Date: May 9th 2013
Location: CHROME Headquarters - Medical Bay
A series of soft bleeps could be heard drifting down the corridor, mainly produced by the heart monitors of the injured but sleeping agents currently being treated. It was a calm atmosphere, as if peering through a hazy fog as medic pitties and cars slowly drove into different rooms, seeing to patients and speaking in low murmurs. It was only the calm before the storm, as a heavily pregnant Wren sat in her office, a fan blowing a steady breeze throughout the room. Her undercarriage was swollen to a rather large size, carrying four babies was not light work, and the SuperCorsair often found herself tired and puffed out, despite the four months left to go, meaning it was only going to get more difficult for her. Fortunately, Skipper was around a lot more now, having moved permanently to the UK in the last couple of months, eager to help Wren out with her pregnancy. He would meet her everyday after work, and take her home, which the SuperCorsair was always grateful for. London during rush hour was a pain at the best of times but having him around made it that little bit better, and that little bit more protected. As her body grew in size, Shadow had become both intrigued and obsessed with it, often feeling Wren's side to see if she could trigger any tiny kicks from the babies within. It hadn't gone unnoticed to the medic that Shadow was spending more and more time not doing her job, and hanging around the medical area to talk to Wren and speak to the babies. The SuperCorsair found it somewhat sweet, though couldn't help but wonder where Finn thought she was going for long periods of time.
The Celica had also noticed that Wren was getting more and more tired as time went on, understandably, and wasn't able to do things as quickly as she should have been, which gave Shadow the idea of helping Wren out at her job. The missions were coming in slowly, most being given to the other less experienced agents, with teams like Finn and herself being reserved for when something major came up, which gave the Celica a lot of time to burn. The idea of Shadow helping out wasn't immediately received with a huge amount of enthusiasm, due to Shadow's knack of blowing up and seeming generally clumsy, but the car was persistent, eventually wearing the pregnant plane down into agreeing. Besides, there were no bombs in the medical area, what's the worst that could really happen? The first day wasn't a huge amount of fun for the Celica, more filing paperwork, filling out forms and tending to the already recovering agents. Some poked slight fun at her, asking if she'd changed profession, though it was light hearted… everyone knew that Shadow was a good agent now, and her family name no longer played a part in how they saw her. The second day however, was going to be a little different.
It was now that the Celica rolled in, seeing the peace that ensued in the medical rooms caused her to smile a little. She was more ready to deal with paperwork now, it was better than doing nothing after all. The Celica rounded the office, spotting Wren scanning over her papers, a smirk appearing on the agent's face.
"Been targeting the canteen again have we? Are you craving dirt yet?"
"Oh you're hilarious. Not that many pregnant women crave dirt you know. Plus, No, I've been nowhere near the canteen. Makes me sick"
"Right…. But who ate all the pork p-"
"Get in the shower"
"Whoa Wren please…. Dinner first, I'm not that type of car-"
"You know full well that's not what I meant. Get your bumper in there now before I decide to give you mad tractor disease. Or Yellow Fever. Either one works"
The Celica snorted a little before looking to the back of the office, feeling Wren nudge her toward it in a more impatient manner.
"Wait you're serious? I had one this morning, I don't need another"
"Yes you do, you'll be using this at least five times today. We have an entire day of surgery lined up, and you'll have to be so clean, you're one paint layer away from being bald"
"...Nice"
"Phil will help scrub you down, I need to-"
"Ok I'm more than capable of showering by myself"
"You sure? You sure you don't need a rubber duck and a kids towel too?"
"Just because i'm smaller than you does NOT mean that you need to mother me"
"No, the fact you can't keep yourself in one piece for a month straight means I need to mother you"
At this point, Shadow chose to pull a face at her friend, before another shove caused her to reverse into the shower fully, shaking her hood.
"Oh, brace yourself"
"For what?" Came the Celica's question, just as boiling water poured down onto her hood and roof, making her yelp out in surprise.
"A good agent is prepared for anything" Wren said smugly, watching Shadow try to get away from the heavy stream of water.
"A good agent wouldn't be taking a shower in her friend's office…. They'd be on mission. Like they were hired to do"
"Just shower already! We're on a tight schedule…. Unless you can't handle it?" The SuperCorsair challenged the car a little, a knowing look in her eye.
"Pff I can handle it. I'm Shadow Carlisle after all"
"Then scrub" Came the final response, before the shower doors were abruptly closed on the car, leaving her in the boiling waterfall that was already making her feel light-headed. Despite the days prospects looking a little… surgical, the Celica was actually rather looking forward to getting stuck into something different, being easily bored with repetitive and mundane tasks. She emerged several minutes later, shinier than she had looked for a long time, as Wren started to move out of the office. Shadow grinned and followed eagerly, already buzzing about their first assignment.
"Okay then, first patient, bullet wound to the main oil line. He's been sedated and we have to perform rather quickly, we don't have a lot of time on this one"
"...Hm…"
"...What now?"
"It's funny actually… You actually do doctor stuff! I thought you just shuffled your papers and looked busy!"
"You know I'm not Angry right? I actually do work!"
"Yeah well…. We're always busy talking, I never notice you do anything"
"Pff yeah, alright well, concentrate now please" Wren suddenly snapped to work mode, causing the Celica to become a little more serious in the process. The SuperCorsair turned into a closed off room, two nurses already there checking the machinery that the agent was hooked up too, soft groans leaving him as he tried to stay awake through the sedative. His eyes were closing and blinking slightly as he tried to fight it, though eventually he lay still, only his breathing moving his body.
"Right, he's out, let's get moving" Wren started a flurry of activity in the room, the agent being slid onto a ramp, one that opened underneath so operations could be performed with ease. They rose him up in the air a little, so Wren could get underneath, but also check under his hood if need be. Shadow had been instructed to wear a mouth cover, having fiddled with it a considerable amount, she managed to get it over her wing mirrors and watch with slightly widened eyes as the plane then started cutting open various parts and trying to fix the issue within.
"Shadow, knife please"
"..."
"Knife!"
"Oh! Right, yes" The car now snapped into action, pushing over Wren's assorted tray of… surgical delights, including wrenches, knives, scissors and a fancy looking saw. It looked to Shadow like something out of a horror film, and she wasn't feeling so great about it suddenly. There was a moment of silence, as oil splattered and dripped onto Wren's paintwork and wings, an almost cold chill running through the Celica's body as her eyes stayed fixated on the SuperCorsair. Flashes of memories burst into her mind, remembering the oil covered faces of her mother and father as they tore another pipeline out from her body, causing the Celica to shake her hood rapidly of these thoughts. It was a long while ago now…. They weren't here. And she was no longer in that pain… Despite her best efforts, she knew she would never be free of the memories ingrained into her mind of her family's torture upon her, but the best she could do was to try and move on. She diverted her eyes away for a few moments, her mind escaping the room and trying to distract herself when Wren suddenly declared it was over, moving back and lowering the agent slowly. Shadow exhaled in response, realizing that she had infact been holding her breath throughout the whole thing, a bitter sickness laying in the pit of her tank.
"Uh…. y-yeah that's great…. What now?" Shadow asked in a quieter manner, as Wren pulled off the mask, discarding it into the rubbish bin.
"Well, judging by this list, the next one is a little bigger. Some poor sod dislodged his engine and has received some quite substantial damage. Nothing that I can't handle mind you, though perhaps the almighty agent would like to sit this one out?" Wren teased lightly, not having realised Shadow's previous state. The Celica scoffed at her friend, shaking her hood.
"Bring it. I'm ready for anything!"
The two then left the room, returning to Wren's office so the plane could once more shower, freeing herself of the oil and fluids that currently flecked over her body. After making a reluctant Shadow take yet another shower, it was then time to move to the second surgery room, the first being emptied of the recovering agent. Wren looked to the charts strapped to the wall beside the broken Mercedes, frowning a little as she quickly figured out in her mind what order to do her work in. The car was already unconscious, so she went straight to work with popping the hood and investigating the damage for herself, sucking her breath in through her teeth a little.
"Hm…suspected as much" Wren mumbled to herself, causing Shadow to creep closer to have a peek at what she was looking at. The Celica was no expert in how the car body worked, but even to her, with the mangled mess that the pipes were in, and the buckled engine, it was clear to see something was very wrong. Wren immediately disconnected parts to the engine, trying to prevent any form of start up, before working her way through the dents and scrapes to try and relieve what would be causing the most amount of pain. Once again, before long, oil and fluid started to cover Wren's mask, peppering her body also as she worked, the Celica staring at the scene before her. Her tank churned as her thoughts turned helplessly once more to her memories… maybe this is what it looked like to others when her mother was-
"Shadow!" Came the bark that snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Yes! What?" The car responded, causing Wren to roll her eyes.
"Pass me the wrench" Wren repeated, turning a little to look directly at Shadow with a stern tone. Shadow gasped slightly, the image of Wren's bloodied mask and the very phrase she used transporting her back to her young teenage years, the medical room disappearing in a cloud of darkened fog as she was sucked back to the horrors of her past. She could feel the ash filled air choke her lungs, the heat of the burning fires scorch her metal as yet another explosion shook the foundations of the unstable platforms. The sky was an ebony black, no stars shining to give her hope, the thick black smoke covering any form of outside life, no way of reaching out for help.
"Pass me the wrench" Came the sudden order, the Celica lowering her eyes to see the oil covered face of her mother, whom was staring directly toward her with a smirk.
"We'll make sure Shadow pays attention next time you tell her an order, Garek" She continued to speak, her voice dripping with acid as Shadow once more felt the chill of defeat. Her body ached and throbbed, the pain already inflicted still gripping her body as her mother once more pushed down on the young Celica's bumper, glancing into the already half beaten machinery.
"Let's see…. Ah yes, been a while since we touched that!" She seemed to laugh a little, taking the wrench and using it to rip her radiator clean out. A strong hissing sound occurred as the Celica screamed out in pain, her brother and father either side pinning her to the floor as they always did. Tears rolled down her sides as her entire body trembled, parts of her already feeling numb. Her own oil made the floor slick and hard to grip, the small Toyota panting from the effort of trying to stay awake.
"Please… No more, I can't take it, PLEASE!" Shadow pleaded desperately, her heart thudding hard, her head spinning wildly as her eyes came in and out of focus. Her father growled next to her, yanking her front tire toward him and putting his entire weight suddenly onto it, hearing the snap of the axle before her body erupted in pain. She screamed out again, the noise covered by yet another explosion that occurred nearby, the force vibrating the floor violently.
"You don't speak until you're spoken to!" Her father snarled, another warning in his voice. The Celica sobbed out, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to back away desperately, fearing that this time… they would kill her. Her bumper met violently with the wall as she was pushed back, eyes still squeezed shut as she refused to look anymore, her hood having been sawn off and discarded, giving her nothing to hide behind.
"Shadow open your eyes when I'm speaking to you!"
"Shadow!"
"Shadow!"
The Toyota gasped once more deeply, her eyes shooting open, coughing violently as she tried to reverse once more, equipment falling around her as it fell off the shelves above. Wren and the one other nurse in the room stared at the car as she tried to thrash herself out of an invisible grasp, before staring back, hyperventilating in the process.
"...Get her out of here now, take her to my office. Call Finn" Wren instructed, watching Shadow with a great deal of confusion. The nurse wasted no time, guiding the wobbly Celica to the next room and keeping her there, the car shaking non-stop. It didn't take very long for the Faultless to come practically bursting through the door, having received the message from the nurse and assuming the worst, despite knowing she wasn't on mission. His eyes focused on her immediately, driving up quickly and once more casting his gaze over her for any immediate exterior damage.
"What happened, are you hurt?" He fired his question immediately, looking to her side and frowning briefly when he saw no damage. Shadow was still trembling, keeping her gaze to the floor, her breathing still erratic. She said nothing, making no attempt to converse or even register the presence of her mission partner, which caused even more concern to spark across his face.
"Carlisle-"
"DON'T call me that" Shadow's voice broke the air sharply, causing Finn to reverse just a little from the sudden outburst.
"Don't….. Don't call me that…" She nearly whispered, her gaze dropping once more, tears stinging her eyes as she continued to tremble. Finn grit his teeth together as he tried to work out what was wrong, beginning to nudge her side a little as Wren rolled in, eyes casting warily over the two cars as she attempted to address the elephant in the room.
"What… on earth, was that all about in there?"
The Celica didn't respond to begin with, her breathing not slowing nor her shaking subsiding, until it occurred to the car that Finn was currently tracing a figure of '8' on her side with his wheel, a calming tactic that he knew the Celica would respond to. As predicted, she lowered herself a little to the floor, relaxing under the fluid motion as her mind slowly pieced itself back together, forming reality back into her head as she finally looked up to Finn, seeing his expression slightly pained. He was clearly worried, a frown etching itself onto his features.
"I…. I don't… know. I kind of…. Wasn't in control of my thoughts…. I could only imagine…." She stopped, burying her hood into the floor for a moment, unable to continue.
"I still don't know what took place" Finn prompted gently, though looked more to Wren now to answer his question. Wren sighed slightly, resting back on her landing gear as she thought for a few moments, trying to pinpoint when it went wrong.
"She's been helping me with my work. We were just in surgery, I was tending to Agent Crow's busted engine-"
"You let her watch open surgery?" Finn now interrupted, watching Wren here and hoping he'd gotten the wrong idea.
"Yes, she offered to help. I wasn't aware it would - Ohh Chrysler" Wren stopped, realizing at this point what could have caused Shadow to behave in such a manner.
"Wren! You of everyone should know that putting her through that was going to be a terrible idea!"
"I didn't think she'd react in that way alright?! It was an oversight on my part"
"Oversight?!"
"It's fine, I'm fine!" Shadow piped up suddenly, causing the two to stop their heated debate and turn to her.
"I should have known that it would have… played some weird stuff on me. So I'm as much to blame, okay?" Shadow spoke, mainly looking to Finn.
"It should have been realized sooner, after what you went through-" Finn started, still clearly a little defensive over the matter, though Shadow stopped him.
"I only wanted to help Wren…."
"You did help me Shadow… it's ok. Come on, I have some other stuff that you can help with"
"She's not helping you with more surgery… As her mentor I have to persist it's for her own good that she-"
"Finn we are going out shopping and for lunch"
"Right….Good" He relented, looking to Shadow once more, concern still etched on his face, but at least he seemed a little more relaxed about it. It didn't take much longer for Wren to reassign the surgeries amongst her team of staff, giving each instructions on what to pay attention for whilst Shadow recuperated, Finn sticking relatively close for the moment. After the main work had been dealt with, Wren turned to Shadow and motioned for her to follow, the two beginning the short trip to a long road full of shops and cafe's that they could peruse at their leisure. There was one shop in question that Wren made a point to stop near, peering in and eventually rolling through the doors, Shadow having accidentally driven straight past. However, when the Celica reversed and followed the plane, her eyes went wide with glee as she spied the shop stuffed to the brim with everything baby related. Toys, Small Baths, Training Wheels, Cots, Trailers, Baby Friendly Paint… it was all here, anything that an expectant mother could ask for. The entire shop smelt of talcum powder, and Shadow practically wriggled with excitement as Wren moved rather gracefully for her size through the aisles to get a look at the blankets. There was a moment where she seemed to pause, the Celica not noticing due to her wondrous staring of the entire shop until she ran into Wren's rudder, shaking her hood as she pulled away.
"Wren? Everything ok?" She asked, peering under the SuperCorsair's wing as she spoke.
"Hm? Oh I'm just… mentally preparing myself"
"For what?"
"The Salesmen. They're annoying" She sighed, watching as a few cars rolled around with clipboards, attempting to get mothers or their partners to buy more. Shadow smirked and nudged her friend on a little, moving beneath her wing.
"Awww Don't worry Wren, I'll protect you!" The Celica smirked, causing the plane to roll her eyes and move forward, deliberately clipping the small car as she did so. As Wren had predicted, one spied the pregnant plane and came zipping over, a cheerful smile on her face, her paint a bright red.
"And a good morning to you mother-to-be! How are we today?" She asked in a rather sweet voice, looking from Shadow to Wren. Wren rolled her eyes and glanced to Shadow, who was making her way along some other shelves, having abandoned her friend to the perils of sales cars and becoming broody over some of the pictures of babies that could be seen in some frames. A wicked smile crossed the planes face, waiting until Shadow was back in earshot, before giving the sales car a polite smile.
"Oh! I do apologize, but you have us mistaken…. She's the mother…. I'm the surrogate. See, her husband is a plane… I'm carrying the babies" Wren spoke as smoothly as she could, causing Shadow to stiffen in response. Wait…. What? Shadow spun around quickly to see Wren giving her a mock wave with her wing, as the sales car charged at her with her clipboard.
"Oh my goodness surrogacy! You must be so excited!"
"Wait, I'm not-"
"You must tell me dear, what are you expecting? More than one? It looks like you could be having multiple!"
"That's not-"
"That's such a nice thing for that plane to do for you! It must be hard to conceive as a car with a plane!"
"I-"
"But never you mind, I'm here to make sure that you have everything you need during this exciting time!"
"Hang on-"
"Now come right this way madam! We can get you all signed up!"
"I don't need to be-"
"Nonsense dear, we need to make sure you're all ready for the arrivals! So, what's your name dear?"
"Uh.. S-Shadow"
"Lovely name, it suits you very well… Now then, I'm just gonna run through a list with you-" The sales car continued, taking a bewildered Shadow off to the side, no doubt to guilt trip her into handing over far more of her personal details than she wanted to. Wren could vaguely hear them in the background as she scanned the blanket designs, picking out in her mind what each one would look like in their room. Occasionally she would hear Shadow's voice stall as a rather intimate question was asked, feeling the Celica's eyes burn into the back of her canopy at all times. There came a moment when Wren turned round to see that Shadow had vanished, pursing her lips for a moment as she pondered where the Celica had gotten to, only to turn around to see the car had appeared in the space before her, a frown on her face.
"Hey Wren."
"Oh hey Shads… so, how'd it go?"
"Quite well…. Hey did you know they have a sale on baby feed right now?" Shadow asked sarcastically, giving the plane an unimpressed look. Shadow raised a brow as Wren sniggered, catching the cars spoiler in her wing and dragging her off, determined to get to lunch as fast as she could. Being unco-operative, the Celica allowed Wren to drag her backwards for a while, until they were out of the shop entirely. To make up for the fact that Shadow had to practically hand over her contact details for fear of her life, Wren mentioned that Shadow should choose where they ate, and when it was made clear that Nandos was out of the question, Shadow decided on a little cafe that overlooked the river that ran through London. However, the Celica could only laugh as the large swollen plane ordered a salad, after her own order of Carbonara.
"If you're gonna order a forest, why not at least a burger?"
"Shadow, I'm pregnant, not fat"
"What's the difference?"
"HAHA you are too funny" Came the bored response, though another wicked grin appeared on her face as she watched the Celica for a moment.
"So what's going on between you and Finn then?" The plane asked with a completely innocent expression, Shadow choking on the water that she had decided to drink at that moment.
"Wren, I just thought…. Did you leave the oven on?"
"...We came straight from work"
"Oh yeah… nevermind."
"Right, so, you and Finn-"
"Are you scared of the birth?"
"Not really. Have you two actually done… anything since that dance?"
"I would have thought that childbirth would be the scariest part"
"Not even a kiss?"
"You know, some small creature ripping out of your body like something out of 'Alien' "
"...Do you even still like him?"
"Okay so how about those biscuits huh?"
"...Shadow"
"You know, If I had to put my bets on the next agent to get busted up it'd be-"
"Shadow!"
"...Hey that was my guess"
The medic took a moment to breath in and hold her breath, for fear of reaching across the table and pummeling the car in front of her, exhaling louder.
"Come on…. You and Finn…. Where are we with that?"
"Nowhere" The Celica sighed eventually. "Nothing at all.. Well…. No, that doesn't count…" She seemed to pause over a certain bit of information, though the SuperCorsair wasn't about to let that slip.
"What? What happened?" She pressed, causing Shadow to look up at her for a moment.
"Well… we… there was a point we did almost kiss…." She trailed off, before Wren's jaw dropped open.
"Shadow!"
"What?! Nothing… happened, it didn't go beyond a mere hint that it might have happened" The agent added, watching as the waiter came back with their food.
"Wait so…. You went to do it and… then what?" Wren asked again.
"Well, we seemed to stop, and then it kinda… just went onto mission talk….I guess I kinda… pulled away. I didn't know if…. That's…. What he wanted"
"Oh god Shadow… You should have gone through with it! Right… you need a new plan.. You need to make it happen again!"
"Wren, I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure you can't just make those moments happen"
"Not exactly, but you can set up the scenario for one. What do you typically do when you get in from work?"
"I dunno, it changes each day. Though most days I'll sit and watch him cook… it's quite interesting actually"
"Then that's it!"
"You're being vague again"
"You'll cook him something! A nice meal for him, ready for when he gets in"
"...Wren, I can barely keep myself from participating in some random explosion on mission, how do you honestly think I will deal with cooking?"
"Nooo I don't trust you to actually cook something, I'll make it, then you can stick it in the oven for about 10 minutes to heat it up… it's practically fool-proof"
"...Uh-huh….."
"Oh come on, like he'll know"
"And I thought I was the one with the weird schemes…. Don't take that from me Wren. What else do I offer this friendship?"
"Come on… Phil has the medical bay running smoothly… Angry won't know you're gone cause I'll put you down that you were with me at work all day. I'm not lying, it's just… not quite the same location"
"...Why do you already have this thought out?"
"Not because I was planning our escape from work if ever we needed it"
"...Of course not"
"Another thing we need to tackle, is how you flirt"
"What? No… Nooo I don't need to practice that. At all. No."
"How do you expect to get anywhere with him if you give him no signs?"
"I don't know, I just… thought he would have… guessed from the way I spent so much time with him…."
"Shadow…. Men are basic okay? You need to spell it out!"
Both vehicles stood in the spacious kitchen in the SuperCorsair's hangar, Wren looking over a bubbling pot of water, the burners alight with fire as she dragged out more pots and pans. Shadow had persisted a little with not needing any help, though Wren was adamant she needed it. This had gone on for quite some time now. Unbeknownst to the pair, Skipper had stuck his nose into the doorway, surprised to see them both there.
"What are you doing back so soon?"
"I'm helping Shadow get the man of her dreams…"
"I am trash" The Celica responded, to which Skipper snorted a little.
"That's nothing new…." He commented, though seemed to make his way into the kitchen now, making Shadow move a little to get out his way. He approached Wren carefully, brushing his nose against Wren's bump, a soft purr seeming to leave his engine. Shadow looked away for a few moments, the tender moment Skipper showed as he rubbed into his wife's stomach rather awkward for the car. Plus she had never heard a plane make that noise before.
"What are you doing Checkers?" Wren asked softly, though a small smiled played at her lips.
"I haven't seen you or bump all day" He replied back tenderly, Shadow still looking away whilst all this happened in front of her. Wren shifted as she began to feel the kicks of the babies, recognizing Skipper's voice and reacting quite actively. The older Corsair gave a light chuckle, glancing to his wife.
"My unborn children are beating me Wren.. what have you been teaching them?"
"Teaching them how to hand you your aft!" Wren smirked, as Shadow eventually turned her gaze to them, unable to help herself as she saw them together. They were certainly affectionate and happy together… it placed a sense of longing within the car… with her own history of abuse and rejection, she just wanted to be loved now. And perhaps Finn was the answer. She cleared her throat in an embarrassed manner, catching Wren's gaze as the SuperCorsair glanced back, before continuing on their original conversation.
"Flirting face… Go!" Wren instructed, causing Shadow to glance worriedly at Skipper, as the male intently watched her with a smirk.
"I…. don't really have a… flirting face…" Shadow said feebly, though her expression was becoming a little flushed, even with her black paint.
"Hmm… ok, a good one is when you have a drink. Just hold the drink to your lips, look into it, but then flick your gaze up to watch him… it gets them everytime" Wren spoke with an air of experience about her, trying to get Shadow to imitate her expression. It wasn't too long before Skipper was laughing harder than perhaps he should have been, causing both Wren and a conscious Shadow to watch him with frowns.
"Heh...watch this…" Wren whispered, before she approached him slowly.
"What's the matter Navy boy?" She said in a lower sultry tone, eyes half closed as she crept closer to him. Skipper immediately ceased, backing up just a little as his face began burning, embarrassed at the sudden change of events. Shadow began laughing at Skipper in turn now, earning a scowl from the plane as Wren triumphantly moved away, her point having been made.
"It's all in the flirting Shadow, you make sure and give Finn your best eye contact…. And you hint…. You hint like there's no tomorrow. If worst comes to the worst… you tell him, okay?"
"Tell him?"
"Yes… you tell him how you feel" Wren said sternly, leaving the car to dwell on this for a moment. The idea of telling Finn how she felt was daunting to say the least.. Not to mention the problems that could arise from such a confession. She was setting herself up to be hurt, for him to have to let her down gently and say there was nothing there, and that it was only friendship. Even if Finn returned the feelings… it was whether CHROME allowed personal relationships between agents, with several reasons posed against the idea. One such reason being in case one of them were to get into trouble on mission… the other agent could perhaps try to get to the one in danger, compromising the entire mission… Shadow gave Wren a final grin as the plane showed her what to do cooking wise, before eventually placing it all on a tray, wrapping it up and giving it to the Celica. The car seemed to take one last look at the affections between Skipper and Wren, as he fussed about getting her to take a rest, he would clear up for her. The same feeling of longing filling her, before she made a beeline for the door, the plan clear in her head. It'd be easy… pretend to cook, give him some wine, and then flirt… see if he catches on and finally… admit feelings. It couldn't go that wrong could it?
She tried to go through all possible scenarios in her mind as to what could ideally go wrong, something that perhaps wouldn't do well for her sense of peace, but would keep her prepared in case the worst happened. She crept through the halls of the apartment building, once more going to the top floor where they both lived, listening carefully to hear any movement. She could see from the scanner that no one had entered the apartment since they left this morning, so knew immediately she was safe. She rolled her tire over the safety device, watching it turn blue to allow her access, before pushing open the door and making immediately for the kitchen. Minutes later, she had placed the food carefully in the oven, letting it warm up gradually, poured wine into two glasses and set the lighting low with the dimmer. She took a moment to create 'mess' on the counters, to insinuate that she had been indeed 'cooking', before looking around with a bit of a smile. Yes… it looked convincing enough!
The Celica took the opportunity to roll to the window, relaxed in this moment that perhaps everything wouldn't be as bad as she so often pictured. He had danced with her after all…. And the near-kiss was enough to tell her that perhaps there was something more than just a passing fancy. As the Celica stared at her wine glass by the window, she saw a reflection run through it, a silver/blue car passing in the streets below as Shadow recognized her mission partner. She smiled upon seeing him, though immediately her nerves started to dance in her tank. This seemed to be really happening now… She tensed for a moment, taking a sip of wine as she heard the faint whirring of the lift, causing her to move anxiously to the kitchen again, unsure of where to place herself for when he came in. Before she knew it, the door opened, Finn not appearing for a few moments as the living room wall was in the way. Shadow rolled cautiously to the edge of the kitchen, watching as the Faultess appeared round the corner, a smile appearing on his face once he laid eyes upon his partner.
"Dare I ask what's going on?" He spoke with a grin, the very sound making her tank twist once more in worry.
"Heh, I...Well I thought it would be a nice change if… I did the cooking for once. You do a lot for me.. And always have done… I wanted to repay the favour in some way" She smiled back, though her general appearance seemed nervous. She rolled forward slowly, sliding his wine glass to him, and being careful to leave enough space for him in case he didn't feel like being smothered.
"I think that's very generous of you… But you really don't need to go to the effort, Shadow. I enjoy doing that for you…" He started, though a slight frown came to his face when he watched her more closely.
"Carlisle, are you alright?" He asked with some concern, which made her bolt upright a little on her tires, fixing more of a smile on her face.
"I'm fine! Honestly! Just… earlier still has me a little rattled" She trailed off slightly, looking away. It wasn't entirely false, though she wasn't as affected as she could have been.
"I should have known that you were going to be subject to what happened… I should have stepped in and-" Finn began to say, though Shadow cut him off quickly.
"No, no Finn it's… It's ok. You weren't in any wrong. I should have known myself but… I'm more ok than I would have been" She started to reassure the older car. He glanced at her as he took a sip from his glass, a questioning look on his face.
"Would have been?"
"Yes… If that had happened… a few years ago then I would have been a nervous wreck… I wouldn't have been able to… to function again mentally for a while. CHROME has helped me…. You've helped me" She said softly, her gaze lowered as she watched the wine in her glass for a few moments, before lifting her eyes once more to look at him, in a move similar to what Wren showed her. Finn physically seemed to blink uncertainly for a moment, before that familiar suave smile came back to his lips, looking her up and down briefly before he went to speak again. As he opened his mouth to reply, a loud alarm suddenly chorused through the room, causing the Celica to flinch a little at the noise. It was here, she realized that the food had been left in the oven still, with the temperature set quite high! The burning smell now drifted through the apartment, the panicked car rushing straight back into the kitchen as the sprinklers erupted with water, coating everything that lay in its way. The Faultless followed her and watched as she opened the oven doors, black smoke billowing out and across the floor. She coughed loudly and waved her tire to try and clear the black fog, the fire alarm deafening her to the point all she could hear was ringing. Moments later, she had shut down the appliance, and pulled the burning food out of the shelves, now sitting on the counter side, looking less than appetizing. The Celica couldn't quite believe how quickly things had gone wrong, the car soaked to her core as she shut down the alarm, Finn tipping water from under his hood to the floor. Luckily, protective measures were in place around the flat, meaning that covers automatically appeared to protect furniture and the floor, though not the two cars that were now in the midst of a soaked kitchen. Shadow let out a loud sigh, shaking her tire out a little before reversing a little, just as Finn went to approach her again.
"It's alright Shadow we can-"
"Uh…. It's… fine. It's ok. I have…. To clean up" She made a half attempt at trying to cover up her shame, something as simple as forgetting food in the oven… yeah, that looked fantastic. She slinked off to the shared bathroom they had, Finn watching with a slightly sorrowful expression. He could tell that she had wanted to make an effort for him, before he gave a small sigh himself, looking about the kitchen and setting about cleaning it up rather hurriedly. Shadow stood in the bathroom for several minutes, leaning against the wall, softly banging her hood on the side. Ugh, why did she have to be such a muck up! The Celica moped for a while longer, before hearing a gentle knock at the door, hearing Finns muffled voice afterward.
"Shadow… come on, we can start again"
"I'm fine Finn, I just need a few minutes"
"Come on now…. Don't be like that…"
"I just need to… uh… rethink things…" She finished with, causing Finn to purse his lips for a moment.
"I can see how hard you worked to make it special… I'm very grateful for the effort you went to. The food smelt rather good until it burst into flames" He said with a smile, Shadow hearing that smile in his voice as he spoke. She took a few seconds to decide what to do, the door slowly unlocking as Finn successfully picked the lock, and opened it to see her there.
"Come on… we'll have a go together…. You need a cooking lesson it seems" He smiled, as Shadow averted her gaze, remaining silent.
"At least this way you won't have to ask Wren to cook for you again" He added, Shadow's eyes snapping wide open and staring at him for a moment.
"How did you…. Were you stalking me?" She asked, stunned, just as Finn started laughing.
"Only Wren would organise the food on the trays like that"
The Celica looked down once more in embarrassment, following Finn out of the bathroom and once more into the kitchen, seeing that he had indeed cleaned up rather well. She still remained rather quiet as he began to decide what to do, leaning against the counter to slide certain ingredients over to him, noting the silent manner of his companion. He waited a few moments before grinning gently to himself, deliberately sweeping the counter with flour, before using his tire to chuck a good quantity at her hood. It hit her with a 'thud', to which she gasped in shock, a fine cloud of flour now surrounding them.
"You need to cheer up… The only other cars I see that are that miserable are all in the CHROME prisons…" He smirked, seeing her surprised expression through the slight flour haze. She smiled gently, shaking her hood so some of it fell to the floor, and he resumed his work. Moments later, another tireful of flour hit her in the face, causing her to reverse back and laugh. She watched him once more, tipping what flour she could into her own tire, her gaze never leaving him all the while. Finn saw this motion and watched her carefully with a smirk, eyeing her movements.
"Easy Carlisle…. Don't start what you can't finish" He teased lightly, before she smirked herself, launching the flour right back. He dodged, retaliating by launching a tray toward her. She activated her tire magnets, using it to block the flying tray and use it as a shield as he followed the attack with another sweep of flour. She flew toward him, Finn attempting to dodge the attack once more, though his bumper hitting the cupboard and stopping his reverse. She clipped his front, though he used his grappling hook to snag her back axles and pulled her backwards, her tires screeching a little as she tried to steer. She then managed to throw a wooden spoon at him, which he deflected, though this distracted him from the packet of sugar that exploded on his hood. This carried on, the pair using what agent skills they had to deflect and attack one another with pots, pans, trays and even food, flour laying in mounds upon the floor. One final attack caused Shadow to skid to the other side of the kitchen, the Celica giggling as she came to a stop. Finn was chuckling on the other side, panting a little from the effort of her fight, both of them covered in flour and sugar for the most part. Once they had both calmed, Shadow managed to grab a cloth to try and rub away what she could on herself, chuckling every so often as Finn smirked.
"You put up a fair fight… you've learned well" Finn gave a mock authoritative tone, to which Shadow pulled a face.
"I've learned from the best…" She smiled, focusing on her hood for the moment, the tickling sensation it gave her was becoming too much. Finn chuckled once more, moving to her front and taking the cloth, rubbing her hood to help her with the bits she couldn't reach. They both became silent as he worked, Shadow's eyes half closed as she enjoyed the relaxing feeling it gave her, his tire sweeping to her fender and running it round to her chin to aid her where she couldn't see. Shadow's gaze flicked up as his tire lingered at her chin, her heart beginning to race as he looked her over for a moment, seeing the fight in his eyes suddenly. The moment was almost tense, as they both looked at one another, trying to work out how the other was feeling. Slowly, gradually, Finn began to pull her in, their bumpers getting closer and closer together, feeling his breath as her heart crashed harder and harder, tank twisting and unable to breath, unable to think…. Pulling her in so close, just millimeters away from touching...