Hey you guys!

First off - thank you so much for the reviews/follows/favs, really much appreciated.
Awesome to know that you like this story.
I love writing it as well, so I guess that's why it's still not finished, hehe.
New ideas keep popping up, and so here we are.
Chapter 12.

Next to that, with all the bad things happening in the world right now, I feel even more motivated to write, if only to provide you guys something to escape reality for a moment.
For reality is brutal, at the moment.
Know that my thoughts are with all those affected by the war, no matter what country they're from.

Now, that being said, let's do this!
Enjoy! ^^

Chapter 12

-The deeper you dig, the messier it gets-

Rubbing her chin, Charley took a good look at the unfamiliar bolt before she turned around to her workbench, hoping that one of her terrestrial wrenches would fit on the extraterrestrial bolt that was attached to the most beautiful bike she had ever seen.
To say that working on such an impressive machine powered by alien technology was extraordinary was what one liked to call an understatement.
Truthfully, there were simply no words invented to describe how exciting this was for her.
At the same time, it was the biggest challenge she had ever faced in her garage, but that didn't scare her off.
On the contrary, actually.
She had always loved a good challenge.

It had been Throttle who came up with the idea, while O'Neill was searching the scoreboard for his much-needed drink.
"Why don't you and Vinnie go to your garage to fix his ride, huh? The sooner she's back in business, the better", he had suggested to her while squeezing her shoulder in a friendly way.
The warm smile on his face had told her that it wasn't just about the bike, but to give them some time alone as well and she was grateful for him being so considerate with her and his beloved young bro.

They might have had a rough start, but she could now see why Vinnie was so loyal to the tan-furred Martian.
There was just something special about him, something she couldn't name.
His calmness, his kindness, his wisdom, his dedication to the cause…
He was a born leader, that's for sure.
And maybe, just maybe, he reminded her of her father, but that would be her little secret.

Soon after Throttle came up with the idea, they had left the scoreboard and here they were, tinkering with the cherry-red racing bike for hours already.
The sun was long gone, and so were the clouds.
Finally, after nights of rain and wind, the moon had a free path to shine down its mellowing light and for a moment, Charley peered through the window at the glowing satellite object with her hands resting on the counter.
It appeared that the bike wasn't the only challenge she had to face tonight after this very exhausting and surreal day.
No.

The second challenge turned out to be none other than its white-furred owner, who was working with her on his beloved ride with this strange absent look on his face.
Even more so, he had barely said a word since they had left the scoreboard.
Now, perhaps she didn't know him that long, but she had seen enough to know that it wasn't like him to be so quiet.
To be so deep in thought.
Frankly, it worried her.
More importantly — she wasn't entirely sure how to handle it.

Of course, she could just ask him what was on his mind, but something told her that he wasn't really the 'let's hold hands and share our deepest feelings' type of guy.
Next to that, even though she knew deep down that he wasn't going anywhere, she was still somehow scared that she would chase him away if she would start asking questions again.
But the problem was that it became increasingly difficult to keep her mouth shut.

At first, she had been sort of grateful for him being so quiet.
It had given her some time to process all the things that had happened today without being overwhelmed by fear and shock.
This peaceful reflection eventually made her come to the conclusion that Vinnie's strong reaction when she had offered her help this afternoon had made her curious as to why he had been so hellbent on stopping her from joining the team.

He was obviously scared to death of losing her, and she seriously wondered why that was.
Somehow, she just knew there was more to it than just simple overprotection.
Something had happened to him.
Something bad.
And not just to him.
To his friends, too.

Modo's robotic arm and glowing eye, Throttle's peculiar pinkish eyes hidden behind sunglasses which he even wore inside, Vinnie's mask…
Yeah.
There was obviously a story to it, more than Throttle had told her and O'Neill this afternoon.
A story she was dying to hear.
And so, as it seemed to become a common thread through this bizarre adventure, questions started to come to mind.
Questions she couldn't just ask.

Maybe that was the reason why Vinnie's silence seemed to become louder by the second.
Maybe it only became louder in her head because she couldn't ask him what she wanted to ask him and it made her feel anxious, insecure, and, oddly enough, highly self-conscious.
Then again, was it really his silence that triggered these feelings or was it just his overwhelming presence?
Probably the last.
Most definitely the last.
Considering the effect he had on her, that wasn't far-fetched at all.

After heaving a somewhat frustrated sigh, Charley focussed her attention back on the toolbox.
It didn't take long before she found what she was looking for and with the wrench in her hand, she turned around.
Her heart made a little dance as soon as her gaze landed on the white-furred Martian, something that seemed to become a habit whenever she saw him and she wasn't sure whether to like it or not.
On the one hand, she hated it with every fiber in her body that he was able to make her feel like a clumsy schoolgirl in love.
On the other hand, she loved it that he was able to make her feel again in the first place.
That he chased away the numbness inside of her that had been there ever since her parents died.

It was this strange yet intriguing creature that had awoken her from a deep slumber and she couldn't be more grateful.
But it was just so complicated at the same time.
He was complicated.
He was like an onion.
Build out of layers.
There was so much more to him than he showed her, that she knew.

It was just so tempting to rip the layers off all at once, to bury him under all the questions she had for him in her desperate need to get to know him.
To find out about his story.
But, like mentioned before, she instinctively knew that she couldn't do that.
She knew types like him.
She had to peel the layers off, one by one.
She had to respect his boundaries, for she knew he had them.
In other words — she had to be patient.
Which wasn't really her strong suit, but hey, life consisted of waiting and with her twenty-eight years, she should have had enough practice to make this work.

Realizing that she was still standing at the same spot, staring at him like some sort of idiot, Charley quickly made her way over to his bike before he had the chance to notice it.
Or maybe more to the point — before he had another chance to make fun of her.
After spinning the wrench in her hand, she held it close to the bolt with one eye shut tight.
Much to her relief, it was the right size.
While she was unscrewing the thing, she glanced over the bike at Vinnie, who was currently placing one of the protection caps back where it belonged after removing the dents with a very ingenious Martian device that he had brought with him from the scoreboard.

He had a small frown between his brows and his nose was slightly wrinkled in concentration, which only reminded her of their little adventure in the dressing room and she quickly refocused her attention back on the bolt, which wasn't nearly as interesting as the white-furred Martian sitting across her.
However, if she wouldn't, she might jump on him again and beg him for another out-of-this-world experience like the one she had in the dressing room, which wouldn't do any good for her already battered dignity.
But, unsurprisingly, it didn't take long before her eyes darted back to him, eager and impassioned.
She just couldn't stop herself.
She just had to look at him.

Big ears.
White fur.
A silver mask.
Red eyes.

Again, just like every time he appeared in her field of vision, it wasn't the whole alien thing that caught most of her attention, but his eyes.
Those intriguing eyes of his.
Usually twinkling with vice but now mildly obscured by…
Yeah, by what?
Sadness seemed to be accurate.
Just like the night she had seen him for the first time.
Without really realizing it, she leaned a bit closer to the bike and thus to him, already drowning in his eyes again, as per usual.
And that while they weren't even looking at her but at the bike, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, for it gave her the chance to take a good look at them without being interrupted.
And so it happened.

Thanks to the bright lights in her garage, she was now able to see a few circular black lines in the bright-red flames that were his irises, like tiny smoke rings in a campfire.
For some reason, it made them even more dreamlike.
He really had the most fascinating eyes she had ever seen and she rested her chin on the saddle of the bike, the bolt completely forgotten for now.
Only looking at him made her feel dazed in a fascinatingly good kind of way, although she still had the presence of mind to know that drooling on his bike wouldn't exactly earn her some points.
Hallelujah.

His lashes weren't white, she now saw.
They were as black as the night.
Even more so, the short and soft-looking fur that covered the area around his eyes contained a few stray black hairs as well.
It matched perfectly with the black lines in his eyes.
Everything was just perfect.
He was perfect.
Complicated, erratic, an otherworldly onion, yes…
But perfect.

Perhaps he was feeling her intense gaze, or maybe it was just coincidence, but he suddenly raised his eyes and they locked with hers for a brief moment.
That already familiar tingle tickled her lower abdomen by seeing him looking back at her and Charley quickly bowed her head again with burning cheeks, cursing herself for being so… swoony.
She thought that their little round of fidgeting had decreased the electric field between them for good, but as it turned out, it had been rather short-lived.
And now, it was already regaining its intensity again.

As she gave herself a huge inner scolding for her embarrassing behavior, she could feel he was still watching her and it literally made her shiver.
But she miraculously managed to keep her eyes down and soon, the actually not so unpleasant feeling slowly vanished again.
Hm.
Maybe talking wasn't such a bad idea after all.
This whole silence thingy was starting to drive her insane, so perhaps she needed to end it before she could make a real fool out of herself.

"I've looked inside her head", she blurted out, totally out of the blue and she closed her eyes for a moment while gnashing her teeth.
This was not helping with the whole 'don't embarrass yourself' quest she just started.
She could at least have cleared her throat before opening her mouth or something.
Or say something that would actually make sense.
Yeah, well…
This was precisely why she hated it to be in love with this very interesting character.
It just made her so goddamn awkward.
And of course, as expected, her random choice of words obviously confused Vinnie, for he froze for a moment before he looked up from his work with a frown decorating his quite handsome face.
"Sorry, what?"

Charley cleared her throat a bit uncomfortable -a little too late!-, doing her very best to avoid his gaze as she fought not to give in to the hysterical laughter that bubbled up due to her awkward stupidity.
"That's what you said to Throttle. I've looked inside her head…"
She paused, wondering why she was already on the verge of asking him a question while she, only minutes ago, had decided to go easy on him.
But the silence that lingered in the air, along with his burning questioning gaze, got the best of her.
God, she really was incorrigible.
"What did you mean by that?"

Her beloved knight in shining fur shifted his weight a bit uncomfortable by this question and she glanced at him from under her lashes, but now it was he who avoided her gaze.
"I shouldn't have said that."
And here we are again.
Back to playing their little game, just like they did in the alley.
Charley's mouth twitched and she slightly shook her head whilst moving on to the next bolt, if only to give herself a posture.
"That seems to be a recurring theme with you."
After dropping a meaningful silence, she bravely continued, despite that this conversation was already giving her a somewhat ominous feeling, although she wasn't sure why.
"And so is dodging questions."

Vinnie snorted as he ticked the handle of the screwdriver on his bike a couple of times at the same rhythm of her heartbeat.
"Looks like you got me all figured out. Kudos to you, Miss Davidson."
Oh, boy.
There was that teasing tone of voice again, the very one that made her heart flutter in her chest and the wrench almost slipped through her fingers, but she managed to keep it in her hand.
When she shot him a quick look, she saw that the smile was back, too.
That boyishly charming smile of his, that gave her the feeling as if she was floating somewhere halfway space.

As if on cue, her breathing accelerated, but she then suddenly realized what he was doing here.
He was using his charms to distract her.
That cheeky little rascal…
Well, not this time.
Oh, hell no.
She was familiar with the game now.
And for once, she was holding the winning hand.
Royal flush.
"I could always ask Throttle. I mean, if you don't wanna talk about it…"

A shadow flickered across his face, taking the smile with it and Charley felt a pang of remorse, but she managed to stay in her role.
The fact that he was so hellbent on avoiding the question could only mean that it mattered.
That it was important, somehow, and thus, she just continued with her work so-called nonchalantly, knowing that the silence would do the rest.
And, indeed, it did.
"You see these?"

Trying very hard not to look too smugly, Charley looked up from her work, only to see him pointing at the strange red antennas on his head and she nodded, not really sure where he was going with this, but it most certainly piqued her curiosity.
No surprise there.
Luckily, she didn't have to wait long to find out what they were for.
"We can read minds with them."

Perhaps this new and quite astonishing fact about extraterrestrial life should surprise her, but it didn't.
After all, crazier things had happened these past few days.
Much crazier things.
Like her having steaming hot sex with an alien in the dressing room of the Cubs, for instance.
But then, the words dawned upon her and this time, the wrench did slip out of her hand.
It landed on the floor with loud clattering, but she barely heard it.
No way…
No.
Fucking.
Way.
"You've read my mind?!"

Vinnie's ears drooped a little as a faint blush appeared under his white fur, and if she wasn't so shocked by this discovery, she might have called it cute.
"I ah… I might have taken a quick look around, yeah…"
Not only did he stutter, which was completely new to her, but his voice also slightly trembled, giving away his unease.
In fact, she had never seen him this uncomfortable before and for some reason, it made her sick to the stomach.
Slowly, Charley rose on her feet, her green eyes almost burning a hole in his skull.
"When?"

He too got upright, the tip of his tail twitching as he kept a close eye on her.
It was actually quite strange to see him this cautious, you know, with his usual 'fuck the world' attitude.
"The first time we kissed."
At least he was being honest.
And, as it turned out, her guts had been right.
She didn't like the answer to this question.
Not even close.
Like her beloved late father used to say — 'the deeper you dig, the messier it gets.'
As always, he was right.

A small spark of anger lit up her heart, making it dance through her chest like there was no tomorrow and she stared at him, her breathing getting heavier by the second as her brain was already making overtime again.
There was no rest for those who encountered alien life, that she knew now.
But holy shit.
This was bad.
He had read her mind.
Even more so, he had done it without her knowing.
Which meant that he had taken advantage of her disadvantage.
After all, she was only human.
A weak and fragile human and he…
He had used his super alien powers on her while she was at her most vulnerable.

It made her feel peculiarly disgraced.
Not just that.
It made her furious as well.
The small spark expended as quick as only fire could consume its environment and soon, she practically burst into flames.
And here she was, thinking about his boundaries.
Treating him like an onion.
Treating him with kid gloves.
Honestly…
It was embarrassing.
Naive, once again.
No more.

One by one, her fingers clenched into a fist and without even giving herself the chance to think this through, she raised her hand and lashed out at him.
She had never, ever laid a hand on someone before, much less a badass alien that was armed to the teeth, which obviously went beyond the category 'bad ideas', but this…
This was about crossing lines that weren't meant to be crossed.
Unfortunately for her, and maybe not entirely unexpected, her Martian hero was blessed with quick reflexes, and right before her fist made contact with his nose, he took her wrist in an iron grip with one of his fingerless gloved hands.
"Don't."
His voice was cold, menacing even, but there was also a slight tremor audible, one that sounded a lot like regret.
Or maybe even shame.

Perhaps it should ease her anger a bit, but truth be told, it didn't.
It only fueled it, strangely enough.
Or maybe not that strange.
He obviously knew he had done something wrong, which gave her the feeling that she was fully entitled to be angry with him about this.
"How could you?", she whispered, hardly able to speak due to this quite maddening fury, or maybe it was because of the pain that was thoroughly hidden underneath it.
Pain due to his betrayal, for that was how it felt like.
It felt like he betrayed her in the foulest way.
"I trusted you…"

Vinnie buried his shining teeth in his lower lip as he kept his gaze fixed on the hand that was still holding her wrist.
"I only did it to find out your intentions…", he said softly, his entire appearance breathing defeat now and his thumb gently rubbed the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist.
Charley shivered under his touch, and she closed her eyes for a moment, trying very hard to keep her head in the game.
The anger helped.
Only thinking about what he had done to her was enough to fan the flames and after clenching her teeth, she yanked herself free.
"If you wanted to know my intentions, you could've just asked me, like normal people do."

Okay, this was a poor choice of words on her part.
She should've known, but she wasn't really thinking straight, now was she?
She never really was whenever he was around.
And indeed, Vinnie let out a muffled chuckle, kind of like a kid that tried to hold back its laughter because it was inappropriate for whatever reason.
To take it even a step further, he folded his arms as he flashed her that infuriatingly arrogant smile of his, although it excluded the sparkling eyes this time.
Such a shame.
"Do I look like normal people?"

Shit, he really was erratic.
He went from angry to regretful to -childishly- playful in only the blink of an eye, it was beyond crazy.
One could almost call it a gift…
You know what?
Scratch crazy.
It was just so goddamn sexy.
Exciting.
Like a never-ending adventure.

But, though his mood swings stirred something inside of her, something close to her lower abdomen, like something was pulling on her uterus in a most enjoyable way, it put more fuel on the fire in her heart at the same time.
"Is life just a game to you? You can't just poke around in someone's head, Vinnie. It's wrong", she told him, jabbing a finger into his chest to strengthen her words, or maybe it was just to give herself the strength she needed to stay sharp.
"Maybe it's normal on Mars, but here, it's not. Here, we actually talk to get to know each other. I suggest that as long as you're here on Earth, on our turf, you better start playing by our rules, mister."

Her finger stirred his sweater, just enough to release a wave of that maddening scent of his and, as always, it made her head spin as if she was taking a ride on a roller coaster.
To make it even worse, instead of fueling the fire like she so desperately needed it to do, his delightful fragrance decided to feed the electric field.
God, it just wasn't fair.
The effect he had on her.
Even now, it didn't cease to amaze her, and no, not in a good way, for it made it so hard to function like a normal human being and hence to stay mad at him.
This was most aggravating.

Lowering her trembling hand, she held in her breath as she took a few steps away from him in the hope that would help to clear her already woozy head.
While she was doing that, she kept a close eye on him, and so did he.
His crimson eyes followed her every movement while a somewhat insecure frown decorated his peculiar face, as if he didn't really know how to handle this very ghastly situation.
You and me both, man.
But the left corner of his mouth was still slightly curled up, leaving a hint of that sexy as hell smile behind.
If Charley had to guess, he was, despite that her emotions didn't leave him indifferent, still mildly amused by seeing the effect he had on her.
Well, at least one of them was entertained here.

But then, completely out of nowhere, his face darkened, as if he just now realized the gravity of the situation and his shoulders slumped.
"It's wrong on Mars, too. Taking someone on a Mind Walk without that person's specific permission is strictly prohibited…", he mumbled, taking a few steps away from her as well before he leaned against the counter, his gaze fixed on a spot somewhere near his feet.
"Before the war, it was even punishable by death."
Charley gawked at him in disbelief, her head pounding most painfully due to hearing another lovely novelty of the Martian culture.
"You really love taking the whole 'living on the edge, you only live once and that kinda stuff' to the next level, don't you?", she eventually managed to bring out, her brain working really hard to at least try to understand his actual incomprehensible drive to taunt death.

Vinnie glanced at her from under his lashes before he shrugged so-called casually, although that failed miserably.
"I have my reasons."
Her already racing heart skipped a beat by hearing these words, and she subconsciously took a step in his direction again, knowing he just opened a door.
Or at least, that was what she liked to believe, but then again, did she really care if he opened it or not?
He most certainly hadn't, that night when he kissed her.
So why would she?
Fuck boundaries.
Fuck onions.
Fuck patience.
"And what are those reasons… exactly?"

Her beloved Martian friend swallowed with difficulty, he even pulled the opening of his black sweater as he still avoided her gaze.
Even more so, he seemed to slightly quiver under her constructive pressure, and in spite of herself, she wondered why that was.
"It doesn't really matter", he eventually said, again trying to sound nonchalant, but his tail lashed through the air before it relaxed again, although the tip kept dancing like a feather in the wind.
She was getting closer, she could feel it.
The mildly threatening tone in his voice was just one of the few, though subtle, signs that she needed to back off, but instead of listening to them, she just hurtled on like a bulldozer.
Typical.
"It does, actually. To me, it does. That has to mean something, so tell me, Vinnie — why are you, you? What happened to you on Mars?"

A tiny muscle close to his nose twitched, making his upper lip slightly tremble as he let out a full-body exhale, and for a moment, she thought he was going to give in.
But then, he straightened his back and raised his eyes, only to give her the most terrifying warning glare she had ever seen.
It was one that literally sent shivers down her spine, but her anger gave her the strength to continue and she took another step in his direction, ignoring the alarm bell that went off in the back of her head the moment she saw the menace in his eyes.
Stubborn much?
"Well, here's another question. Why were you so hellbent on stopping me from joining the team? Or wait, lemme rephrase that — Why are you so excessively afraid of losing me? We barely even know each other."

Okay, okay.
She knew she was being harsh now, and totally unfair too.
After all, the thought of losing him literally took her breath away, so it wasn't really that strange that he felt the same way, but once she was on roll, it became increasingly difficult to stop.
She always had a little temper.
One of her less charming character traits, along with her lethal curiosity and zero patience.
In addition, she was still mad as hell.
Reading her mind, holy shit.
"What happened to you, Vinnie? What's your story? Since you already know mine, it seems only fair that you tell me yours."

As the high tones of her voice, caused by her deep indignation, echoed through the garage, Vinnie spread his arms a bit and wrapped his fingers around the edge of the workbench as he still looked at her with eyes as black as the night and his mouth in a tight line.
But he said nothing.
He just stood there, in his fully intimidating glory and Charley slowly came to a stop again, her mouth dry by seeing the immense threat he radiated.

She had pushed him in a corner and he obviously didn't like it, but frankly, she couldn't care less.
Perhaps that made her crazy, or maybe even suicidal, but the fact remained that she simply did not care about his feelings right now.
Not after he hurt hers in the way he did.
But now, she had to figure out a way to get him to talk.
He didn't strike her as one that cracked easily, but then again, everyone had their breaking point.
Even interplanetary heroes…
Help suddenly came from an unexpected source.

A loud beep penetrated the somewhat gloomy silence and both Charley and Vinnie looked at the cherry-red racer that was still standing between them somehow soothingly.
As if it tried to mediate.
Maybe it did.
This bike didn't exactly fit in the category 'normal', after all.
After another beep, the small screen in the dashboard came to life, displaying a single word.

'Harley.'

For whatever reason, it felt as if the oxygen got sucked out of the room all at once, although Charley wasn't sure what that particular reason was.
She was also clueless about what the bike was trying to tell her, but she did know one thing — if even his bike was on her side in this one, which it obviously was, she could only be on the right path.
And yes, even while it didn't feel that way.

But maybe this stubborn specimen coming from Mars needed a little encouragement slash contradiction from time to time, instead of someone who was more than happy to get distracted by his charms or to be intimidated by his impressive appearance.
Maybe that was what the bike was trying to tell her.
Maybe it was, indeed, mediating.
To make its owner a bit less lonely.
Every wolf needs a pack.
Even lone wolves.
If only he let her in.

Her green eyes darted from the screen to Vinnie, and to say that he had gone through a drastic transformation while she had been looking at the bike was an understatement, to say the least.
Simply put, her beloved knight in shining fur looked like he had seen a ghost.
Thanks to the white fur, she was perfectly able to see that the skin underneath it was as pale as a sheet and every muscle in his body seemed to be as tight as a drum.
His eyes were still fixed on his precious bike, wide open and filled with shock and, much to her surprise, pain.
For the first time since she met him, she saw pain in his eyes.
Real pain.
As in — sheer agony.

Truth be told, seeing him like this made her self-esteem dangerously falter, if only for a brief moment.
Perhaps the time had come to back off.
She was obviously pushing him too far.
God only knew what would happen if she kept pushing.
And yet, she didn't stop.
She knew she had to.
But she just didn't.
"Who's Harley?"

The moment she spoke the name out loud, Vinnie snapped out of his little trance thingy and he looked up with a jerk, his ruby-red eyes spitting fire as he pushed himself away from the counter.
"Don't. I know I hurt your feelings, and I'm sorry for that, I really am. But seriously… don't."
The strangest thing was that he was moving away from her, instead of coming closer to her to intimidate her or whatever rugged aliens did when someone was stupid enough to corner them.
He was scared, Charley realized with a little shock.
And obviously not aware of the fact that he did a whole lot more than just hurting her feelings.
Time to enlighten him, then.

"I trusted you. I put everything I have at risk for you. My garage, my life, my everything and what do you do in return? You take away my free will. This…-", and she tapped a finger against her temple.
"-...this is mine. All mine. I decide what to do with it, and I alone. It's up to me to tell you what I want to tell you, whenever I want to tell you. But you took that away from me…"
Much to her annoyance, her voice broke and she fell silent again, breathing heavily due to her little outburst.
No way she was going to cry.
She'd rather die.

Vinnie, now standing in one of the corners of her beloved garage, watched her for a moment with slightly twitching nostrils, his chest moving up and down with every breath he took.
"You're overreacting, sweetheart. Perhaps you should take your own advice and talk instead of jumping to conclusions."
Excuse me?
It was this very moment that Charley, after balancing on the edge of the abyss for a little while, fell down and passed the point of rational thinking.
Emotions just took over, which was a very dangerous thing, but it was beyond her control now.

She had been assaulted.
She had been confronted with alien life in ways she still couldn't fully comprehend.
She had been kidnapped by a guy who leaked oil instead of sweat.
She had fallen from the sky like a bird without wings.
She had been held at gunpoint by another alien.
She had been through all of that, but that was okay.
Because it would be all worth it in the end.
Or at least, that's what she told herself.
But now, the very person who she endured all this for, told her she was overreacting.
And that after she practically bared her soul.
Who's suicidal now?

"Didn't your mother, or whoever raised you, teach you never to tell a woman that she's overreacting?", she spat out, now seething with anger as she maneuvered herself around his bike with wobbling knees.
"Actually, she didn't. She died before she could", Vinnie snapped back, but despite that he obviously started to get really angry too, he, again, tried to take a few steps back.
Which he couldn't, for he was still standing in a corner, and he raised his eyes to heaven while gnashing his teeth before he peered at Charley again, who was marching towards him with clenched fists, deliberately ignoring his comment about his mother, for she knew it was just another distraction.
"Shit, Charley, you really need to calm down, before things…"

"Who is Harley?", Charley cut him off, not even bothering to listen to him, or maybe that was because she barely heard him.
There was this high beep in her ears, distorting every sound that was supposed to make sense, including his usual lovely voice.
When she reached him, he made a weak attempt to grab her by the shoulders, all to stop her from getting closer, both physically and mentally, but she slapped his hands away and closed the remaining gap between them.
"Who. Is. Harley?"

Vinnie looked down at her, his fur bristled and as in slow motion, he took his lip between his teeth, which was a clear sign to her that he was fighting to stay in control.
To not let himself get dragged into her insanity.
But the thing was, she didn't want things to be in control.
She didn't want him to be in control.
She wanted to take down his walls with brute force because that's what he had done to her.
She wanted him to snap, to show her who he really was and she knew, she just knew… that was about to happen.
All he needed was a few last pushes.
"Who is Harley? Why are you so afraid of losing me? Why are you so quiet tonight? What happened to you on Mars?"

She fired her questions at him like random bullets, and he flinched with every word that came out of her mouth, but she just kept going and going.
"Why did you kill the man who assaulted me? Why are you so overprotective over me? Who is Harley? Why are you always avoiding my questions?"
A low growl vibrated deep in his chest, one that gave her goosebumps all over her body, and he pressed himself against the wall in his desperate need to get away from her.
"Charley…"
"Who is Harley? Did your mother really die?"
Closing his eyes, he clenched his teeth with so much strength that she could see his neck muscles roll under his fur, but he still didn't break.
"Who is Harley? Why did your bike give me that name? What happened to her?"

His eyes flew open again and he looked down at her, his breathing heavy and a somewhat pleading look on his face, although there was anger, too.
"Stop. I don't wanna hurt you…"
Perhaps that comment should frighten her, but it didn't, simply because Charley knew, deep down, that he would never really hurt her.
It was just another distraction.
And so, she pursed her lips as she reached out to him, and after grabbing his sweater in a tight grip, she climbed on his shoes so she could get even closer to his face.
Right before their noses touched, she stopped, balancing on her toes and for a moment, they looked each other deep in the eye.

His scent whirled into her nose like a tornado, but this time she wasn't planning on letting it distract her.
She did break eye contact, though, for it was kind of intense to see him looking at her the way he did and her green eyes wandered over his face while she felt his rapid breaths on her searing lips.
The heavy tingle was back, and her body temperature rose a few degrees, but she ignored it as best as she could.
Her gaze eventually landed on the right side of his face, the one that was hidden under a layer of metal and as she took a deep breath, she raised her right hand.
"What are you hiding under this?", and she ticked with her fingernail on the silver mask.

And there it was.
The notorious final straw.
A short breath escaped his lips before he tensed every muscle in his mouth-watering body and Charley braced herself as well, knowing this was it.
But instead of backing down, like she probably should do, she remained where she was, watching how he wrinkled his nose with trembling lips.
Listening to the grunt that slipped through his gritted teeth.
Shivering under the touch of his hands, which he now laid on her chest, right under her collarbone.

And then, without warning, he pushed her away.
Lucky for her, he didn't use all of his super alien strength, so instead of flying through the wall, Charley only stumbled a few steps backward before she found her balance again.
She didn't take her gaze away from him, though.
She had to see every movement he made, for even though it was kind of scary to see him fly off the handle, it was truly a sight to behold.
The eerie look on his face.
The way his hoodie revealed the lowest part of his foxy six-pack when he raised his hand.
The way his pants hung loosely around his hips.
The way the lines of his muscles disappeared in his boxer that peeped out at the top of the waistband of his black jeans.

Though with reluctance, her green eyes darted back up, now following his hand with her heart racing in her chest.
His delicate white-furred fingers slid over the mask, almost tenderly.
When he reached his nose, he bowed his wrist and now, the tips of his fingers were resting on the edge of the strange moveable metal.
Charley's stomach cramped in a most painful way when she realized what he was about to do, and she raised her hand in some feeble attempt to stop him.

But when her hand was only halfway, he already ripped the mask off his face and threw it at her feet with a certain flair, like he was throwing her a frisbee on a sunny day in the park.
"Is this what you wanted to see?"
She winced under the sharp yet raw edge of his voice and in a reflex, she scrambled backward while quickly lowering her eyes.
It wasn't because she didn't want to see what he was hiding underneath the mask that was now lying on the floor, for she obviously did, but she suddenly felt this strong urge to protect him.
To protect him from feeling like a monkey in the zoo under her intense gaze.
But he obviously didn't want her to protect him.
Not anymore.
Not after pushing him so far.
Above all, he was a big boy who was perfectly able to take care of himself.

A shadow fell over her and before she could really process what was happening, she felt his furry fingers taking her chin in a tight yet still somewhat gentle grip.
"Come on, don't be shy, sweetheart. This is what you wanted, right? You wanted me to lower my walls, to show you who I really am. Well, here I am. You got what you wanted. So don't you dare to look away now."
Charley inhaled deeply, and she closed her eyes for a brief moment when she heard the pain in his voice.
So much pain…
Her anger vanished like smoke in the wind, leaving only guilt behind like a nasty stain and she gasped, hardly able to breathe due to the heavy weight on her conscience.
"Vinnie, I…"
"Open your eyes, Charley."

If she thought his aura had been intense before all this, she couldn't have been more wrong.
She almost crumpled like an empty soda can under the pressure of his magnitude, but she still did what she was told.
There wasn't really a choice.
Not anymore.
After letting out her breath, she slowly opened her eyes.
His face was only inches away from hers, she could almost feel the tiny hairs of his fur tickling her nose, but she kept her gaze fixed on the black bandana that was tied around his broad neck.
It had little white motorcycles printed on it, she now saw.
What a stupid timing to detect a stupid yet cute detail like that…

Without thinking, she already opened her mouth again, to say something to him, although she had no idea what, but he stopped her before she could.
His fingers slid under her chin and as in slow motion, he pushed her head up.
"Look at me", he whispered, darkly and menacingly, like only he could.
The odd thing was that he, at the same time, still managed to sound somewhat loving.
Fuck.
She didn't deserve his love, his kindness.
Not after pushing him over the edge in the brutal way she had done.
She swallowed with difficulty, and gradually, she raised her eyes.
From his furry chin to his shining buck teeth.
From his cute black nose to his eyes.

The anguish that glistened in the red flames made them less bright, somehow.
As if they were covered with a glassy layer.
She shivered when she, once again, realized it was her who was responsible for that, but she didn't stop.
She had to look at him.
She owed him that much.
Standing closer on the verge of bursting into tears than she wanted to, her gaze wandered to the right side of his face.
But when she saw what he was hiding underneath the mask, her breathing just stopped, and so did her heart.
To make it even worse, her watery eyes grew big and a gasp escaped her lips, even though she didn't want to do all that.
The last thing he could use right now was seeing her shock, but seriously, how could she not be shocked?

He didn't move a muscle, though.
He just stood there, looking her straight in the eye while she took in the scars that marred his other beautiful face.
The shining white fur was gone on most parts, except for a few lines here and there and the visible skin looked bumpy and thickened, almost leathery.
And just like that, she learned another valuable lesson about extraterrestrial life — just like humans, their skin didn't like fire, for that's what it obviously was.
A burn mark.

And then there was the pinkish linear scar that started a few centimeters above his eyebrow and went all the way down to his cheek, where it became one with the burn mark.
For some reason, which probably had something to do with a silver lining or maybe just plain luck, whatever had caused the scar had missed his eye, although she was now able to see a thin line on his eyelids, one she hadn't noticed before.
A tear left her right eye and rolled down her cheek and she raised her hand, but before she could touch his face, Vinnie backed away from her.
"Vinnie…"

"We got ambushed. Turned out we had a traitor in our midst. That, and one well-timed missile was all it took to turn me into a freak. The same explosion took Modo's arm, Throttle's eyes, and our dignity. We were prisoners in a Plutarkian lab for weeks after that, where they did things to us that go even beyond your wildest imagination, but hey, at least we survived."
As he was talking, he walked to his bike whilst Charley just stood there with wobbling legs, deeply shocked by this horrible revelation and thus completely stupefied.
All she could was silently watch him opening a small compartment behind the saddle with trembling hands.
After taking something out, he turned around and walked back to her, his exposed face blank.

"This is Harley", and he pushed the object in her hands.
Not able to look him in the eye, Charley peered down at what turned out to be a picture of a female mouse with light-brown fur.
"She's the one who gave me the mask after she helped freeing us. She was my everything. The only thing that made sense in a world that was upside down. I loved her. And then I lost her."
His voice was flat, emotionless.
Like a robot.
With her hands now shaking uncontrollably, Charley took a closer look at the picture.

A slender-build female Cave Mouse looked into the camera with eyes as blue as the Earthly summer sky.
Just like Throttle's, her fur seemed to be longer, thicker even and the long hair between her ears, which was tied in a low ponytail except for her bangs, was a few tints darker than the almost beige color of her fur.
She was sitting on an impressive-looking bike, dressed in camouflage clothing and armed to the teeth, but her smile was kind and warm, a bit teasing, even.

Despite the sadness that overflowed her heart, Charley couldn't stop herself from feeling a pang of jealousy, for even for alien notions, the girl was quite stunning.
Just the type of girl one would expect to see by Vinnie's side.
Badass and sexy.
Something she would never be.
"What…", she started, but fell silent again due to the emotions that raged inside of her like a hurricane, creating mayhem and insecurity and she shook her head as another tear trickled down her face.
God.
This was beyond heartbreaking.
But Vinnie didn't need to hear her say the words to know what she wanted to ask.
"She got kidnapped right under my nose, that's what happened. By that same traitor, ironically."

Gently, almost cautiously, he took the picture out of her hands and Charley followed it with her eyes, somehow unable to take her gaze away from it.
Vinnie eyed the picture for a little while as well, obviously sucked back in time by seeing a fraction of his complex history on something so simple as a piece of paper and her heart cried by seeing him like this.
He just looked so… lost.
Lonely.
But then, without warning, he started talking again.
"You asked me why I'm so scared of losing you. It's because of her. I failed her, you know. I failed her in the worst way imaginable and I just know that I will fail you as well. That's why I didn't want you to join the team…"

He then slightly crooked his head and glanced at her, his eyes burning with anguish and regret.
"I can't lose you. Call me selfish, but I can't go through all that again. I just can't."
Well, for the first time tonight, something made sense.
It also explained why he had been so silent tonight.
The whole discussion with her this afternoon must have dragged up memories he obviously didn't want to remember.
Memories about Harley.
His long-lost love…
"Is she dead?"
The question already left her mouth before she could stop it, but it didn't seem to come as a surprise to him and his eyes darted back to the picture.
"I don't know. I never found her."

His voice faltered dangerously, and for a moment, it looked like he was going to break once again, but he managed to recover himself and after taking a deep breath, he broke his gaze loose from the picture and put it back where it came from.
But instead of turning back around to face her, he laid his hands on his bike, one on the crankcase and one behind the saddle, and stared out of the window.
Charley, in turn, gazed at his tensed back as her heart bounced through her chest like a goddamn circus monkey.
That had two reasons, actually.
One — the tension in the room started, after staying at the same level for a moment, to rise again.
Two — she had no idea what was next, a feeling that had become so familiar ever since she met him and she still wasn't sure whether to like it or not.

Just when she came up with the brilliant and enlightening idea to take matters into her own hands instead of just waiting helplessly for his next move, her knight in shining fur beat her to it.
Almost painfully slow, he raised both hands and pulled the hoodie over his head, but not before he flattened his pierced ears against the side of his head.
Then, he turned around, but with his face now thoroughly hidden in the shadows, she couldn't see his eyes either, which transformed him from relatively predictable into completely unpredictable.
Frankly, it made her nervous and without thinking, she took a step backward.
His nose, still faintly visible despite the hoodie, slightly twitched before he opened his mouth again.
"And yes. My mother is really dead."

Once he started talking again, he came into motion as well.
"She died when I was six years old. She was sick."
With every step he took forward, Charley took one backward and soon, she felt her lower back bumping against one of the workbenches.
"So, no. She never got the chance to teach me that telling a woman she's exaggerating has about the same result as a nuclear bomb going off… I know now. Duly noted."
A nervous laugh escaped Charley's mouth, she just couldn't stop herself and while she kept a close eye on him, her fingers enclosed the counter for support, for her legs were about to collapse.
One corner of his mouth curled up as well as he now reached her, although he didn't really smile.
"But even if she did, I would've said the same thing…"

After lifting his right hand, he placed two fingers on her forehead, right between her eyebrows before he gave her head a soft, almost playful nudge.
"You talk about free will as if you know what it means, but you don't. You humans take it for granted, simply because you don't know any better. But we do know better. I know better. I grew up in a war. A wasteland. I didn't have free will for a very long time. No one had…"
His fingers slid across her eyebrow to her temple and from there down to her cheek before he tucked a wandering strand of her auburn-colored hair behind her ear.
"I would never, ever take away your free will. To be honest, it kind of hurts my feelings that you even considered that as a possibility. Everyone deserves to ride free. Even ignorant, feisty and quite sexy mechanics…"

Already dazed by his entire existence, Charley had a hard time processing his words.
The one thing that stood out to her was that he didn't sound angry, not anymore and that he called her sexy, which made it not one but two things that stood out, actually.
Details…
If only she could see his eyes.
Her gaze lowered, desperately searching for a sign that could help her figure out what he was trying to tell her here.
The moment her eyes landed on his lips, they curled into a small yet soothing smile, as if he knew that she was still standing in the dark here and so, kind as he was, he turned on the light for her.
"I never read your entire mind, Charley. It was more like quickly browsing a book. I don't know your story. I only know that you're a good person. Lonely, maybe. But good nevertheless."

Wait, what?
Well, what do you know...
Another plot twist.
"Oh", she breathed, perfectly aware of how dumb she sounded right now, and that while it was just one word that came out.
Go figure.
"That's… that's it?"
His smile grew bigger now, revealing his sparkling set of white teeth and he tenderly wiped away her tears with his thumbs.
"That's it."

His amusement only made her feel even more embarrassed, and that while her shame already went through the roof.
She really needed to stop giving him cause for making fun of her.
He enjoyed it too much.
Even now.
Closing her eyes, Charley tried very hard to just vaporize into nothingness, which, of course, didn't happen.
As it was proven once again, this wasn't a movie.
This was real life, even though real life was beyond insane right now.
"Why didn't you just tell me right away?", she groaned, keeping her eyes closed, for she wasn't ready to see him looking at her.
Feeling his gaze was already vivid enough for now, thank you very much.

"Because it's still wrong. And in case you haven't noticed it, babe, I don't like to admit my mistakes. It hurts."
Charley smiled, she just couldn't stop herself.
"It hurts your ego, you mean."
A soft chuckle escaped his mouth, the warm air tickling her tingling lips.
"That's the same thing. My ego is my best friend, after all. We are one, him and I."
Still smiling, Charley opened her eyes, but when she saw that he was still hiding his face under the hoodie, she suddenly remembered what she had done and soon, her smile was gone with the wind.
It was just so easy to go along with his carefree attitude, then again, that was barely an excuse.
She had done him wrong, and now, it was time to take responsibility for her overly dramatic behavior.
"I'm so, so sorry, Vinnie. I never should've pushed you like that. It was wrong. I mean, talking about taking away free will…"

Much to her surprise, he flashed her a charming smile.
Again.
This was most confusing.
"I love how much credit you're giving yourself here, sweetheart. FYI, I don't break that easily."
Charley eyed him with a furrowed brow.
"But you gave in. You told me what I wanted to know. You even took off your mask…"
This time, his smile did fade and his fingers slid down her arm before he gently took her hand.
"I didn't give in because you forced me to. I mean, don't get me wrong, your little temper is admirable and to be honest, you're kind of scary when you're mad…"
Their fingers entwined, and after a short hesitation, he lifted both of their hands and rested her palm on the burned side of his face.
"I gave in because…"

Yeees?
Feeling the roughly scarred skin under her fingers gave her goosebumps all over her body, but not really in a bad way.
Actually, she felt more connected to him than ever before, and that while he didn't even finish his sentence, which in reality frustrated her more than she liked to admit.
But she was determined to keep little Miss 'I want to know all' on a leash as of this moment, for that woman knew how to wreak havoc, obviously, and thus, considering that was the last thing they both needed right now, she just stood there, watching him full of anticipation.
After a short moment of total silence, which felt like a lifetime though, Vinnie turned his head away from her and although she couldn't really see his face due to the hoodie, she knew he was watching out of the window again.

Again, nothing happened for a little while and Charley shifted her weight a bit uncomfortable when she realized that, once again, she seemed to be at the mercy of his capricious behavior instead of being in charge herself.
Which was actually so strange, because she usually always was.
In charge.
Just not with him.
Which was, perhaps, for the best right now, before she would do something stupid again, like being obnoxiously intrusive, for instance.
But then, finally, he seemed to find whatever he was searching for in the stars and he let go of her before bending over to grab the mask that was still lying on the floor.
When he came back upright, he wrapped his delicate fingers around her wrist and dragged her to his -almost finished- bike.
"Come on. It's better if I show you."

So, while I was writing this chapter, it felt somehow wrong for Charley to be so intrusive, but then again, she has been through so much and nobody is perfect.
We all do things we regret later on.
That's what makes us human, and so is Charley.
Only human.
And we all know she's a feisty one, too, hehe.

And I wanted to write about Vinnie taking off his mask for a very long time now.
I'm glad I finally found the right moment to do so. :)
Why he did it will be explained in the next chapter, but I'm dying to hear your thoughts, so don't hesitate to share them with me.

So, I hope you liked this chapter.
Please, feel free to leave a review, it always makes my day.
You guys stay safe out there.
Take good care of yourself and those close to you, for love conquers all, but mostly hate.

Later!