.
"Do you know what made him that way?" she asked curiously.
"Yeah. But he doesn't like bringing it up. It's something he'd rather not remember."
Archer 'hmmmed' thoughtfully.
"So how did you and Limelight meet? You two don't seem like you'd go together at first."
"Well Corona City was her turf at first. Ah came in later. Ah helped her against Gothel, and she was so friendly and perky that she kind grew on me. She would follow me around like a puppy. So we became a team. Eventually we became friends and before Ah knew it she was my best friend," she said with a shrug.
"Sounds a lot like Fury and I," Frost said with a fond smile.
"You two really seem to trust each other," Archer pointed out.
"We do. He's my best friend and the best guy I know," Frost said in earnest.
As they continued to learn about each other Archer came to have a grudging respect for Fury. He was a good man. Brilliant, brave, kind, compassionate, and selfless. He was a hero. In every sense of the word.
She decided she would cut him some slack.
Back at HQ Merida and Rapunzel were enjoying a pizza and relaxing on the couch in Merida's room. The night had gone mostly uneventfully. The only thing interesting was that Archer and Frost stopped some Outcasts from robbing a grocery store. And they supposed learning a bit about their new teammates had been insightful as well.
Rapunzel glanced over to Merida whose eyes were on the TV. She wondered if she liked Fury. She decided to tease her a bit.
"So Fury is an interesting guy," Rapunzel said nonchalantly. Merida didn't say anything. Just continued looking at the screen. "He's so mysterious though. Wouldn't you agree?"
Merida gave a small shrug. Trying to remain indifferent.
"I guess there's a certain appeal in that though," Rapunzel said with a grin. "He totally hit on me while we were out," she added.
"He whoot?" Merida asked as she turned to look at her.
"I was just kidding," Rapunzel said smirking at her. "Oh but your face! 'He whoot?'" she giggled out mimicking her friend's accent.
"Enough Punz, Ah don't have a thing for Fury," Merida said blushing red.
"Well he has a thing for you," Rapunzel revealed. Merida stiffened in surprise. And her blush deepened.
"Bah. Why are ye so interested in my love life?" Merida asked in annoyance.
"I just want you to be happy Mer," her friend said in earnest.
"I'm fine Punz," Merida asserted with a huff. "Let's talk about your love life then," Merida said rounding on her friend. Rapunzel flinched in surprise, obviously uncomfortable in changing the subject.
"Why did you and Eugene break up?" Merida inquired.
Rapunzel shifted uncomfortably as she contemplated whether or not to tell her. It was still painful.
"Well. Everything was going great," Rapunzel began. Merida nodded. Punz and Eugene had always been such a cute couple. She was genuinely surprised they weren't together at the moment. They'd been inseparable for years. "Then I kind of brought up the subject of…marriage."
"And?" Merida inquired.
Rapunzel hesitated with a sigh. "He said he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to get married," she revealed.
"Really?"
"Yeah. He said we were good the way we were. 'Why fix what wasn't broken' he said."
"And then what happened?"
"I got kind of angry. I thought that…well…eventually we would get married. Maybe not in a year or two. Just sometime in the future," she said with a shrug. She brought her knees to her chest and released another sigh.
"So he suggested we go on a break. He said that since he's the only person I've ever been with I should see if I honestly want to marry him. 'To see who we are without each other'," she said to quote him.
"Well…ye know Punz it's not so unheard of fur people to not get married now a days. Ah have friends who have been with the same person for over a decade without getting married and they seem fine," Merida offered.
"We can't all be like you Merida," Rapunzel muttered under her breath.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Merida asked in offense. She'd heard her.
"Just you're fine on your own. You don't need a guy in your life," Rapunzel explained.
"So you don't think Ah get a little lonely too? You don't think Ah want to find a nice lad someday and fall in love?" Merida asked bitterly. Rapunzel's eyes were wide and she felt she'd stepped on a land mine.
"Ah like someone who pays for my dinner just because he wants to. Or holds open the door to my car for me even though its cliché. Or doesn't care about my money and status. Who like me just fur being me," she shouted.
Rapunzel immediately felt bad for Merida. Because everything she described was referring to one person in particular. Hiccup.
Frustrated tears started to well up in Merida's eyes.
"Ah just don't understand Punz. What did Ah do wrong?" she muttered out miserably. Rapunzel felt bad for her friend and gave her a hug.
"Looks like both of us are not lucky with men huh?" Merida said sarcastically.
"Well…about that," Rapunzel mumbled sheepishly. Merida looked into her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I kind of went out with Jack. Hiccup's friend," Rapunzel admitted.
"Oh," was all Merida said.
"Is that ok? Do you want me to stop? I know he's Hiccup's friend and all but I really like him and I wasn't sure if I was violating girl code and—"
"Stop Punz," Merida said cutting her off. She released a sigh. "It's fine."
"Really? Are you sure?" she asked seriously.
"Aye. I'm glad you found someone else. It's a good thing," Merida said with a nod.
"Thanks Mer," Rapunzel said with a smile. "So about Fury," she began with a playful smile.
Merida frowned and hit her in the face with a pillow.
The next day Rapunzel left to spend the day with Jack. He had a game that day and she wanted to go support him. So Merida got up, drove back to her condo, and then got ready for work. Once she was prepared she headed for Haddock Industries.
Once again the day was emotionally taxing on her. She and Hiccup continued going over details for the merger and taking a look at their separate company assets. Then Hiccup also proposed a social event hosted by the two companies to attract potential partner, investors, and just show off the new united force of their company. Merida thought it would be a good idea and agreed to it.
After her work day was over she all but ran out of the office before driving back to her condo. And with nothing else to do she put on her Archer costume and headed for the HQ.
Inside HQ she walked to the super computer and wasn't at all surprised to see Fury there. All armored up and with his face covered yet again. Did he ever take that thing off?
"Hey there. Find something?" she asked as she came up to stand beside him.
"I'm working on something," Fury replied.
Merida nodded. She remained by his side in silent company before glancing over at him. She cocked her head to the side slightly. Just who was the person under that helmet?
Fury seemed to notice she was staring. He turned slightly to look at her. "Need something?" he asked.
"No. Ah was just thinking," she said dismissively. Fury shrugged before turning back to his work.
Merida continued to watch him. Did he like her?
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. Where had that thought come from? She flushed slightly as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Admittedly the mystery about him was very intriguing.
"So what's under that helmet of yours?" she asked curiously.
"A face. Everybody has one," he responded dryly as he continued to type. Merida frowned at him. Snarky bastard.
"I wonder…" she said aloud. Fury turned slightly to look at her. "Just what are you hiding under that helmet?" she asked. She leaned down and moved her face a little bit closer to his. "Who is the man behind the mask?"
Hiccup gulped underneath his helmet. She was very close. Even with the helmet in the way he could have sworn he could feel her breath on his face.
"No one interesting I assure you," he said, trying to will his voice not to crack from his nervousness.
Merida raised an eyebrow. "Somehow Ah doubt that." She pursed her lips in thought. She then stood up straight before taking a seat on the top of the computer desk top. She draped one leg over the other and stared directly into Fury's face. "Tell me about yourself Fury," she requested.
"Uh…uh…what do you want to know exactly?" he asked not knowing where to start.
"Do you have a job outside of this," she said gesturing to the armor. "Ah assume you do since you're not always here."
"Yes I do. And no, I won't tell you what it is," he said guessing her next question.
"Well Ah gonna guess it something that involves a lot of brain power," she offered. "No ordinary man could do what you do. So I'm gonna say a scientist, or an engineer."
Fury just shrugged. Not interested in telling her.
"What about family? Do you have one?" she asked next.
"Yes. Mom, dad, uncle, cousin, all that stuff," he replied casually.
"What about a lass?" she asked cocking her head to the side.
She saw him stiffen slightly. "Uhm. No," he said shaking his head.
"Hmmm," she replied thoughtfully. With a fake yawn she stretched her arms above her head and took in a breath. Puffing out her chest slightly as she inhaled, she took a peek at Fury who she noticed had looked away. She smirked to herself. He seemed to be easily flustered by women.
She shifted slightly where she sat. Uncrossing her legs to draped the other one closer to him. She noticed him glance at her long leg and look away again. This was fun. A little bit of revenge.
"Why not then? Are you ugly?" she asked jokingly.
"Maybe I am."
"Somehow Ah doubt that too," she said in a slightly flirtatious tone.
She could imagine his eyes going wide in surprise as she saw him flinch a little. She smiled devilishly. Oh yes, this was quite fun.
"Uhm…I got to go—," he suddenly said hurriedly as he quickly got up. "do…something in a place that's…"
"What's the rush?" Merida said getting up and stalking toward him. She added a little more sway to her hips as she walked. She suppressed a giggle as she noticed him backing away. A big man in a suit of armor on the run from the advances of the fairer sex.
Eventually he had nowhere else to go as he backed into a cave wall. He looked around frantically for a mean of escape when Merida stood directly in front of him. Her hands were behind her back as she gave him a smoldering smile.
"Aam just trying to learn a little more about ye. Is that so bad?" she asked pouting slightly. Truth was she was now very interested in him. What did he look like? How tall was he? He seemed to be very tall from his stature but that could just be the armor.
Hiccup's mouth went dry and his tongue swelled up. Coherent words and simple thought seemed beyond him at the moment. She was playing him good. Damn him and his awkwardness. Why did she have to be so damn sexy?
"I really need to go check on the thing," he stammered out.
Merida flared her hip and placed her hand on it. "Oh do ye then? And what pray tell is this 'thing' that require such immediate attention?" she asked in amusement. Merida loved making men squirm. It was something she never got tired of. And she could do this all day with Fury.
"I have to…I have to…I have to…feed Toothless," he suddenly said as he noticed the black wolf come into his field of vision. Said wolf perked up and padded over. Seeing Merida he wagged his tail excitedly and lolled his tongue out.
"Hey bud. You hungry? Sorry I forgot to feed you," he told the black wolf. Toothless cocked his head to the side in confusion. What did his master mean? He'd already been fed earlier.
"Co—come on bud," he stammered out as she shuffled to the side and away from his captor. "Let's go get you something to eat," he said as he quickly hurried off. Toothless watched him go. But followed loyally after him after overcoming his confusion.
Merida watched Fury make his hasty retreat. She smiled to herself widely.
Ah guess Punz was right, Merida thought to herself. It seemed as if Fury did like her.
And for some reason, that knowledge ignited a spark of excitement within her. She still wasn't over Hiccup. And she still wouldn't say she liked Fury. But this was a very good distraction from the heartache.
And messing with him was a nice boost to her ego.
Not to mention it was downright hilarious.
Later that night when all the team had gathered Fury suggested another night of patrols. He suggested going with Limelight once again but Archer insisted they should go together.
"You and Ah haven't spent much time together after all besides fighting," she said with her hands on her hips and a grin on her face. With her sound logic he had no choice but to agree.
Now he was alone with a woman who seemed to like making him squirm.
"So Fury. Why don't ye give me a little tour of yur city?" Archer asked him.
"I'm sure you already know most of it by now Archer," he replied.
"Oh aye. But what spots would make fur a great first date?" she asked with a wink.
Gods help me, he thought to himself. "I wouldn't know," he said shrugging.
"Oh come on. Where would you take me if ye wanted to show me a good time?"
It didn't seem like she'd let this go. But he couldn't take her to any of the places they'd gone on dates at. It might give him away. But suddenly he got an idea.
"Ok then. I got a place in mind. Come with me," he said gesturing for her to step forward. She raised an eyebrow but complied. Stepping forward he suddenly reached out and pulled her to him. She was caught off guard and blushed deeply in surprise. She was about to protest when suddenly his wings deployed and they shot into the air.
She let out a startled shout before gaining control of herself. She was used to being carried by her partner, just not like this. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as he flew them to a place only god knew.
"So blondie," Frost said as he flew next to Limelight. She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "How did you get your powers? I can sense that yours are based off magic like mine."
Limelight stopped flying to hover. She looked pensive to tell him.
"It's no big deal if you don't want to. Just curious is all," Frost said as he hovered beside her. She looked to him and he gave her a shrug. Letting her know he wasn't pressuring her.
Limelight mulled it over before giving a relenting sigh. "Well, when I was a baby I was kidnapped by Gothel," she began.
"Whoa seriously?" he asked in surprised. Limelight nodded.
"Gothel has been alive for a couple of centuries. But she's very vain. As she got older she sought out the key to eternal life," she explained.
"Psh. Typical," Frost said in annoyance.
"Yep. She found her own way to extend her life and keep her youth. By using her magic to drain the youth of others. But even that was only ever temporary. So she looked for something more permanent."
Frost nodded in understanding. "So where do you come in?" he asked.
"Well. Somehow Gothel obtained a special flower. Said to contain a piece of the sun itself," she said looking to the sky. "She believed that this was the key to eternal life and beauty. But she needed a test subject," she said. Letting her words sink in.
"So you?" he asked. She nodded.
"She stole me. Then she used that flower to brew a special elixir. She didn't know if the elixir would work. For all she knew it might have killed her. So she made me take it instead."
"And what happened?"
"Nothing at first. I can vaguely remember Gothel getting angry. She only gave me a drop of it when nothing happened. I remember her leaving it in front of me as she walked away to look through her spell books. I was a baby and I guess I was thirsty so I picked the elixir up and drank it all," she said with a shrug.
"And then something did happen. My brown hair turned blonde. And the energy of the sun itself began to flow through my being."
"Cool. So what about Gothel?"
"Well. She was mad at first. But she learned that I had obtained much more life force than the ordinary person. One that could be replenished almost indefinitely with sunlight. So she locked me away, intent on using me as her personal fountain of youth."
"Dang. So what she locked you in a tower or something?" Frost asked curiously.
"Kind of. An old building. But one day this young kid broke in who was hiding from the police. He was a trouble maker and he found me," she said with a fond smile. "He became my friend. My first and only friend. And he kept visiting me. I told him my story. He tried to get me out of there but I wouldn't go. I thought Gothel was my mother after all. And she'd told me how terrible the outside was."
"But one day. The boy came back and showed me something. It was me. A missing kid flier. That's when I realized Gothel had been lying to me. That she wasn't my mom and she'd stolen me away. I tried to get away with my fiend then but Gothel caught us."
"Not knowing what else to do and thinking she would never let me go otherwise, my friend cut my hair off."
Frost raised an eyebrow. Noticing her hair was still blond and pretty long.
"When he did my hair turned brown. I couldn't feel the sun's power in me anymore and Gothel assumed the magic in me was gone. So she completely lost interest in me and fled. My friend took me to the police and they reunited me with my parents," she said with a happy smile.
"And what about your powers?"
"Well it turned out that the magic wasn't in my hair. It was inside of me and my hair was just a conduit," she explained.
"Like my staff," he said holding up the cane.
"Uh huh. So one day a few months after I reunited with my parents, on a whim, I sang the song Gothel used to rouse the magic in my hair. And suddenly I could feel the power again. My hair turned blond once more and I felt…different," she explained. "I felt stronger, faster, better."
"As I got older I would test just what I could do when my hair was blond. And I kept pushing my limits until I discovered I could fly, lift cars, and leap over buildings. And I kind of just fell into the superhero thing," she finished with a shrug.
"What about Gothel?"
Her face formed into a scowl. "Yeah. She saw me in the news and figured out who I was. So she came back to get me. But I wasn't going without a fight anymore. With my powers I fought her off. But she escaped and swore revenge and that she'd get me one day. We've been enemies ever since," she finished.
"Hmm. Interesting story." Frost said thoughtfully.
"What about you?" she asked curiously.
"Me?"
"Do you see anyone else?" she said sarcastically.
"Ok blondie hold your horses," Frost chastised.
"Well I can't tell you much about me before I got them. But let's just say I died," he began.
"You died?" Limelight asked in shock.
"Yep. Drowned in a lake. That should have been the end but…have you heard of the guardians?" he asked her.
"…I think so. That superhero team right?" she asked.
"Yes that's them. So anyway, their old leader was call Moon Man. He was a very powerful sorcerer. The most powerful one on the planet at the time."
"Ok and?" Limelight pressed.
"So he saw me die. He pulled me from the water, and…I don't know. I guess he saw something in me. So he used his powers to save me. To give me a new life," he said shrugging and ruffling his hair.
"But unfortunately the cost was his own. He died and his power inside of me changed and gave me the power to control the wind and snow. I wandered around until the Guardians found me. They sensed Moon Man's power inside of me and they took me in. They raised me, trained me and we fought side by side to protect the world," Frost finished proudly.
"Then I decided to go solo. Came to Berk. Met Fury since this was his city at the time. At first we couldn't stand each other. But then we just kind of became a team," he said with a shrug.
Limelight smiled. "Cool."
Frost smiled back and then looked up to see the moon. "I often times wonder what Moon Man saw in me. To give his life to save one kid."
"I think he saw the potential of who you could become," Limelight said smiling wide.
He turned to look at her. He moved closer. Hovering just in front of her. She gave a nervous chuckle and leaned back, slightly flustered by his closeness.
"Ya know, I think you'd look good as a brunette Blondie," he said with a wink. Limelight flinched and turned a deep crimson. Frost just burst out laughing before flying away. Limelight watched him go. She felt a tugging at her heart.
She was developing feeling for him.
And Jack too.
Oh she hoped Frost wasn't serious about her. He seemed to only enjoy flirting with her. Maybe he was just messing with her. But then again as she spent more time with him, she saw how nice he could be. Like how he helped her train.
She had never been in a situation like this before. She pleaded to the heavens that she wouldn't have to make a choice between them.
"So this is yer secret romantic place?" Archer asked. They were both on a building over as they looked down at an Italian restaurant with a large rooftop dining section.
"Just give it a moment," Fury said looking at his gauntlet for the time. She raised an eyebrow at him but complied. She shifted on her feet and looked down to see the people eating. She couldn't help but notice that some of them were couples. And looked quite happy.
She felt a longing ache in her heart to have that with someone else. She though she and Hiccup could've had that. As she continued to started she started to daydream about her and Hiccup having dinner here. She imagined it would be lovely.
"And now," Fury said cutting through her daydream. She looked at him in annoyance to see him pointing at the doorway leading to the lower section to the building. She watched as several musician entered. One with a violin, one with a lute, and one with an accordion.
"Are you ready?" Fury asked as he came to stand next to her. She raised an eyebrow at him as he leaned over to intently watch the performers get ready. He rested his hands on the rooftop ledge in front of him. She turned to watch and listen.
The accordion player took the lead, readying his instrument and making a show of warming up and setting the count. Then he started playing and singing. His deep voice beautiful and carrying over the stillness of night.
~Oh this is the night, it's a beautiful night~
~And we call it Bella Notte~
~Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes~
Merida nearly burst out in laughter. How cheesy, how ridiculous, how…completely romantic she thought as she continued to listen. The man's voice and his accordion along with the lute and the violin was just so beautiful. In moments she found herself smiling and swaying in time to the music.
The man's voice was just so warm and rich.
"Told you," Fury said smugly beside her.
She stiffened at remembering he was there. Suddenly he was a little too close. Flushing she stepped sideways and away from him. She rubbed her arm nervously and looked away.
"I like to come here sometimes. These guys sing almost every night at this time," he explained as he also enjoyed the music.
~On this lovely Bella Notte~
~Side by side with your loved one~
Fury turned his head slightly to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. She did the same thing. Something about the song and the music called out to them.
"I guess this would work," she admitted. "If the lass was drunk enough," she said with a shrug.
"Oh of course. This would be plan B," he joked. She couldn't help but chuckle. "I like to imagine what it would be like to have this with someone. If my life weren't so…complicated anyway," he said wistfully.
"Ugh. You sound like someone Ah know," she groaned.
~You'll find enchantment here~
~The night will weave its magic spell~
~When the one you love is near!~
Fury cast another glance at Archer. She had no idea how hard it was to hold back. She had no idea how hard it was for him not to just reach out and hold her. Suddenly Archer turned to look at him. He was too slow to turn away so they ended up staring right at each other.
Fury was trapped by her gaze. He was mesmerized by her sky blue eyes. Eyes that he could look at forever.
Though she couldn't see his she couldn't turn away either. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.
And they both just stood there. Staring.
~Oh this is the night, and the heavens are right!~
~On this lovely Bella Notte!~
When the song was over they finally managed to tear their eyes away from each other. Below the people of the restaurant all clapped for the performers. Fury clapped with them, even if they couldn't hear them. Archer clapped alongside him.
Ok. So if this had been an actual first date, which is wasn't, he might have actually impressed her enough for another date.
But this wasn't a date.
Suddenly Fury's head shot up.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Outcasts. Local street gang. Causing some trouble," he turned to look at her. "Shall we?"
She nodded firmly and allowed herself to be picked up.
Downtown a group of Outcasts had been caught making an illegal drug smuggling deal. The police had been having trouble subduing them until Fury and Archer showed. So they stood back and formed a perimeter. Making sure none of the Outcasts would slip by them and letting the heroes do their job.
Archer stood behind Fury as they advanced on the line of Outcasts shooting from behind their cars. His Kinetic Energy barrier was doing its job, keeping the bullets at bay as they advanced. Once they reached the line of car Fury struck out with his right leg. With the power of his suit he sent the car lurching in the opposite direction.
Archer used the opportunity to leap out from behind him and charge. She slid over the roof of the car, kicking an Outcast peeking over the top as she went. When she reached the other side she grabbed another Outcast behind the head before slamming him through the window of the car. Then with a swift punch she knocked him out.
As she did that Fury placed a hand underneath the car and flipped it over. The Outcasts all leapt out from behind it and started firing at him. But his armor was too strong to sustain any real damage from their low caliber bullets. Raising his palms he started blasting them. Aiming for the torsos and hitting them with enough force to send them flying and knocking them out cold.
Archer continued to fight in close quarters with the Outcasts. One threw a punch at her face. She jerked to the side before grabbing his arm and pulling it forward. Then she dropped and jammed her elbow into his lower ribs. Cracking them. As he doubled over in pain she brought her knee up and in between his eyes, knocking him out cold.
As she dropped one Outcast another one advanced on her. She waited until he was in range before delivering a high kick to his temple. He immediately went down.
Fury kept blasting Outcasts futility attempting to shoot him in his armor. He sent them flying with every well placed shot. Eventually one picked up a tire iron and charged him. He swung at his right. Fury raised an arm up and caught the tire iron in his hand. Then he trust his free palm forward, knocking the air from the Outcast and sending him flying away in a heap.
Something bumped into his back. He glanced over his shoulder to see Archer, her bow drawn and an arrow notched. Looking passed her he saw Outcasts advancing with chains, knifes, and crow bars.
Without warning the Outcasts in front of Fury fired. He he threw the crow bar down and raised a hand and activated the Kinetic Energy barrier. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of it until they ran out. Dropping the barrier, Archer fired an arrow at the Outcasts in front of her before drawing another arrow and twisting to fire another at the group in front of Fury.
Both arrows exploded, releasing tear gas that blinded them. Drawing another arrow Archer fired at the group in front of her. The head exploded to release a large net that ensnared them. Using his infrared Fury advanced on the ones in front of him. With well-placed punches and the Taser feature in his gauntlet he took out every one of them.
As the smoke cleared Archer and Fury turned to look at each other. Both were smiling. The entire time the song they'd heard earlier that night had been playing in their heads. For some reason it just seemed right.
Suddenly headlights lit up behind Archer. She turned to see a car barreling towards her. An Outcasts was trying to run her over. As she was about to leap out of the way Fury suddenly surged forward, he pushed he aside gently before throwing a punch down at the car's hood with all his strength. The force of his punch sent the car into a mad flip over their heads. It crashed down on the other side of them. Archer stared at it for a moment before turning to look back at Fury.
She nearly jumped back as he was suddenly right in front of her. Looking down at her. She stared back up at him. Her heart was racing from the excitement of the battle. And she wasn't entirely sure if the heat was from all her exertion…or something else. He seemed so tall. So much like a warrior. He had fire in him. A passion that matched her own.
He was like some kind of ancient warrior from myth and legend.
Fury looked down at her. Her face was flushed. Her chest heaving as the rush of adrenaline wore off. He could see a few strands of red hair framing her face. Her blue eyes were blazing with fierceness. She looked alive. She looked beautiful.
They both couldn't help but think how well they worked together. Fighting together seemed so natural. They hadn't needed to speak. They just did.
Archer could feel her heart hammering in her chest. But now she was sure it wasn't from the fight. It was ridiculous. She didn't even know what he looked like. She knew hardly anything about him.
And yet…something was drawing her to him. It was more than just the mystery surrounding him.
And though she'd still blame Rapunzel later.
She couldn't deny it. She was falling for him.
New chapter. Hope you like. Oh the conflicted feelings.