Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1. Enthusiasm

It was her red hair that caught his eye first.

In the middle of a somber November morning, the train was filled with nothing but greys and blacks and dark navy blues as people journeyed along their morning commute. The train bustled and shook, the cars creaking in their age from the motion and the cold which had undoubtedly begun to sink into everybody's bones, despite the array of thick, downy jackets, earmuffs, and boots which filled the carriage.

Mercury loved the morning commute. It was the perfect time to find an easy mark- with everyone either so focused on the workday ahead, or far too sleepy to notice anything going awry, the wallets were usually stolen, emptied, and replaced before anyone was the wiser. With the amount of stops along each route (because of course he varied which route he took every morning, he wasn't stupid) he was easily able to slip away, pocketing his treasures and slipping into the crowd.

Usually, he chose the more… indistinguishable figures onboard as his prey. The primly dressed, stoic businessmen were his favourite- they were far too taciturn, or simply far too stressed, to notice anything slipping out of their pockets. It was easy to keep his eyes down, focusing upon their shoes to discern their wealth (because anyone could fake a quality jacket, but few could fake quality loafers) and pick out his target of the day. Also, it helped him hold plausible deniability- if all of his targets looked boring and unmemorable, he'd at least be able to more convincingly say, "Oh, I'm sorry, officer, I've never seen that man in my life!" in case he ever was caught.

He doubted he'd ever be caught. It had been years of pickpocketing people through downtown Vale's train lines, and he'd never faced any danger before. That didn't stop him from practicing his 'I'm-innocent-officer-I-swear' speech with Emerald during his shift at the bar to annoy her every once in a while, whenever she had the pleasure of being stuck working with him.

This all was why making his move towards the redhead was unconventional. While he was scoping out potential targets from the flood of new passengers at the second stop on the line, he heard a soothing, gentle voice murmur, "Oh, ma'am, please, have a seat! I'm fine standing." Turning around, he saw a bundled-up woman stand, allowing an elderly lady to take her place. The older woman chuckled gratefully as she sat down, and the younger woman smiled kindly down at her before grabbing onto the bar at the top of the carriage to maintain her balance.

Mercury blinked. In a sea of mottled blacks and greys, she was so red. Unlike the rest of the commuters around her dressed in drab colours, her overcoat was a long, plush, mahogany affair, blending in with a long, fiery-red ponytail spilling down her back. Okay, there's no way that hair colour is natural.

But when she glanced in his direction absentmindedly, likely double-checking the map which was visible above his head, he saw that her brows and eyelashes matched the crimson falling into a pair of the brightest green eyes he'd ever seen. Damn. Despite not wearing much makeup, the woman was still quite pretty. She was tall, too- probably around his height if she was able to grab hold of the support bar so easily above everyone's heads.

There was something about her that seemed to draw him in. He raised a brow, calculating his chances. They didn't have very long to go until the next stop, so he took a moment to judge her overall appearance. Based on the quality of her clothes- very well-made, despite being relatively simple, including some recognizably pricey shoes- she would be a profitable mark. And, as an added bonus, she didn't look like she was readying to leave the train, either, meaning her guard would likely be down at the moment.

He grinned wolfishly. She was standing between him and the nearest exit. Perfect.

So, Mercury began to slide on over towards her. Keeping his head down, he murmured, "Excuse me- sorry 'bout that- coming through," as he nudged his way through the crowd. Soon, he was standing close enough to the redhead that he could see into her purse through the corner of his eye. It was perfect- with an open top, he could spot a small, compact wallet, ready for the picking. He wouldn't have time to empty and return it, but it would work out fine.

The bells announcing the next station rang across the speaker system. Pasting a terrifyingly sincere, awkward smile on his face, he murmured apologies as he squeezed past her, his hand diving into her purse and pocketing the wallet before he had even finished passing her by. Chest filled with excitement for what wonders the wallet might hold, he bit back the grin which threatened to spread out onto his face.

I'm eatin' well tonight.

But as he stepped onto the open-air platform, inhaling the crisp morning air deeply, a strong hand suddenly wrapped around his bicep.

He froze, glancing back over his shoulder. To his surprise, the redhead was standing there, eyes locked upon his, curious yet stern- much like the vice-like grip around his hand. He smiled, feigning surprised innocence immediately. "Excuse me, miss, may I help you?" he asked, the epitome of gentle openness.

She smiled back just as kindly, but her eyes flashed. Does… does she really know?

In a quiet, melodic voice, she murmured, "I'll turn you over to security in a heartbeat." She pointed with her free hand towards a uniformed man who was making his way over to the duo, having seen the strange, unnatural interaction between the two. "Give me back my wallet, though, and I'll let you go."

His smile remained just as sweetly affixed onto his face. His heart, however, was screaming. How did she catch me? There's no way in hell she felt that. How did she know? Still, with the man walking closer and closer to them, he had no choice but to return the wallet with a brisk motion. "I held my end up," he muttered through clenched teeth.

Her face lit up as she retrieved the wallet, stowing it back into her purse. "Don't do that again, okay?" she chastised. However, her tone had shifted from steely and direct to almost as if she were scolding a child. "It's not very nice of you, you know. If I catch you again, I'll turn you in."

"Alright, alright, don't worry," he insisted, eyes darting towards the approaching security officer yet again. Panic began to grow in his heart- creeping, invasive. "I gave it back. Let's go separate ways?"

She nodded, releasing him at last. Immediately, he pulled his arm towards himself protectively. The woman was strong! Her grip had likely left a bruise.

But that didn't matter. What did matter was getting out of here. He was not getting caught today.

And as he weaved through the crowd, darting out of the station as quickly as possible, the panic died, quickly boiling over into indignation, anger, bitterness. By the time he had circled around the city back to his apartment, there was only one thought in his mind: he was going to find that redhead again, and he was going to take the money he deserved from her, whether she liked it or not.

Chapter Text

Obsession

The next morning, Mercury was back on the same carriage as the day before. He normally never targeted people on one singular route twice in the same week- it made it far more likely that one of victims would figure it out, and he didn't need that kind of danger haunting his trail. Yet, here he was, lurking on the platform. With his hood drawn over his head, he was able to peer up from his bench and watch the passengers carefully without drawing attention to himself.

He needed to find that woman from the day before. He couldn't get her out of his mind. He hated it.

It didn't take long. Her red hair was a dead giveaway, after all- still tied back in a ponytail, it cascaded down her back, burning bright amongst the other somber passengers.

So, he boarded the train right behind her, ensuring that he stayed on the opposite side of the carriage to avoid her attention. No one paid him any mind as he leaned against one wall, hands tucked into his pockets. He watched her stand near one of the windows, eyes peacefully watching the scenery flash by outside. She had headphones plugged in, eyes heavy-lidded with sleep, but her dreamy smile proved that she was in a good mood, despite the disgustingly-early morning.

That didn't stop Mercury from yawning non-stop. His shift at the bar had ended later than expected thanks to some problematic customers. God, she better have some fucking bank for making me go through this. He was losing on a potential grift that day, after all, in return for following her.

Even if she didn't actually have anything of value, though, he was determined to make her life miserable. The amount of condescension in her tone the day before- the very thought of it set his blood on fire. She had reached out for him with no concern for her own safety. Weren't people normally too scared to confront a pickpocket or a thief on their own? Yet, she had jumped after him without hesitation, and acted as if he were nothing but pathetic vermin- or worse, some angsty teen acting out. No one used that tone with him. He hadn't gone through hell and back so many times in his lifetime to be looked down upon by some passive-aggressive stranger who thought they were invincible.

But there were plenty of ways to ruin someone's day, and no one was truly that thick-skinned. Just you wait… little Miss Invincible.

After a half an hour on the train, the redhead perked up, making her move towards the door. They were nearing the end of the line, and Mercury groaned in relief. Although he had managed to snag a spot near one of the train's pathetic heaters, the rainy morning's chill had still managed to sink into his bones. Maybe I should get a new jacket? He fingered the lapel of his grey coat. Maybe Red will be able to sponsor me. With the train's bell dinging through the carriage, though, he had no choice but to burrow his nose into the collar of his jacket and follow after the redheaded woman.

Her walk ended up being short, but self-assured and confident, despite the drizzle which lingered annoyingly above the city. Within fifteen minutes of clearing the station, he paused near a café's entrance, watching the woman pull out a set of keys from her purse and unlock the front door of an innocuous daycare centre.

Found you.A daycare, though? Suddenly, her tone with him the day before made sense- and it only served to ignite his spite even further. God, he was going to enjoy tearing this woman down, however he decided to do it.

His smile was practically feral when he walked up to the counter of the café, ordering a hot chocolate to stave off the chill. He hadn't expected to find her workplace so easily- but now, all he had to do was wait and see where she went after work. It had been a very long time since he had tried to target a specific person like this, but being back on the hunt was a little thrilling. What riches would she bring?

Only time could tell. So, he hunkered down in the café, pulling out his phone and playing games to fill his boredom, ready to wait for the redhead to appear once again.

Soon after she arrived, parents began to flood the facility, toddlers and infants in tow. The amount of kids was staggering- did she really watch over all of them? The building didn't even look that big!

Thankfully, he didn't need to wait until the wee hours of the evening in order to see the woman leave the building again- by early afternoon, she was clearly off her shift, walking out with her head held high and a spring in her step as she marched back to the train station.

The traffic and congestion was nowhere near as bad at that hour compared to the morning commute, so Mercury found himself stepping off the train yet again, following behind the redhead, in record time. She had no idea that he was following her- he made sure to stay out of sight, after all- and he quickly ended up in front of an apartment building. The doors to each apartment were accessible to the outside, and so he could easily watch her pull that same ring of keys from her pocket, insert one key into the door, and enter, all while he was pretending to peruse a tray of apples at the grocery store across the street. She was in room 240.

And room 240 was where Mercury returned the next morning, wide-eyed and ready. It was finally time. He had watched her board her train that morning, and the moment he could confirm that she was headed off for work, he had run to her complex. Picking her lock took little effort- he had long mastered far more complicated locks. Who does she think she's protected from with this shitty thing? There isn't even a chain on the door. The door clicked open within a minute, and he stepped into a dark, fairly clean one-bedroom apartment, excitement bubbling in him. What wonders might he find?

Women like her always have some jewelry, some expensive shit- I'll be able to pawn it off with Roman for sure, he thought excitedly, wiping his shoes on the welcome mat while he looked around. However, as he began to walk further and further into the small abode, the more his heart began to sink, his smile replaced with a confused, increasingly-annoyed frown.

There was nothing of value in this place.

Other than a few nice clothes hung up in her front closet, he didn't find any purses or accessories which he could nick. There was a small monitor, but no television or laptop, and she didn't have anything in the kitchen worth taking, either. The entire apartment was quite utilitarian, and even when he turned on the light to look around, there was literally nothing which caught his eye. Her furniture was all mismatched and clearly second-hand, almost as if she had bought everything in a hurry and placed them all down with little thought to making the apartment feel homey.

He blinked at the emptiness of the apartment. There's… there's no way, right? He walked over to the fridge, opening it up furtively. Inside, all that greeted him was a few glass containers with what looked to be meal-prepped dinners for the remainder of the week. Even then, it didn't look to be nearly enough food for someone with her strength and stature. Was she just… not eating these days?

Mercury wanted to scream.

Okay. She has to have something in her bedroom.

She didn't. Or rather, she had nothing of immediate value- instead, as he crept silently into the final, unchecked room in the house, he found something far more terrifying.

On the small, practical wooden desk in the corner of the room was a framed photograph of the redheaded woman. She was wearing a stunning red dress, gold glinting in her hair and the most breathtaking smile he had ever seen on anyone lighting up her eyes. At her side was a tall blond man in a tuxedo and bowtie, a goofy, embarrassed smile on his face. Her boyfriend? he wondered silently. The apartment was so empty, it couldn't possibly have belonged to someone who had a partner stay over very often- so who was this guy?

An old ID card lay haphazardly upon the desk beside the photograph. He picked it up, eyes widening. Vale Fire Department. The redhead's photograph labelled with the name 'Pyrrha Nikos'.

Pyrrha… Nikos.

He rolled her name around silently in his mouth. It suited her, somehow. And yet, the dread creeping up the back of his neck couldn't be ignored, and he quickly pulled his attention away from her name to the rest of the room.

Hung up on the back of the closet was a uniform- a firefighter's uniform, with her last name on the badge. And, beside the closet, framed on the wall, was another photograph of Pyrrha and a few others- but this time, she was in uniform, alongside the blond from the first photograph. In her short sleeves, he could see where all her strength had come from. Her muscles were clearly well-sculpted, having been hidden away from him previously due to her thick jacket.

The terrifying part of it all, though, was that she and the blond were standing with their arms slung over each other's shoulders, right next to a bunch of smiling, uniformed police officers.

She's a firefighter? She's friends with cops?!

His heart plummeted into his soles, and he almost vomited.

If she found out he had been here- if she somehow realized that he had been the one to enter her apartment… he was totally and utterly fucked.

Chapter Text

Discomfort

This was stupid. This was utterly ridiculous. He was so much smarter than this- how else had he survived for so long?

If he kept this up, he was going to get caught.

Yet, he just couldn't bring himself to stop.

After tossing her ID back onto the desk and running out of her apartment like speeding bullet, barely remembering to lock the door behind him, Mercury's vision blurred out. His feet carried him far, far away, landing him in the train station before he could think about it. He hopped onto the first train which arrived, then spent the next few hours jumping back and forth between different trains in order to throw off his pursuers.

Which pursuers? He didn't know. No one knew that he had been in her apartment, and yet, the fear of getting caught because he tried steal from a firefighter, of all people, was terrifying. She was just far too close to law enforcement for his liking.

So what the hell was he doing here, lurking five metres behind the redhead- Pyrrha, he remembered automatically, the ID card's image engrained forever in his mind- as she walked towards the daycare the next day?

His heart was pounding in his chest as he ducked into the same café from his last trip to her workplace. The staff manning the counter made his hot chocolate quickly, and he took his seat in the last booth by the window looking out onto the daycare. As Pyrrha entered the daycare, he saw lights flash on throughout the building while she pulled up the blinds and set the facility up for the children to arrive. A few other workers wandered in over the next twenty minutes, and by the time the parents arrived to drop off their little ones, he could see busy adults in aprons rushing through the building, ready for the day.

He shivered. The café was warm, for sure, but for some reason, the heaters by each booth did little to assuage the chill that had so-permanently sunken into his skin- into his legs. The prosthetics always ached on rainy days, and no amount of hot cocoa could soothe that particular problem.

So, he left his jacket and fingerless gloves on, hands wrapped in vain around the small mug in front of him, letting his eyes drift onto the innocent building across the street.

Even though all of the other workers felt the same to him, he couldn't deny the fact that he could always spot Pyrrha in the daycare. Whether she was carrying a child (or two, one tucked under each arm- damn she was strong) or feeding an infant, her red hair was like a beacon, drawing his eyes as he watched her through the windows. There was an odd serenity around her, in every fluid movement she made. Although halfway through the day, one of the children vomited over her (even from far away, he felt sick watching it) her cool demeanor was never ruffled. She simply smiled tenderly at the child and cleaned up the mess, her lips and kind eyes forming words of gentle consolation and empathy as she comforted the toddler.

And, despite his fear and annoyance and confusion, Mercury couldn't deny that he was also enraptured by every graceful movement she made.

He chewed his lip. What was he even doing there?

Around halfway through the day, when he was on his second small hot chocolate and a slew of parents came back to pick up their children after the morning shift, he watched absentmindedly as a few of those parents stopped by the café to pick up some coffee. They chattered amicably as they walked through the front door, the bell above tinkling lightly to alert the staff- and Mercury- of their presence.

"Pyrrha's really too sweet," one woman murmured, whisking her wallet out of her handbag. Mercury's fingers, still cold despite the warm mug in his hands, twitched at the sight.

"Apparently little Weiss was sick- she was probably too shy to say she wasn't feeling well. You know how her father is, it must be hard for her," the other woman by her side replied sadly.

"Still," the first commented, "I wouldn't have expected her to be so good with kids. Weiss looked totally fine when we went in there!"

"Well, maybe they get trained on dealing with children at the academy? You never know when you'll have to interact with children as a firefighter, after all."

As the barista placed their drinks to-go on the counter, the second woman hummed. Mercury leaned forward, leaning his ear towards the duo. "Well," she muttered, almost wistful, "the girl's so young. Hasn't it only been a few years since she began? To lose her partner like that…"

"No wonder she left the force," the first sighed as they walked out of the door.

Mercury's fingers had tightened their grasp around the mug of hot chocolate throughout the exchange, mind racing. Pyrrha… wasn't a firefighter anymore. What was that about a partner?

And, of course, the most pervasive question of all: Why did he even care?

That thought plagued Mercury as he finally headed out of the café, stuffing his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders and making his way down the street. He had a few hours to kill before work- he could go lurk in the backroom at the bar. Junior, the owner, wouldn't mind, as long as he didn't get drunk before his shift.

So, lying on the ratty couch in said backroom, Mercury finally voiced his concerns to Emerald, his usual bartending partner. It was on a whim- he wasn't expecting her to know anything about the redhead, but he just needed to say something to someone.

Surprisingly, it was Cinder, one of Em's friends who had recently started at the bar, who responded. "A firefighter, you say?" she murmured curiously, raising one perfectly plucked brow. "Well, wasn't there that big story about a firefighter dying in the line of duty?"

Em nodded emphatically, lifting her head from her phone for the first time that evening. "Yeah, I remember," she added, furiously typing on the small screen. "Some guy died, and his partner couldn't save him or something, right? Oh, here it is!" The dark-skinned girl turned the screen to face Mercury.

From his spot on the couch, he reached over and grabbed the device, holding it above his face wearily. Emerald had found an article about a horrible fire taking place almost eight months earlier. There had been only one casualty- a man named Jaune Arc, 20 years old, a firefighter who had gotten trapped in the burning apartment complex. His partner had been pulled out of the wreckage, unconscious, after breaking protocol and rushing back in to get the man out.

He frowned. The article didn't name the partner who had survived. He quickly began searching for related articles, and within a minute, he found his answer.

Just as suspected, the partner had been Pyrrha. There was a picture provided for this new article- it was a picture of both Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Jaune's… the guy in the photo in her room, huh," he mumbled aloud as he skimmed through another article of the incident. It repeated most of the same information. Unfortunately, that meant that most of the questions still lingering in his mind were still unanswered, running him down in circles mentally as he looked at the face of the blond who had been standing beside Pyrrha in each photograph in her bedroom.

Were they dating? Why did she have to leave the force? What's her deal?

But the more he stewed on it, the more those questions shifted from ones of annoyance and confusion to… something more genuinely troubling to him, surprisingly enough.

Why is her apartment less decorated than a fucking prison? If she quit, why does she still have all her stuff out like she's ready to go back to the force at any time? Why isn't she eating?

Three hours into their shift that night, Emerald threw a dishcloth at him. He sputtered and lunged at her, more upon instinct than anything else. The girl easily danced out of his reach, rolling her eyes as she said pointedly, "Look, if you're going to be daydreaming about some firefighter chick all night, then just go talk to her tomorrow."

"Like hell I'll do that," Mercury spat, settling for throwing the cloth back at her. "She wouldn't give me the time of day."

"Well maybe you shouldn't have tried to pickpocket her-"

"Like you have the right to say that to me," he hissed.

Emerald shrugged, unaffected by the unspoken accusation. It was true, after all- she was a far better pickpocket than he. "Hey, I don't go all moony-eyed over my targets, so don't try and lump me in with you."

He simply gaped at her. Him? Mercury Black? Moony-eyed?

She didn't even need to look back at him to see his utter shock and disdain. "Look, if you're so enraptured with her, just show her your legs."

He saw red. Did she really just have the nerve to bring up his prosthetics?

She continued, "That'll prove real quick whether she's a good person or not-"

But Mercury had already placed the glass he had been cleaning down on the rack and stormed out from behind the bar, shooting Junior a glare. "I'm taking my break," he muttered. Junior didn't complain, simply rolling his eyes behind dark sunglasses and turning back to the customers he'd been talking to, leaving Mercury to storm into the break room, back to the familiar couch.

He had some thinking to do. Maybe if he got all of his thoughts about the strange redhead firefighter-turned-daycare worker sorted out, he'd finally stop feeling as if everything was so off-balance. Maybe.

Chapter Text

Shyness

"What are you doing here?" The words were confused, but the distrust was clear in the large, round eyes looking down at him.

God, framed by those red lashes, the green was so bright up close.

Mercury swallowed, then pulled out the most suave grin he could muster. "Fancy meeting you here," he lied through his teeth, immediately slipping into the most easygoing manner he could adopt. What a funny coincidence that he had met Pyrrha here! He definitely hadn't been distracted all night with thoughts of the redhead, mulling over what to do, over whether or not to seek her out again. He definitely hadn't just given up and decided to hang out at the café across the street from the daycare. He definitely hadn't just spent the last two hours fuming, his arms crossed, brow furrowed, eyes locked onto her red hair, swaying, hypnotizing, in the windows across the street. Definitely not.

Fuck. I thought she was going to just head straight home like always!

And yet, fate was cruel, so of course Mercury had been distracted for just a few minutes- fucking Em, I'm gonna rip her apart later, since the girl had been flooding him with stupid pictures of Junior's two-year-old niece, Neo, whom she was babysitting for extra cash- and he had missed seeing Pyrrha walk out of the daycare for the afternoon.

Of course Pyrrha had dropped by for a hot drink after work. Of course. That was just the kind of week he was having, wasn't it?

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You know," she murmured, leaning against the counter while the barista whipped up her order, "normally when people in hoodies hang out near daycares, it's considered strange."

Mercury stared up at her blankly, deadpan. Did… did she think that he was stalking the kids?

Well… shit.

He sighed, pulling off his hood. "You know," he conceded apologetically, "I didn't realize how the hood probably looks to the outside world. Thanks. I've just been so cold lately- how's the cold spell treating you?" He removed the hood as an act of faith, running fingers through his dark, slate-coloured hair to smooth it out. He gestured towards her earmuffs, fluffy golden puffs that complemented her hair even in the dim, grey light of November. "You're more prepared than I am."

She raised a brow, readjusting one earmuff self-consciously. "That's… fair," she said at last, "but that doesn't change the fact that Yang's seen you hanging out here for a few days."

Internally, Mercury cursed. How had he not noticed that he'd been caught by, presumably, one of her coworkers? Why was he slipping so much lately?

But then again, maybe this was an opening. His brain had been plaguing him with question after question about the redhead. This could be the perfect opportunity to just… ask about her life directly. As long as he made sure to play it safe, and ensure that she didn't realize that he already knew who she was, then it would be fine, right?

Either way, her drink was almost finished, and she'd be out of there soon. Denying her accusations would lead to more questions- but he could redirect her concerns. Thinking fast, he replied, feigning embarrassment, "Honestly? I was checking out the daycare. For two reasons," he added, quickly settling on a passable story. He grinned. Thanks, Em. Maybe you're not so useless after all.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone once more. "I've been looking at daycares in the area for my boss. He's been using babysitters for a while, but he's hoping to find a place that's more reliable during the day. And, when I was checking out this one, I saw you."

She bristled, stepping back from his table. "What… what does that mean?"

Mercury sighed, the picture of regret. "I feel guilty about the other day, y'know. Don't know what came over me. I wanted to apologize."

At his apparent humility, the severity of her expression eased slightly. "…Really?" She paused, taking stock of him.

He grinned sweetly back, feeling a bit of superiority well up in his chest when her cheeks coloured lightly. She's falling for it. I'll get my answers soon enough.

Before he could say anything else, however, the barista called out her order. Her drink was ready. She took a step back and made to pick it up, but he quickly grabbed her arm. "Wait!" Even through her thick coat, he could feel the definition of her arms come through. He could also feel how she immediately tensed, clenching her hand into a fist. So, he released her like a hot coal, then gestured to other side of his booth. "Join me?"

"…Why?"

"I'll buy you another coffee after. A pastry, too. My treat."

"Oh, so you do have money?"

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, biting back the urge to cuss at her. "I told you, my boss sent me to check out daycares. I do have a job- bartending, at night. It's not the worst pay around. I can afford to treat a lady."

Slowly, she walked away from him to pick up her coffee. A little part of his heart curled up, faintly uncomfortable as he saw her other hand clutching her purse closed, clearly not trusting him being nearby.

To his surprise, however, she brought the drink back to his booth, settling in across from him. Brightening up instinctively, Mercury asked, "So what'll it be? A croissant? A muffin? A tart?"

She chuckled lightly, and her dry voice caused waves in his heart. "A croissant… sounds grand," she replied at last, clearly amused at his attempts to win her favour. "But first, explain two things: why did you try and steal from me in the first place?"

Easy. Furrowing his brow, he bit his lip, avoiding her gaze guiltily. "It… when I was younger, it was something I used to do," he said mournfully, gazing out of the window as if a reflection of his past was playing upon the glass, "and that night was just really stressful at work. I guess I just reverted. It was totally childish- I haven't done it for years." Meeting her gaze, he smiled weakly. "Think you can forgive me?"

She sipped her coffee, mulling over his words. "Rough childhood?"

He almost snorted. "Like you wouldn't believe."

She groaned, but there was a touch of amusement, intrigue, in her voice. "Explain what the second reason was for hanging outside a daycare."

"Oh, right." Opening up one of the many pictures of Neo which Emerald had sent him earlier, he turned the screen to Pyrrha. In the photograph, the little girl was staring up plaintively at the camera, eyes wide and doll-like features covered in pasta sauce. "She's cute, huh?"

Pyrrha's eyes brightened immediately upon seeing the adorably innocent picture. However, her expression quickly wilted again when she looked back at him. "So… why send you?"

He shrugged. "I told you, I bartend. That means I'm free during the days- but the restaurant upstairs is still open during the day, so he can't watch her." Complete bullshit, of course, since Junior already had Emerald as the usual babysitter, although Mercury would take on the job if Junior was desperate and Emerald was busy- but Pyrrha didn't need to know that. "I've been scoping out some daycares to see which ones treat the kids best. I guess I never thought about how it looked on the outside." Leaning forward, he smiled welcomingly, inviting her to share. "She's a great kid. Not very fussy at all. Do you think your place would be a good fit?"

With that question, Mercury's chest bloomed with satisfaction as Pyrrha's guard fell at last. The redhead beamed at the photograph. "We'd love to have her," she said emphatically. "What a sweet girl."

"Perfect. He'll be relieved, and I'll get a little bit extra this month for finding this place." Mercury pocketed the phone, holding his hand out. "I'm Mercury. And you are?"

She grabbed his hand and shook it politely, testing his strength. He raised a brow, bare fingertips meeting callused hands and a firm grip. Damn. This woman really was a firefighter- she's strong. Looking at her so closely from across the table, without needing to avoid her gaze, though… she was quite striking, too. A golden-red splash of colour in a dark autumn day.

"Pyrrha," she murmured.

I know.

He smiled, all clumsy endearment. "It's nice to meet you under more… pleasant circumstances."

But then, an alarm began to ring within Pyrrha's purse. Startled, the redhead jumped slightly. "Oh no, I have to go!" Quickly grabbing her coffee, she stood, waving to the man hurriedly. "I'm so sorry, but I have an appointment I'm late for."

"No worries," Mercury called, standing up beside the booth. "Rain check on the croissant. Don't worry."

And then, the strangest thing happened.

Her eyes narrowed, creasing at the corners into happy little crescent moons, and her lips curled up into a small, yet open smile. "…Okay."

Mercury's breath caught in his throat, momentarily losing all words. …what the actual fuck?

But the redhead was already out of the door, coffee and wallet in hand, and Mercury was no closer to figuring out why the redhead had dominated his thoughts for the past few days.

…well. That didn't go well.

But she didn't think he was a weirdo, and he had another chance. I'll just get her to talk about the details of the fire or whatever, and then I'll go back to my usual business.

And then he'd never have to talk to a redhead ever again. If one croissant was the price to pay for his peace of mind, he'd pay it, any day.

Chapter Text

Lacking Understanding

"I don't understand you, Merc," Emerald muttered, glancing up from her spot at the sink. Her eyes were just as judgemental and disbelieving as when he had begun to tell her of that day's accidental meeting with Pyrrha. "You could've just asked her about it."

"Oh, yeah," Mercury scoffed, "'cause that would've gone smoothly. 'Oh, excuse me, Miss Nikos- oh, don't worry about how I know your name or the fact that you used to be a firefighter, but really- wanna tell me how your little blond boyfriend died?' Yeah, that's perfect, why didn't I think of that?"

She flicked water at him exasperatedly while he wiped down the counter, grinning when he shot her a dark glare. "I'm just saying, Merc," she insisted loftily, "that you don't really sound like a guy who's just asking because he's 'curious'. I mean, I saw her pics- she's pretty, so I'm not blaming you for the crush." She paused, appraising him lightly for a moment. "I'm surprised that you'd choose someone so… wholesome."

"You certainly sound like you've got some feelings for the girl," Cinder chimed in as she walked out of the backroom, striding past towards a few of the tables.

"Shut the fuck up," he spat, but the words lacked force behind them, and he kept his head ducked down over the counter as he straightened things out. Only after pasting on a calm smile did he add, "Whatever. I get it. Watching me think of another girl must hurt."

Emerald snorted. "I will pay you to shut up."

He grinned, victorious. "You know you want me."

She didn't respond, and he was left alone with his thoughts once more. As much as he hated himself for admitting it, Emerald and Cinder's thoughts weren't entirely wrong.

He couldn't get Pyrrha Nikos' smile out of his head. In the back of his mind, he kept hearing the amused lilt in her voice as she slowly let her guard down with him, the brightness in her eyes growing more and more open and inviting throughout their conversation earlier that day. She had seemed pretty serious about taking him up on his offer for another chat over coffee, which meant he at least had one more opportunity to speak to her.

If he went back to the café, would she come see him? If yes, then he'd finally be able to get his answers to all of the questions which had crept into his mind over the past few days.

Emerald sighed, realizing that he wasn't in the mood to talk about his odd conquest at the moment. "Well, as long as you don't mess up while you're here, then go do whatever," the girl conceded at last.

"Didn't know I needed your permission," he answered instinctively.

She wiped her hands on a dishcloth and chuckled. "Just keep your hands to yourself, okay? She looks like she could even kick your ass," she chided, laughing even more when he simply answered her with a glower.

This whole fiasco with Pyrrha Nikos would hopefully be over soon. Just gotta ask her about what happened. It can't be too hard, right?

And yet, the words just wouldn't come out of his mouth when the now-familiar redhead slid into the booth across from him the next afternoon. He smiled amiably at her while she set down her purse and removed her earmuffs, pushing aside the novel he had been pretending to read (because really, who read for fun? But having comics in public got him judgemental looks more often than not, so here he was, pretending to be a grown-up with a real novel) in favour of focusing upon her.

"Hey there," he said warmly, eyes fixating upon her quick, yet graceful movements. She shrugged off her coat, and his dark gaze fell upon her built form. Her muscles were still outlined in her soft, fitting tan turtleneck, but the man realized with a start that she was much, much thinner than she had been in those old photos.

She's really not eating, huh?

Instead of asking about it, Mercury questioned innocently, "So, how was work today?"

She smiled, but her eyes didn't crease in that way that had stopped his heart the day before. Instead, the distrustful light was back. It was fair- she had little reason to trust him, and an evening of reflection had probably made her doubt his intentions even more, with the flimsy excuses he was building up around himself as a shield.

Still, she replied politely, "It went well! Nothing too exciting happening today, to be honest." Leaning her elbows upon the table she asked, "Did you manage to talk to your boss about bringing his niece here?"

Mercury shook his head. "No, he was pretty busy last night, but I did talk about it with her usual babysitter- she's one of my coworkers," he said truthfully. Em did indeed know the whole story, although Neo's non-existent daycare needs was hardly the real focus of his investigations.

The redhead was about to answer, but the barista called out the order which Mercury had put in upon seeing Pyrrha enter the café- a coffee, a croissant, and another hot chocolate for himself. Bringing Pyrrha her food, he laughed, "Here, my treat. Enjoy."

Her smile widened a little, and she took the food graciously. "You know," she murmured ruefully, sipping her coffee as he slid back into the booth across from her, "I didn't think I'd end up here with someone who tried to rob me." She shook her head, amazed at the thought. "I told a friend and they're not very happy with me."

Mercury froze on the spot. 'Rob' her?! Does she- And then, he relaxed, instantly realizing what she meant. She didn't know about his break-and-enter. She didn't know, and he was safe still.

"It was just a one-time thing, I swear. I don't even know what came over me," he repeated, feigning consternation with ease. "I really hope you'll forgive me."

She studied him for a moment, expression neutral. Finally, she murmured, "I will. As long as you don't do it again."

He nodded, although the smile which quirked his lips was… oddly genuine. A little discomfortingly so. "So, Pyrrha- I've wanted to ask," he began, leaning forward, "when you- um, when you caught me, you were pretty strong. Do you work out a lot? Or is everyone who works in a daycare able to hold someone back so easily?"

At that, Pyrrha's cheeks flushed red, and the man found himself blinking at her avoidant gaze, heart seizing for just a moment. She laughed awkwardly, "O-oh, well, I mean… I'm not that strong." She paused, then grinned sheepishly at him. "Did I hurt you?"

He shrugged. "Is there a bruise? Yes. Did I deserve it? Also yes."

She sighed. "I'm sorry anyways," she insisted. "It's been a while since I was working out, but I guess you don't lose your strength that quick."

Here we go. "Why, did you stop recently?"

She chewed her lower lip for a moment, and he watched her fingers tighten nearly-imperceptibly around the mug in her hands. She furrowed her brow, pensive- then, as if finishing an argument with herself, she sighed, lifting her eyes to meet his once more. "I actually used to be a firefighter," she admitted carefully.

Got her. Adopting surprise, he pressed, "Well, colour me impressed. That's really awesome!" Pausing, he leaned back, pouting lightly. "But… why are you at the daycare? Are you taking a break?"

As he spoke, however, his heart began to sink in his chest in time with her falling expression. Her mouth pulled into a weak smile, but it was clear that she was uncomfortable.

A part of him wanted to stop, wanted to backtrack and give her space. She looked so uncomfortable at the sudden onslaught of questions. Yet, the bigger part of him just didn't care. The faster this was finished, the faster he'd be free… right?

She sipped her coffee slowly, taking a moment to simply breathe in the warming, invigorating aroma. Finally, she explained, "I… there was an accident a while ago. On the job, someone got hurt. I decided to leave after that."

You've gotta give me more details than that, c'mon. Narrowing his eyes, he put on a sorrowful smile, one which he had long since mastered. "Are they alright?"

Her lips pressed together, thin and strained. "They passed away."

"I'm really sorry to hear that," he offered. "I… I didn't know. Were you close?"

The wan smile tightened on her face. "Yes."

Mercury's eyes left hers, instead focusing on the quivering corner of her mouth, slowly down turning, and the nervous scratch of her short, light pink nails on the porcelain mug in her hands. She was holding back.

That sort of answers that. She and the blond were definitely something, at least. But he's dead and she's not over it, huh?

Pyrrha continued, "It was… definitely difficult, afterwards. I just couldn't go back on right away. So, I decided to step away from the station for a bit, and my friend was looking for childcare assistants here, so… it seemed like a good place to recover."

He hummed thoughtfully. "Children can be pretty special," he murmured vaguely, hoping to sound more thoughtful than he was.

Thankfully, she bit the bait. "They are. It's been wonderful working with them," she gushed. Sipping her coffee again, she straightened up. "Well. Enough questions about me," Pyrrha suddenly announced, ripping off a piece of her croissant delicately. "How about yourself? You work in a bar, right? What led you there?"

He shrugged. He could hardly say that he and Emerald had been picked up around the same time by Junior before they were even legally allowed to drink, after they both had separate stints of pickpocketing his customers as they left the bar in the dead of night.

Instead, he began to spin his own sob-story. It was better to be more vulnerable with her now- then, she'd feel more comfortable answering his questions in the future. "I was going through a rough time after high school. Didn't have the most stable family situation-" Understatement of the fucking year, he thought bitterly, "-so I was hopping between small jobs. But with my needs, finding a full job was harder than expected, so when I got offered the gig bartending, I took it. Turned out I'm pretty good at it."

She cocked her head lightly, hair falling into her face prettily. His fingers twitched to brush it aside. He ignored that urge. She asked, "Your… needs?"

He frowned. How to play this off? He didn't exactly like broadcasting the fact that both of his legs were amputated above the knee. He didn't like thinking about how his senior year of high school had led him to that situation.

Even at the thought of them, the stumps attached to his prosthetics ached from the damp chill.

And yet, no excuses poured out of his mouth. Instead, he looked her in the eye, and before he could check himself, he said, "Well, when you have to relearn to walk while working, it's hard to get employers to hire you."

And he froze. …Did I just say that out loud? Had he just… told her?

Her eyes widened, reeling back from this new information. "What… what happened?" she breathed at last.

Shit, shit, shit why did I say that- "Maybe I'll save that for another time," he said smoothly, winking at her to ease the sudden concern on her face. The worry in her eyes didn't ebb, however, the green still bright and open and peering far too deep into his soul.

Pyrrha bit her lip, unsure. "…I asked about something I shouldn't have, huh? I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "It's fine." It's not fine! "We're even now, I guess?"

She snorted, but a little bit of the colour returned to her cheeks. "Okay." Suddenly, her phone began to beep again. Quickly checking it, she groaned. "Oh goodness, it's already this time?"

He raised an amused brow, grateful for the distraction. "Are you always busy right around now?"

She tightened her ponytail, quickly slipping on her jacket once more. "I've been helping a neighbour with something," she explained hurriedly. "I'm so sorry- two days in a row, and I'm running off."

Mercury waved off her concerns nonchalantly, ignoring the relief spreading through his heart. "No, I don't mind. I'm just glad I was able to see you again."

She was halfway out of the booth when he said that, and she stopped for a moment, eyes thoughtful, cheeks slightly ruddy. "…You're not that bad, Mercury," she murmured at last.

He winked again, smiling when she rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Before he could stop himself, he said, "I'll see you around?"

…what? Why do I sound… hopeful?

But he was hopeful. He wasn't done with Pyrrha Nikos yet. At least, that was what he wanted to tell himself- he wanted to believe it was just because his questions were nowhere near to being answered.

In his heart, though, maybe he just didn't want to be done with Pyrrha Nikos yet.

She paused, then smiled again, red strands falling into those crescent-moon jade eyes. "I'd be happy to oblige."

"Same time?"

"That sounds wonderful."

Instinctively, his reaction was to agree, the smile creeping onto his face growing until the door swung close behind her, and he was left alone with two crushing realizations:

1. He still didn't know anything useful about the blond, or what had happened, or why she was living in such conditions, or why he couldn't get her off his mind.

2. She now knew far too much about him, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, because a part of him knew that if she pushed hard enough… he'd probably tell her the whole story.

He had somehow sunken too deep.

Chapter Text

Frustration

Mercury could count the amount of people in his life who knew about his double amputations on one hand. Of those people, only Emerald and Roman, Junior's brother-in-law, were actually active parts of his life in any way, shape or form. Even then, Roman had found out by accident, and Emerald had found out solely because they had beaten each other into bloody messes the first night they met over something stupid. Kicking someone's knee in, then seeing them not have any reaction past vague annoyance, tended to give things like that away.

But the number of those who knew something was different about Mercury had gone up by one, and the weight of that admission was staggering.

Normally, when people asked about why Mercury had never gone to college (despite making early acceptance for every single school he had applied to) he played it as a joke, as nothing more than a poor decision after being too lazy to continue with higher education. It was easier to say that he was idle, to make others expect little of him, than to say that rehabilitation and physical therapy had left him hollow and penniless and alone.

But that was back then, and this was now. Pyrrha knew. And he had told her, himself.

She didn't know the details. Thank god she didn't know the details. But how in the world had he just let it slip that he had needed to relearn to walk? That something had gone horribly wrong in his life, making him so desperate as to take a job in a strange bar, falling back on thievery to survive?

He couldn't understand why he had told her.

And yet, the next day, Mercury was in the café yet again. He didn't run away, no matter how much he honestly wanted to. And Pyrrha joined him. She smiled, soft and tender, pulling out a novel of her own when his words failed him. "Would you like to continue reading instead of chatting?" she asked soothingly, sensing his concern.

He simply gaped at her, not realizing for a moment that she was waiting for him to pick up his same novel, which he had been pretending to read while waiting for her to arrive.

However, it didn't take long for her to realize that he wasn't invested in it- his eyes kept drifting up to watch her as she calmly flipped the pages of her thick hardcover novel. He was entranced by how her long, thin fingers, callused and scarred despite her feminine demeanor, traced lines of text slowly. Jade eyes flicked up, and she raised one delicate, red brow. "What, your book isn't interesting?"

Tearing his eyes, forcing himself to stare at the cup of hot chocolate, long having grown cold, sitting in front of him. He shivered. "I've been trying to get into it for a few days," he murmured, cursing himself for how oddly unsure he sounded, "but it just hasn't stuck, I guess."

She nodded. "Some books are like that." And then, rather than letting him continue to bore himself to death, she put down her novel and began to chat.

It began with conversations about Neo, which then veered to the other children in the daycare. Their escapades were ridiculous, and Mercury soon found himself engaged as Pyrrha rattled off yet another tale of adventure from a crew of rambunctious toddlers. He leaned on one arm, listening intently.

The redhead wasn't a very good storyteller, he realized, analyzing her words. She wasn't good at keeping on track- she would start at one place, but unless it was something which she had memorized by heart, she would often pause, following side tangents before embarrassedly apologizing for going off-track. And every single time, her brows would draw together and she'd smile ruefully, chuckling at her silliness as she tried to remember what had begun the whole conversation to begin with.

Yet, Mercury kept listening. And listening. And listening. And as days went by, he kept on listening, even though none of the stories were what he had originally come there to hear.

Something in him changed- but it wasn't just him. The whole crew of baristas knew that he'd come in thirty minutes before Pyrrha's shift ended each day, and he'd order a hot chocolate but not drink it, shivering despite himself as November rains darkened the air. The other customers knew the unspoken rule that the booth in the back corner facing the daycare was his.

And Em learned to stop asking him about his catch of the day, because he wasn't stealing from anyone. He hadn't gone through his morning routine even once since meeting Pyrrha.

The redhead had somehow managed to single-handedly disrupt everything.

But he wasn't angry. He had long since graduated from needing his daily spoils to survive, since Junior paid for good work, and good work, Mercury could provide. The tips he earned alone from the female regulars were more than enough to support any excess he wanted, if he was being honest. So, his morning routines gradually changed- instead of crashing in the back room for a few hours before hopping on a train line, ready to find another target, Mercury went home to his tiny studio apartment after his shift each night. Then, after sleeping properly, he'd wake up, wear whatever warm clothes he could find, and drag himself out to the café to meet Pyrrha.

He couldn't bring himself to ask her about the fire. It wasn't for lack of trying- but every single time he lowered her guard and innocently dropped any hint that he'd like to know more, she'd clam up, eyes dropping back down to her book and coffee, and she'd find an excuse to run off.

He hated it, but what could he do but wait it out?

But there was a difference between waiting and stalling, and as days turned into weeks, he knew he had firmly planted himself within the latter. Every time he thought about bringing up his original goal, she'd say something silly or giggle at something innocently and he'd be derailed unexpectedly. It was humiliating.

It was only when a nearby barbershop called for emergency services that he was properly able to have a conversation about firefighting with Pyrrha. The firetrucks came first, blaring their sirens down the street, the first responders rushing out to deliver emergency aid until the ambulance arrived. Pyrrha watched the whole thing with such anxiety and strain in her clenched jaw, a fierce longing burning in those green eyes that captivated the man.

It wasn't the first time they saw firefighters during their afternoons together. Each and every time ended up with that same look in Pyrrha's eyes, and it was driving him up the wall.

She wanted to go back, didn't she?

The fingers of one hand were so tightly wrapped around her coffee mug that Mercury thought she'd surely crush the porcelain into dust. He reached over and rested his hand onto her other one, which was balled tightly in a fist on the table. She squeaked at the contact, jumping out of her chair with such force it was almost comical. Looking up at him wide-eyed, she finally stuttered out, "Me-Mercury, what is it?"

He paused. Wait… what the hell am I doing? But his hand was on hers, and her touch was so warm, a sensation creeping across his shivering skin which he hadn't felt in years.

He didn't remove his hand. "Pyrrha," he murmured carefully, glancing over at the emergency team wheeling someone out of the barbershop. "Why won't you go back?"

She slowly relaxed, tearing her eyes away from the emergency vehicle. "I just… it's not my place anymore," she murmured sadly, deflating.

He frowned. The words which left her mouth obviously pained her. She wasn't okay, and seeing her so troubled hurt him, too.

It was the recognition of that fact that truly triggered his realization, one which froze him down to the very core- one which sent a chill down his spine, knocking him off-kilter almost permanently.

…I fucked up.

Before he could doubt himself, he squeezed her hand, gently running his thumb over her skin. "If you went back, you'd do great," he said quietly, avoiding her gaze. Even though he could easily figure out why she was so hesitant (according to that news article, she had tried and failed to save her partner, after all- that would destroy anyone's self-efficacy) he still meant those words.

I'm not in this for my own stupid curiosity anymore, huh?

He felt Pyrrha's gaze bore holes into him as he kept his eyes locked on the firefighters outside. He could imagine her assessing the situation beside all of the uniformed officers so easily. She belonged there- not in a frilly apron in the daycare, nor in this café. Not with him.

But her hand shifted in his suddenly. He stilled, holding his breath unknowingly until her palm was in his, and she silently clutched onto him as if he were a lifeline, her eyes back onto the scene down the road.

It took a few seconds for him to start breathing again.

After what felt like an eternity, Pyrrha murmured, "Thanks, Mercury."

Swallowing thickly in a dry mouth, he muttered, "What for?"

She sighed, and he felt her fingers tremble around his own. "You know, when I first met you, I was so angry. Everything was going wrong." She snorted humourlessly, letting her head loll forwards. "It was as if fate was mocking me, making sure that I was feeling awful."

"What happened?" he breathed, dread slowly beginning to sink into his core, seizing his gut with a strength that made him sick.

"I ran into an old friend in the VPD."

Oh no.

"He was insistent on me coming back to the fire hall, but that just… it brought everything back, and I just… I wanted to take the week off, to be honest. But then, one of my coworkers was sick, and a bunch of the kids were ill, too- that's the only reason I actually went to the daycare the morning we met, since someone needed to open the place up, and I was the only one around who had a copy of the keys. I was supposed to be off that day, but we needed those extra hands, so I went in." The hand still holding her coffee mug was clutching it so tightly that her knuckles were stark white, strained. "And then, I ran into you, and-" she chuckled, although there was no mirth in her tone, "-you tried to rob me-"

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize it was-" he attempted, but she barrelled past his words. Her words were rushing out now, a dam finally releasing all of her anxieties at once.

"And then, all the kids were spreading that horrible bug around, so we were taking care of all of them since someone didn't have the sense to keep their child at home when they were sick." She collapsed against the backrest, eyes drifting upwards exhaustedly. "And when I came home the next day after work, I think… I think someone broke into my house. The front door was locked, but everything inside had been messed with, and I just…"

His heart plummeted to the floor as he saw pinpricks of tears well up in the corner of those brilliant green eyes, quickly growing glassy and broken. God, had he really been that sloppy when leaving her home? Her hand was shaking openly in his now as she thought about the break-in, and he couldn't deny that every quiver sent jolts of pain and fierce regret running through his entire body.

How terrified had she been because of his snooping?

He wanted to apologize.

He didn't. How could he, without admitting to stalking her, to breaking into her home?

Pyrrha was totally unaware of his internal, screaming conflict. She tried clearing her throat a few times, but she couldn't stop her voice from cracking when she finally added, "I'm new to the area, see. I don't even know my neighbours yet. I didn't have anyone to turn to, and when I told some acquaintances, they just- they just told me that it wasn't a big deal. I was 'overreacting', that 'nothing happened'."

Mercury could only watch her, utterly helpless as the redhead began to crumble and tremor before his very eyes. How the hell was he supposed to react? Was he supposed to go hold her? Cheer her up? Crack a joke? Tell her to get over it? Fuck, this isn't my specialty- what do I do?

Knowing that his actions had been the tipping point for her barely-repressed meltdown made it all the worse.

Out of the blue, Pyrrha sniffled and raised her face, a small smile breaking through the pent-up weariness and frustration emanating off of her. "But, I think I was wrong about something," she conceded.

As calmly as he could, the man pressed, "And what's that?"

She squeezed his hand again. "I… I'm glad that I met you, Mercury. This- it's been nice talking to you. I haven't really… I haven't really spoken to many people outside of the daycare for a long time, now. And even the people there were really awkward around me for a long time- how do you treat a firefighter-turned-childcare assistant, after all?" Her eyes turned back into those lovely crescent moons, and her teeth shone through her small, yet genuine smile. "So… thanks."

He took a moment to breathe, trying to calm down his racing heart which was beating frantically in his chest to the point it was beginning to almost ache. When he was composed enough, he put on a tender smile, waiting for her to return it, beaming back at him. "I'm glad I met you too, Pyrrha."

Soon, they had to part ways. But this time, when Pyrrha walked out, he walked out with her. He accompanied her to the train station, asking all the right questions, playing the part of someone who definitely didn't know which line she needed to take home, which stop she'd be getting off at. He took her to the fare gate of her line, and she gave him a hopeful, shy smile before running off. The pink in her cheeks couldn't be attributed to the cold.

And the heat in his hand, which she hadn't let go of the entire way there, permeated unsettlingly throughout his whole body. His legs didn't ache on the way home, even when the rain picked up.

The guilt which had sunken into an iron ball in his gut, however, did.

Chapter Text

Revelation

Mercury was in over his head.

Before he knew it, another month had passed. Winter settled in, December snowfalls icy and wearisome. He hated the cold, the pervasive chill sinking under his skin and lingering there, malignant, festering.

And yet, the cold never lasted too long, because every day without fail, he would go back to the café. And there, he would find Pyrrha. The redhead was nothing but heat and warmth and blazing fire, somehow always managing to be mind-numbingly awkward whilst also quick-witted and intelligent. He grew to anticipate their meetings, their time together after her work ended and before his shift began growing longer, until they were getting kicked out by the baristas so they could close up shop. Those meetings became the focal point of his day, the hot chocolate in his hands and the warmth in their laughter soothing even the worst of the cold.

Over time, Pyrrha's smile grew brighter and brighter whenever she saw him in the café, her distrust naught but a distant memory.

She should've held onto that distrust. While he never pickpocketed anyone else during that time, the weight of what he had done to Pyrrha without her knowledge nor consent bore its weight heavily upon his shoulders, dragging him down.

Thank god he was a phenomenal liar.

Pyrrha noticed his weariness from the start. She was good at reading people, he realized quickly. She claimed that it was due to having done a lot of martial arts when she was younger, and body language and posture were simple to read, once you were attuned to it. However, understanding people's intent was a different story. So when she realized that his quips and banter weren't as light-hearted as hers, she, of course, attributed it to herself.

"Is it me? I know I must not be much fun to hang out with," she murmured bashfully, and Mercury wanted to smash his head into a wall. Of course it wasn't her- he really fucking wished he could blame it on her, but the more he thought about his rash, impulsive actions after their first meeting, the more he realized that she was a victim.

At least, she would be if she ever found out. So… let's just… not tell her.

It spiralled out of control from there. Soon, he was meeting her outside of their coffee dates, too. Emerald warned him against it. He went along with the redhead anyways.

She asked him about Neo, and his boss who 'needed daycare'. He lied about that, too. "Oh, he found someone who could watch her for a few months during the day, so he's putting it off for a bit." And she believed him.

Pyrrha showed him her favourite spots in the local park. Mercury didn't care about nature in the slightest- it was better than wandering through dull city streets with complacent people, but it still wasn't his go-to- but he found that he didn't mind going there with her. She seemed to brighten up whenever they went for a walk, and even when the snow froze the ground and made their outdoor excursions more difficult, she was always up for the challenge.

Still, the snow was tough on his prosthetics. He didn't tell her about the extent of his injuries- that was knowledge he didn't like anyone knowing, after all- so instead, he began to take her to restaurants, bookstores, theatres, anything.

Although, if he had to be honest, he preferred taking her out to eat most of all. At least then he'd be sure that she was eating. When he realized that she'd filled out a little, gained a bit of weight and strength back, it filled him with immense satisfaction.

"You're getting along great with your girlfriend," Emerald sneered when he arrived late to work one early January day after a movie with Pyrrha had run overtime.

He flipped his middle finger up at her and headed to the back, trying frantically to erase the look of shock on his face and the heat making his ears glow with the idea of Pyrrha being his girlfriend.

…I'm so utterly fucked.

One afternoon, he invited her out to a relaxed pub which Roman had told him about. The food was good, happy hour began right when they arrived, and the atmosphere was light. Pyrrha asked innocently, "Oh, is this where you work?"

He almost spat out his drink. Immediately, Mercury's mind jumped to his actual workplace- located in one of the seediest parts of town, the club entrance was behind a set of warehouses near the docks.

Like hell I'd let you get within ten feet of that place. Em would probably let everything spill the moment she saw you, and then you and all your cop friends would strangle me.

Aloud, he replied cheerily, "Oh, no. I'm already stuck there all night, so why would I bring you there during the day, too?"

She giggled, sipping her cocktail gingerly. She didn't drink often, and the flush in her cheeks and nose was already visible. "I suppose that's fair." Her eyes were heavy-lidded, and he found his breath stopping in his throat as she peered up at him through lashes so red, it set his skin on fire.

He gulped.

It was that very same look that finally broke his patience a few weeks later. They were in the café, and Pyrrha certainly couldn't use alcohol as an excuse for the bold, seductive gaze which filled her features during a breathless lull in conversation. So, before he could stop himself, he reached out and brushed her bangs out of her eyes, touching that red hair that he'd so longed to feel ever since he first saw it. It was soft and smooth, thick strands fiery against his skin, the contrast sending heat rushing through his body. She didn't push his hand away, and so, taking that as silent permission, he leaned across the small table and brought his lips to meet hers.

Mercury had met his fair share of women over the years. He was handsome and suave, and knew well enough how to win anyone's heart if he wanted to- but his romantic experiences of the past had amounted to nothing more than quick hookups, finding partners to satisfy his own needs before discarding them. He never stayed the night, he never held them afterwards, and he never even removed his long pants, hiding away his prosthetics.

So to say that kissing Pyrrha in such a chaste way was still the hottest fucking thing he'd ever done in his life would be both the most pathetic thing he'd ever said, and the greatest understatement in the entire world.

After a moment of pressing against her, cupping her cheek with his gloved hand- no longer cold, palms actually warming up as he dropped his hand down the curve of her neck- he pulled away, leaving a hairsbreadth of space between their lips. His entire body was buzzing, heart racing, breaths hesitant and staggered as he finally opened his eyes, slow and languid, mirroring her own. And the tension and electricity between them crackled, only amplified when her eyes drifted back down to his lips, her cheeks and the bridge of her nose flushing almost as red as her hair. White teeth emerged to bite her lower lip, and he almost groaned at the sight.

She wanted him, too.

And then, it all went wrong.

She sprang away from him, eyes wide in horror as she gathered up her things. Wordlessly, she slipped on her jacket and gloves, throwing her earmuffs on before he could even recover from where he sat, half-lying down upon the bench on his side of the booth, knocked totally off-kilter after her quick rejection.

What the hell is going on? "Pyrrha, wait!" But the redhead had already sprinted out of the door, leaving him behind.

Oh, like hell I'm letting this go. He grabbed all of his belongings, grateful that he was still wearing his jacket in the café, and rushed out after her. The woman's ponytail was easy to spot as she raced down the street, sidestepping other pedestrians agilely, her hair a ribbon of red flying behind her.

He wilted for a moment. Was he really going to have to chase her in the cold like this? She used to be a firefighter, for god's sake.

His body made the decision before his mind, though, and the next thing he knew, he was racing down the street, following Pyrrha as if his life depended on it. It wasn't hard to figure out where she was going- the woman was making a beeline straight to the station.

She had already gained considerable ground. With the distance between them, he wouldn't normally be able to catch up. Darting into a nearby alleyway, Mercury grinned, feeling his blood race as he saw a high chain-link fence. Why follow after her when he could just cut in front?

After a frantic five minutes of hopping fences and cutting through private property, he reached the train station. He was able to catch his breath and massage his thighs lightly while he waited for her by the fare gate, wincing as the knots formed in his legs above the prosthetics ached. It had been a long time since he'd sprinted like that.

However, it turned out to have been a good call. Barely two minutes after finding a perch against the first fare gate on Pyrrha's line, the frantic redhead dashed through the front doors of the station, ready to swipe her transit pass and escape him. When she saw the slate-haired man waiting for her, though, confusion and concern on his face, she froze in shock, unable to comprehend what was going on.

He marched up to her, squaring his shoulders as he looked her in the eye. "Pyrrha Nikos, what the hell was that?" he demanded.

She didn't answer.

He paused, then softened a little. Her face was flushed, hair in disarray, lightly panting for air from her run. He knew this woman could look so strong- she'd proven it countless times already, be it from their first meeting, to her photos, to their numerous playful encounters over the past weeks- and yet, now, she just looked broken. "…Should I not have done that? Did I misread you?"

She didn't answer.

Annoyance, anger and hurt flared up in his heart. He wasn't good at dealing with any of those emotions- he never had been. Biting back the urge to hiss at her (she wasn't Emerald, and he was pretty sure that if he treated Pyrrha like his co-worker, Pyrrha would crumble) he took a step back, tucking his hands into his pockets. Solemnly, he explained, "If I'm wrong and you aren't interested in me, then just tell me. I can take it. I'll apologize." But when she still didn't say a word, not bothering to deny his words, he let out a frustrated groan. "What, am I not good enough for you to even bother turning me down?"

At those words, the spell freezing her in place seemed to finally break. She became animated once more, flustered and tongue-tied. "N-no, Mercury, it's not that at all!" She glanced around nervously, eyes darting back and forth, as if realizing for the first time where they were. People were passing them by, giving the pair strange, curious looks. "I just…"

"Pyrrha. Let's go."

With that, he grabbed her elbow and guided her away to a bench tucked away in a corner far from the main foot traffic. Sitting her down, he squatted low in front of her, peering up into her face. "Pyrrha, what is it?" he asked gently, focusing on her face.

Even in this situation, he was struck by how beautiful Pyrrha looked, red silhouetted against the plain white brick wall. However, the red from her hair and lashes was creeping into her nose and the puffy bags around her eyes as she tried to bite back tears of frustration. He clenched his fists on his knees, wanting more than anything to wrap his arms around her.

Taking a shuddering breath, Pyrrha sighed, running her hands anxiously through her long ponytail. "…Mercury, I just can't. Please understand."

"It's because of the accident, isn't it?"

The redhead froze, eyes wide, breath sucking in for just a moment before she simply deflated.

"You can tell me, you know."

She was silent for what felt like forever. Mercury shifted, growing antsy and sore in his squatting position, but he didn't push, didn't press. He just waited.

He'd gotten surprisingly good at doing that over the past weeks.

Hanging her head to the side to avoid eye contact, she whispered, "We met on the first day of training, during our orientation, when we were 18. It was almost our two-year anniversary in the force when it-"

"You loved him."

She bit her lip, but there was nothing seductive about it. The worry and heartache in her eyes just sent jolts of pain through his heart. "I did." Her voice was barely audible. "It was almost our one-year anniversary."

As lovers. She didn't need to say it for him to understand.

Finally raising teary jade eyes up to him, she cried, "I… I can't. It just feels wrong, Mercury. He got trapped in that apartment, we didn't know the last child had gotten out himself, but we got separated, and… I couldn't get him out in time. I wasn't able to save him- how can I-" she hiccupped, pausing for a moment to bite back the flood of emotions surging through her, "how can I protect anyone when I couldn't even save my partner?" The tears finally spilled forth, running hot trails down her pale cheeks. She was shivering intensely, each ragged breath releasing in a puff of steam in the open-air station. "How can I be with someone else when I let him down like that?"

She was breaking.

And Mercury just wanted her to feel okay again.

Gingerly, he reached up to her, hands hesitant and unsure. How was he supposed to cheer her up? She wasn't weak. He had seen it time and time again, in her composure, her passion, her drive- she was strong, and she wanted to save people. She wanted to protect people. But the loss of Jaune what's-his-face had destroyed any sense of confidence she ever had in her own abilities.

But she was worth more than this. Mercury could see it so clearly. How… how do I convince her, though? He didn't know how to comfort people. The most he ever had to do was make Neo stop crying when she was throwing a tantrum, but Pyrrha's issue wouldn't be solved by tossing the girl a cookie and putting on cartoons for her.

Finally, he slid his gloved palm up to cup her cheek. "Pyrrha," he began tentatively, "you were made to protect people. If that's what's holding you back from going back to the fire hall, then… you just can't let that stop you. You want to go back, so do it. You've gotta let this guy go. That accident was awful, yeah, and he shouldn't have had to go like that. But he did. And you're still alive. So you can't just sit here and rot and act like you don't deserve to move on. You can still make a difference."

"But-"

"But nothing." He pulled his hand away, wincing as Pyrrha's expression fell at the loss of his touch.

I can't believe this is happening. Although the words were on his tongue, the fact that he was saying them at all was horrifying. Since when had he become so soft, so attached?

But he had to be gentle. It was Pyrrha, after all.

Wearily, he added, "If you can't be with me right now because of this guy, then… fine. I'll wait. I know that we met in... not the best way. But you've gotta let him go one day."

"And how do you suggest I do that? I just can't, Mercury," she whimpered.

"You can," he said firmly. "It's because you're still always thinking about him that you can't forget. Maybe you need some distance? Don't have his photos out all over your bedroom anymore. Put all his photos, and all of your firefighting stuff, away. Find a different apartment if it's still too much. But you can't just sit there and expect it all to heal on its own. Move on."

She sniffled, eyes wet with tears and grief. "Mercury, I-"

And then, she stopped short, eyes fixated upon him.

He frowned, glancing around uncomfortably. "Um… hey?"

She drew in a shaky breath, eyes narrowing slightly. A sense of sinking dread settled upon him as a look which he hadn't seen for months now- complete and utter distrust- emerged in her eyes.

In a low, monotone voice, laced with seething warning and anger, Pyrrha interrogated, "What do you mean by that, Mercury?"

The man blinked at her, confused. "What… mean by what, Pyrrha-"

"Don't," she cut in. Her hands were balled into fists on her knees, and he could see them trembling- not from sorrow and frustration, but from shock and horror. The dread grew within him, taking root, sliding icy tendrils through his veins. But why?

"What do you mean by 'put his photos away'? How do you know that I have photos of him out in my bedroom?"

…oh shit.

"How do you know I live in an apartment? I've only ever said I'm 'going home'. I don't think I've ever told you about my place."

His mind began to race. How do I cover this up? Oh god, how did I let that slip? C'mon, Mercury, goddammit you've got to come up with something, she's going to figure it out, recover for fuck's sake-

But it was too late. The words, the excuses which usually were so freely flowing from his lips, just wouldn't come.

With a start, she pushed his hand away from her, leaping to her feet. The redhead backed a few steps away from him. Her expression had morphed into pure terror. "No. You… you can't be serious."

He stood upright, holding his arms out slightly in a non-threatening, open fashion. With a weak smile, he insisted, "Pyrrha, c'mon, it's not a far leap, is it? You've never mentioned a roommate, and neither of us could afford a house right now. I'm sorry I assumed, I can explain-"

"No! Stay away from me!" She was trembling openly now, staggering further from him when he tried stepping forwards. "You- it was you, wasn't it? The one who broke in after we met?" She began to laugh, as if unable to even comprehend the ludicrousness of the situation. Her arms wrapped around her torso, clutching herself tight. "I can't believe I didn't figure it out. You knew everything from the start, didn't you? Did you follow me home? You broke into my apartment? And then you-" Her laughter became wild, unhinged. "You pretended like you didn't know anything! Like all you'd done was try and make a quick buck, then be nice and apologetic- god, how could I have been so stupid?"

Mercury was at a loss for words. This woman was nothing like the redhead he had spent so much time with. She was hysterical, running her hands through her hair, horror and disbelief and heartbreak painted across her face so plainly that he could barely breathe.

Finally lifting her face, she whispered, "So this whole thing was a joke? What kind of sick, twisted thing is this? Did you think it was funny, spending time with me? I can't believe I never suspected anything. I can't believe I didn't listen to everyone! God, they all warned me, the timing between meeting you and the break-in and you 'needing a daycare'- god... why didn't I listen?" She stepped even further away. "I can't believe I fell for it. No one was ever interested in me. No one but Jaune. Why would you even look twice at me? Of course you were trying to hurt me-"

"Pyrrha, I wasn't fucking with you I swear-"

"Oh, but you certainly seemed eager to fuck me the moment I let my guard down!" she practically screamed. Mercury stopped, utterly paralyzed in shock.

Pyrrha didn't swear. She was one of the most polite creatures he had ever met.

The tears were back in her eyes. He reached out towards her, but she shook her head, walking backwards away from him. "Stay away from me, Mercury," she begged. "Don't talk to me anymore. Please."

And with that, she left him behind in the corner of the train station with the crushing realization that he'd just lost the best thing he'd ever had, and there was nothing he could do to bring her back.

Chapter Text

Excitement

The days grew warmer. The snow melted. The weeks passed, and the city began to show signs of green again, leaves beginning to sprout along previously-skeletal trees. Spring was almost here.

Mercury was still cold.

He went to the café every day, but he didn't look outside at the daycare. He knew that all he'd see was Pyrrha, in all of her beauty and grace- and all of her hatred and fear. He could still remember the look of pure repulsion in her eyes when she pieced together the truth about their first few meetings. He didn't know if he could bear to see that look in her eyes again.

Yet, he kept going to the café. Although he now had all the time in the world to revert to his old habit of finding new targets each day, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. It felt wrong, as if he would be adding sins to the list of crimes which Pyrrha was secretly tallying against him.

He couldn't blame her, even if she did do something like that. How could he? He had broken her trust so profoundly- and judging by the way that her tears had continued to fall, the regret and fear in her voice practically interchangeable, it was clear that he had broken her heart, too.

I fucked up.

That was the only way to put it, pure and simple. It was his own incomprehensible stupidity which had led him to this situation. After all, it had been his choice to follow her, to break into her home, to seek her out after. It had been his stupid slip of the tongue which made her realize the truth. And it had been his stupid, so fucking stupid lack of awareness and emotional investment that had made him fall in love with her.

Now, he had to pay the price.

So, he visited the same café every day, ordered a hot chocolate, drank half of it before letting it grow cold, and then went to work lifelessly. Rinse and repeat.

Emerald cackled at him, at first. "I can't believe she figured it out!" she screeched, pounding her fist on the countertop as she doubled over in laughter. "And you're actually so upset by it? Oh my god, this is great!"

But over time, she realized that he wasn't giving her witty responses. He wasn't fighting back. Each and every time she brought up the redhead randomly, his heart would plummet to the floor, and he'd have to pause in whatever he was doing. He'd shudder, take a deep breath, and plaster a fake smile on his face, trying to hide the pain which wanted to break free from his mask.

So, eventually, Emerald stopped. Never before had he ever been sensitive about anything, aside from when she brought up his prosthetics in front of other people- and she could forgive that anger easily, since bringing up the fact that he had lost both his legs due to his abusive, alcoholic father's hubris and poor driving skills wouldn't exactly be an easy thing to talk about for anyone. But this situation with Pyrrha? It was completely unlike anything she had ever seen from him, and he was just as baffled as she was.

One day, she sat down on the arm of the backroom's sofa by his feet. He was lying down, resting after they closed up and finished counting tills for the night. "You… you actually liked the firefighter chick, huh," she murmured.

He didn't respond.

"Damn." She let out a long, weary sigh through pursed lips. "I… Merc, I'm really sorry. I didn't think you were actually serious, but… it's been two months now."

He didn't respond.

"Have you tried talking to her?"

He winced. He had tried talking to her- just once.

Two weeks after the reveal, two weeks of freezing in place and wanting to scream, Pyrrha entered the café again. She ordered her drink quietly, then walked over to the end of the bar to where she would pick up her drink. She turned around to examine the patrons of the café while she waited.

She looked somehow even thinner than when they'd first met. And yet, his heart soared into the heavens for just a moment when he saw her face, just as sweet and open as before. Her long hair was tied back into one singular braid that day, and the red plait was striking against her pale skin and dark jacket.

Gods, he had missed seeing her. He missed hearing her voice, basking in her warmth and clumsy laughter and intelligent commentary. He missed being near her. He longed to reach out and speak to her, but when he opened his mouth, it was too late. Green eyes darting around the room finally hit his booth. When her eyes fell upon Mercury, all of her ease vanished in an instant. She froze and gasped, rushing to turn around.

He stood up, cursing his shaky legs, feeling himself lose balance slightly. Picking up his drink, he walked over to her, stopping when he was a few feet away.

"Don't come closer," she whispered tightly.

Much to his shame, shock, and frustration, the backs of his eyes pricked with tears at that quiet rejection. Clearing his throat, he leaned back against the wall, maintaining their distance. "I won't. I promise."

"Your promises mean nothing."

"I'm sorry, Pyr-"

"Don't say my name."

"…Okay."

She was shaking, avoiding his gaze.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you even here?" The words were tense, fury bubbling underneath her skin. "I've already figured that the whole 'finding my boss a daycare' was a total lie. You probably lied about stealing from people often, too. You shouldn't be here anymore."

He shook his head, sighing heavily. "I know, but-"

"But what?" With that, she spun around, facing him at last. When she drew herself up to her full height, his breath caught in his throat for a moment- he had almost forgotten just how tall she was, meeting his eyes perfectly. She puffed out her chest, and he could sense that she was flexing her arms, clenching her fists tight underneath her jacket sleeves. She was posturing. She was trying to convince herself that she could take him down.

Against anyone else, Mercury would've broken down laughing and taken them up on the silent invitation before mocking them. Then, he'd destroy them in a fight. He was stronger than most people gave him credit for. But if Pyrrha decided to drag him behind the café and beat him to a pulp… he'd probably let her. He deserved it, didn't he?

"…what I did was wrong," he murmured at last, imploring her with his eyes. "I- when you caught me, I was so angry. No one's ever caught me before. So, I… I did something stupid."

"You followed me to work! You followed me home, you stalked me!" she hissed, voice pitching high and frightened.

"I know! I did it, okay? I fucked up. I shouldn't have. Do you know how much I regret it?" He groaned, running his fingers through his dark hair. "I- I wasn't thinking. The next thing I knew, I-"

"You tried to rob me."

"-I saw your place, and I saw how you were living. Pyrrha, it didn't look healthy."

She barked out a laugh. "Oh, what, so you were worried about me?" Pyrrha shook her head, utterly incredulous. "Mercury, did I become a charity case, is that it? You realized that I wasn't emotionally okay, that I was grieving, and so you thought it would be a good time to swoop in."

"That's not it at all, I was just worried-"

"Don't touch me with your 'worry'," she demanded, glaring at him with such intensity that he physically winced, backing away from her anger. "Do you… do you have any idea how unsafe you made me feel? How many locks I had to install into my apartment after that? I was so scared. Jaune used to always be with me in our old place, and I moved across town last year just because I- I couldn't stand being alone there anymore. But then, you picked the lock, and suddenly I..." She shivered visibly, pulling up the collar of her jacket around her face to warm herself up. It clearly didn't work. "Suddenly I was never alone. It's awful. Do you have any idea it feels to constantly think someone is watching you?"

"…I didn't mean to hurt you like that." He meant it. While yes, at first he had been out to make a profit off of her, the moment he had entered that apartment, everything had changed. He could no longer deny the fact that the instant he had seen her living situation, he had been concerned about her, his curiosity and worry outweighing anything else.

And then, over time, he had grown to genuinely care about her. His feelings were real.

It was absolutely ridiculous in hindsight, thinking of how far they'd come- how far they'd fallen.

"It doesn't matter what you meant," Pyrrha muttered, turning back to the counter. "What matters is what you did, and what that did to me. I have boundaries, Mercury. Basic boundaries. You can't just invade my personal space and expect me to be okay with that." She sounded almost ashamed as she added, "I can't believe I just… let myself trust you like that."

"…it's not your fault. I'm a pretty good fucking liar." He snorted bitterly. If only I was as good at being consistent or detached. Maybe this whole fucking mess wouldn't have happened. I was just… supposed to find out what happened, and move on. I wasn't expecting this.

Distantly, he realized that he had already found out the answers he was looking for. She had told him what had happened in the accident. By all means, his interactions with her should've ended on those terms.

He couldn't say goodbye anymore, though.

"You're confirming it? Well, that's just grand. Now I get to wonder what else you lied about."

He groaned, pleading with her. "No, Pyrrha, I swear- I didn't lie about anything else. I regretted it the moment I entered your place, and I've been feeling guilty about it ever since."

"Good." The barista handed her the specialty coffee she'd ordered to-go, and she spun back around to face him. Her gaze was frigid. "You should feel guilty. You've made the last few months of my life a mess. I never wanted this." She moved to the sidebar where the cup lids and extra sweeteners were placed out for customers. Her fingers shook as she tried to adjust her coffee.

Mercury's shoulders sagged, defeated. "The last few- did you hate spending time with me?"

"That's the problem. You're scum." But as she finished perfecting her drink and adding a lid to the cup, she turned to face him, and her expression was so grief-stricken that he was lost for words. "But still… I really, really liked you, Mercury. And now I don't know whether I hate you, or myself, more for that." With that, she strode firmly out the front door, leaving behind an absolutely crushed Mercury.

The memory of that encounter was enough to break his blank expression, his brows furrowing and mouth turning into a pained grimace. He rolled over onto his side, burying his head into his arms in shame.

Emerald understood. "Didn't go well, huh?"

"Joke of the year," he muttered bitterly.

She crossed her arms, surveying him worriedly. "Move on, Merc. Clearly this girl doesn't want anything to do with you. I can't really blame her, you know."

"Shut up." I know. Trust me, I know.

Even after that conversation, though, he found himself heading back to the café yet again, and before he knew it another week had passed. That next week, however, he realized it was time to stop going.

When he walked into the café, his usual booth was taken by two people- Pyrrha was one of them. She was smiling gently at an attractive blond man, his messy hair, lively gestures and debonair grin painting the image of someone relaxed and vibrant. Despite it still being chilly outside, the man's shirt was halfway unbuttoned, revealing musculature that would put any athlete to shame.

He was explaining something animatedly to the redhead, who watched him in amusement. For the first time in almost three months (at least in front of Mercury) Pyrrha laughed earnestly, her voice tinkling and light, echoing through an otherwise empty café.

The barista caught his eye, breaking his stupefied trance as he stared at the duo in his usual spot. "Hey, man," the teenage girl soothed, pushing a plastic-wrapped cookie and a hot chocolate to-go towards him, "it's on me." Her round, silver eyes were worried, pitying him. All of the workers at the café had noticed their falling out, after all. "You might wanna go."

Numbly, he grabbed the drink and the cookie. After he had turned the corner, though, he promptly tossed the items into the nearest public garbage can, shoving his hands into his pockets and storming down the street.

Had she moved on so quickly? What, so he's okay? Is it just blonds that she's okay with? He knew it was a petty thought, but it made him feel a little better.

Just a little, though. The unmistakeable grief welling up inside him was there to stay.

Chapter Text

Embarrassment

Strangely enough, it was Cinder who handed him the flyer for an open house for Pyrrha's daycare.

The woman smiled knowingly, strutting away with a nonchalant wave over her shoulder. "Maybe little Mercury will stop moping now, huh?" she called airily, ignoring the fact that the man had frozen in place, staring slack-jawed at the paper in his hands.

Emerald leaned over his shoulder on her tiptoes, sighing when she read the description of the event. "Two problems," she began wearily. "One: you don't have a kid, and you can't go alone. Two: the girl's gonna kick your ass to Vacuo and back if you go to her workplace."

But Mercury's fingers were clutching the thin sheet of paper with such fervour, eyes glued onto the date and time (two days from then, giving prospective parents a chance to look at the workings of the daycare to ensure that it was a good fit for their children). The dark-skinned girl eventually realized that this event was more than just an opportunity. It was a lifeline.

With that knowledge, she moved away from him, going about her business and making another order for a waiting customer.

There was no way for him to go to this open house. Pyrrha wouldn't want him within eyeshot.

Distantly, he heard her calling out to Junior, but he paid it no mind until his boss was suddenly standing right in front of him.

"You wanted to take care of Neo on Tuesday?" he asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed behind his dark sunglasses.

Mercury blinked at him, confused. Emerald stepped in, explaining, "Look, if I'm going to take that course, then I won't be able to babysit for your sister all the time. You're gonna need to find a daycare eventually, so Mercury can check it out with Neo. We'll see if the munchkin likes it."

"Alright," the man said at last. "Who am I paying for it?"

Emerald raised her hand before Mercury could protest. "Of course, since it's my idea." Once their supervisor was out of earshot, she added, "Your payment for babysitting is getting a perfect excuse to talk to your girlfriend again."

Mercury stared at Emerald suspiciously, but there was no lie in her eyes. She was being genuine. She was actually trying to help him.

"What course?" he asked instead. He hadn't heard about anything like that.

She shrugged. "Saved up money to go back to school," she said lightly. "Gonna take some wine courses. Why not, right?"

He snorted. "Do they give free samples in class?"

She winked. "Whether they give any or not, I'm taking them."

Mercury didn't really have any people in his life he'd considered to be a 'friend' before, but god he was tempted to give the shorter woman a fierce hug at that moment. He didn't. Instead, he walked past her, grabbing a liqueur he needed for a customer's drink from the shelf. As he brushed against her, he reached down and snatched the small bundle of bills he had seen her steal from a different customer only fifteen minutes before. And when she finally realized that she had been robbed, confronting him in utter disbelief, he merely winked at her, made a joke about how his skills hadn't diminished, and handed back her money without a fuss, a silent thank-you for the opportunity she'd given him.

So, two days later, he was holding a bundled-up, silent Neo and walking through the front door of a building whose outer walls and décor had become permanently engrained into his mind. He dressed up mildly for the occasion- rather than wearing his usual dark pants, combat boots and worn jacket, he settled on a button-down and some decent, grey slacks. The combat boots were there to stay, though- they had been modified to attach to his prosthetics, so they were the most comfortable for days when he was going to walk a lot.

The receptionist took his name and ID with a smile, waving to the little girl in his arms. Then, he was allowed to enter the main playroom where the children's toys were kept. There was a deafening racket which emerged from the moment the doors opened to him, but he didn't back down. He was here for one purpose, and one purpose alone.

That purpose presented itself like a gift from the heavens- or, in this case, a redhead descending the stairs. Pyrrha's face seemed to glow as she spoke to the young, excited child who held her hand, the little boy's blue-dyed hair (was that even healthy for a toddler, he had to wonder) sticking out in every direction underneath tiny aviator goggles as he made silly faces, sending her into a fit of giggles. Once they reached the landing, the redhead was promptly dragged to a circle of children, where she quickly joined in on their game, not even noticing the amused looks from the visiting parents lurking at the side of the room.

Thankfully, Neo was always an oddly calm child. At three years old, the girl was wide-eyed and curious. The only time she'd misbehave was when she was out of sight, after which she tended to make giant messes and proudly display them with a knowing, mocking smirk. She's learned far too well from her dad, Mercury thought to himself when he set the little girl down to join a few of the other children. "Don't hurt anyone," he murmured. She flashed him a mischievous grin before approaching the group, and within seconds, she had become accepted by them. He took his place alongside a few of the other parents, making sure she settled in before resuming his mission. Huh. For a kid who doesn't talk, that sure was fast.

He didn't need to try and approach Pyrrha on his own, however. Within moments, he felt a touch on his arm. He looked over, mouth growing dry in an instant when he saw Pyrrha standing next to him. While there was a thin smile on her face (likely so as to not worry the parents and children alike) he could feel the rage emanating off of her in waves.

"Mercury," she murmured, "it's been a while."

His mouth opened, closed, then opened again. Suddenly, his words were back, and he sputtered out, "I brought Neo. Her uncle, my boss- he needs the daycare, remember?"

She glanced over, seeing the familiar young girl playing with action figures alongside a blonde, busty caretaker. "I… see that. She's with Yang right now, so I think she'll be fine." Gesturing towards the back hall, she murmured, "May I speak to you privately for a moment?"

His heart sank in his chest. "Lead the way."

As they walked out of the main room, she touched the arm of a nearby, aproned worker. This man narrowed magenta eyes as he scrutinized Mercury from head to toe, before murmuring, "Is this…?"

"We're going to have a chat," Pyrrha replied, deadpan.

The man nodded curtly. "If you're not back in five minutes, I'll escort him out."

Mercury tried to pretend that he hadn't heard the exchange. They all know, then. But he remembered then that it was Pyrrha's coworkers who had first noticed him looking towards the daycare, and he couldn't fault them for not trusting him.

The first words out of her mouth when she closed the door to the back storage room were seething. "What are you doing here?!" she cried. "And please don't tell me you kidnapped your boss's child, please don't-"

"I got his permission!" Mercury cried indignantly, pulling out his phone. He quickly opened up the exchange between himself and Junior that morning, when he had picked the girl up from the restaurant. "Her dad knows too."

Pyrrha quickly scanned the messages and returned the phone to him, but the look of utter disgust and heartbreak on her face didn't wane. "That doesn't change the fact that you're here, Mercury," she whispered. "All I wanted was for you to leave me alone. You… aren't even going to try? Please don't tell me you've-"

"I haven't done anything else, I swear," he interjected. "Look- I know I can't convince you. But I haven't done anything. I've gone to the café a lot, but that's because it's habit now. If you want me to stay away from there, just-" No, don't say it- "Just tell me, and I'll leave there forever. I won't go back. I don't want you to feel unsafe because of me anymore."

"Too late for that, Mercury."

His eyes pricked with telltale tears once again, and he blinked them furiously back. God, how he missed looking at her smile, rather than this disappointed grief. "Look, Pyrrha…" He took a deep breath, running fingers (which were actually trembling, god this woman meant so much to him- he was such a fucking idiot for ruining everything like this) through his hair shakily. In the softest, most even voice he could muster, he soothed, "I'm not expecting you to forgive me. You'd be absolutely crazy to. But I didn't want to leave this-" he gestured between the two of them, "-behind without saying anything."

"What's left to say? I should report you, you know. I should report you and file a restraining order and-"

"You said that you liked me, Pyrrha." He sighed. This was the first time he'd ever been so overwhelmed by emotions, by anything (a lifetime of boredom and disappointment had taught him to want and expect nothing from anyone) but he just had to give it all a shot. "I… I felt the same. I didn't think I would- I just wanted to find out what had happened to make a firefighter leave the force-"

"That's it?!" she practically screamed.

He winced, continuing, "But I fucking care about you, okay? I… I think I love you. And I don't want you to be scared of… of life anymore. Not because of an accident, not because you weren't able to save someone, and not because of me."

Her eyes reddened slightly, and he realized that she was fighting back tears of confusion and frustration herself. "Don't give me that," she whispered bitterly. "Don't."

He wanted to press the issue, convince her that he meant it, he was serious, he just wanted her to be happy- but the door creaked open, and suddenly, little arms tackled his calves. The sudden impact knocked the man onto his bottom, leaving Mercury staring at an excited Neo in bewilderment.

The little girl was just as confused as he, apparently. The girl's arms reaching around his legs landed above where his boots ended, curling around his thin prosthetics through the fabric. He groaned, realizing that the little girl had grasped that something was off. "Neo, let go-" he tried to coax her, but she wasn't listening. In a few, surprisingly-deft movements for a child, she lifted up one pant leg, cocking her head to the side when the carbon fiber and titanium limb was exposed to the air.

Mercury cursed under his breath when he heard Pyrrha gasp.

Before anyone could say anything, Mercury shifted, pulling his pant leg back down over his boot and scooping the child up in his arms. "Now, you know my secret, kid," he said lowly. "But you're gonna give my secret identity away. You can't do that, otherwise I can't save the world. Got it?"

The girl's eyes widened, beginning to sparkle as she quickly bought into his lie. He grinned- she'd likely never seen a fake limb before. He'd let Roman or Junior explain what they were later. That wasn't his job. All he needed to do was ensure that the girl never told anyone else.

"Mercury, are you sure you got permission from her parents? Have you really babysat her before?" Pyrrha muttered at last. He turned to face the redhead. While he was distracted by Neo, the woman had adopted a strong stance against him, squaring off, as if ready for a fight. "How did she not know about… that?"

The way she said that final word sent a chill up his spine. Is… is she disgusted by me, now? Trepidation grew in his soul. Does she pity me?

He didn't want to know the answer to those questions.

Instead, he pasted on a rueful smile. "You spent a long time with me," he pointed out. "You didn't know."

She winced. "Does no one know?"

"I don't make it a habit to tell people that anything's wrong with my legs, let alone show them."

She sucked in a sharp breath. "Wait- 'legs'? It's…"

"Both," he finished for her. Her eyes were wide, and he saw a hint of guilt flash amidst the anger and resentment.

"Then why did you tell me anything about them at all?" Her words were barely a whisper.

He set Neo back down onto the ground. "Go back and play, okay?" The girl nodded and sprinted out of the room without a fuss, clearly having forgotten why she had run into the room to begin with. Once she was out of earshot, he stated matter-of-factly, "I told you because it was you, Pyrrha. From the start. It was always because it was you."

And the weight of that simple admission seemed to finally resonate with her. There was no lie in his words. He was tired of building up lies in order to hide things from her. She already knew the worst of it- what else was there to hide?

It's not like being honest now would erase the trauma he'd caused.

Suddenly, the door opened wider, and Mercury saw red in his vision, sudden anger welling up from within. Leaning on the doorframe was the same blond he had seen in the café with Pyrrha all those weeks ago, his shirt still partially unbuttoned, his charming grin still present. The only difference was that this time, the blue-haired toddler Mercury had seen earlier was sitting enthusiastically upon his shoulders.

"Pyrrha, we're heading out," the blond said. "Ren told me you were back here." As he looked at Mercury, however, the man straightened up, expression transitioning to one of concern. "Hey, man. I'm assuming the lil' cutie who ran past just now is yours?"

"I'm a family friend of her parents," he explained tiredly.

"I see. I'm Sun. This is Neptune." He pointed up to the child, who waved brightly at him.

"Mercury."

Sun narrowed his eyes, glancing between him and Pyrrha suspiciously. "Well, I'm heading back to the station, Pyrrha. The seamonkey here-" and he reached up, tickling his child for a few seconds, sending peals of bright laughter into the otherwise-somber room, "needs to go home." He paused by the door. "Is everything alright?"

To Mercury's surprise, Pyrrha merely sighed, shaking her head. "Is anything alright these days?" she said with a weak smile.

Sun immediately glared at Mercury, and the slate-haired man straightened up, glaring right back. Who the fuck is this guy, really?

Pyrrha stepped between them. "Don't." She gave both men a warning look. "I'll be fine, Sun. We're going to figure this out, and then, everything will be back to normal."

"Okay," the blond responded uneasily. "If you need to kick his ass, I'll always vouch for you."

"If she needs to kick my ass, I'll let her, 'cause I'll probably deserve it," Mercury spat bitterly.

That sudden phrase elicited a surprised look from the other two adults. "Well… okay then. Call me when you're ready with everything, okay?"

"Sure. Thanks, Sun," Pyrrha smiled, a bit more at ease. Wearing a bright grin for just a moment, she waved to the little boy. "See you later, Neptune."

The boy simply slid his aviator goggles over his eyes. "Bye, Pyrrha!"

She waved goodbye to the duo, then turned back to Mercury. "I'm sick of this," she replied neutrally. Her tone was much calmer, much more even, than it had been only minutes before. Clearly, seeing Sun had grounded her a bit.

Mercury hated that fact, but he couldn't blame her.

"What should we do, then?" he asked.

She held the door open for him, ushering him out as if he were like Neo or Neptune. A twinge of nostalgia hit his heart- it reminded him of her authoritative stance the first day they met. "We're going to figure this out once and for all- and, when we're done, whether I forgive you or not, you are going to listen to whatever I say. And if that means I tell you to never set foot on this side of town again, then that's what you'll do."

Chapter Text

10. Triumph

"I swear, I didn't kidnap her," he hissed, but the redhead was having none of it. She motioned with her head for him to go inside, crossing her arms and glaring authoritatively until he sighed, walking into the restaurant above Junior's bar with Neo in his arms.

Pyrrha had insisted on going with him to drop off Neo, still suspicious of where he had managed to acquire a child in time for the daycare's open house. No matter how much he protested, she wouldn't let him go alone, which meant he was forced to take her to his workplace.

The way her face fell, growing more and more uncomfortable the closer to the docks they went, made him want to curl up and hide in shame.

They were immediately spotted by Roman, the man throwing down the playing cards in his hands in favour of holding his arms out. "Neopolitan, you little ice-cream cone, there you are!" the orange-haired man cheered. His associates rolled their eyes around their table in the back corner of the room, where poker chips were all piled into the center. "How was your adventure today, hm?"

Wordlessly, the little girl squirmed in Mercury's arms. The man obliged her silent request and put her down, allowing the little girl to go streaking across the restaurant. She leapt into her father's embrace, and the older man immediately planted an affectionate kiss on her cheek before turning back to the game. "Junior and Emerald are in the kitchen," Roman called blandly, no longer interested in Mercury. "They have something for you."

Em's not working today, though… Already feeling utterly exhausted by the interrogation to come, Mercury pinched his nose and beckoned Pyrrha over. As they began to weave through the restaurant towards the kitchen, he muttered, "I told you she came with me with permission."

"Was that her father?" When Mercury hummed, Pyrrha mused, "He doesn't look like he's… particularly busy."

The man sighed. "Pyrrha, I never wanted to take you here for a reason," he stated plainly. "It's not exactly the most upright cornerstone of society. Don't ask questions, okay? And before you ask," he interrupted her midway through forming her next word, "I'm not involved in anything shady here. I'm a bartender." Who sometimes steals from clients, but that's neither here nor there, and I don't need to deal with more judgement today. If she asked him whether he was still pickpocketing people on the train, he could earnestly answer 'no', and that was good enough.

Pyrrha followed him warily into the kitchen, where a row of cooks smoothly ignored them. Hanging out right by the entrance, though, was Emerald, who was eating a bowl of fruit (she often ate there before her shift downstairs in the bar began) alongside Junior, who was sorting through some paperwork. Upon their entry, the duo turned to face Mercury and Pyrrha, expressions morphing into one of confusion (for Junior) and pure awe (Emerald).

"Is this the girl?" Junior commented gruffly towards Emerald. Immediately, the shorter woman nodded, the unspoken questions in her eyes already giving Mercury a headache. With a sigh, Junior muttered, "Em's taking your shift tonight in return for you taking care of Neo today. Go with your lady-friend here."

Mercury spluttered, "Wait, what-"

"Just go, Merc," Emerald insisted with a wicked gleam in your eye. Smiling politely at Pyrrha, she added, "Would you take him somewhere and just have a chat? Maybe fix how mopey he's been since you two fell out? Just fix him, please. He's not fun to mess with anymore."

Pyrrha just blinked at her. "W-wait… what are you talking about?"

Emerald practically cackled, and Mercury couldn't stop her in time from saying, "Hi, I'm Emerald, this idiot's co-worker. He's been depressed ever since you found out that he was a grade-A moron. Ever since you met, he was terrified you'd find out and dump his ass, and look at what happened."

Mercury's eye twitched. That does it. "Em, I swear to god-"

"Oh, what're you gonna do? You deserved it, and you both know it." Dancing away from Mercury's sudden half-hearted swipe, she tacked on for Pyrrha, "You're too good for him, you know. Literally the best thing he's ever had. I've never seen him so stupidly happy before."

Junior raised his eyebrows and quickly scuttled out of the kitchen, not wanting to get between the two when Mercury snapped, "Shut the actual fuck up, Em-"

"No, Mercury." The girl bit into her final piece of mango, chewing thoughtfully. "I'm not going to let you lose the first chance of stability that you've had since your stupid butt left the hospital, okay?" To Pyrrha, she explained, "He adores you and regrets everything, trust me. I've never seen a guy so whipped."

Em left the room. Mercury buried his face in his hands. Are you kidding me right now? Did that actually just happen?

Pyrrha didn't say anything for a few minutes, leaving Mercury to wallow in his total and utter embarrassment and shame and frustration. I'm going to kill Em when I'm back on shift. This is actual bullshit. And yet, he couldn't find the energy in himself to be vindictive in those words.

At least with Em saying it, he didn't need to find the courage within himself to explain the depth of his feelings towards Pyrrha.

Finally, the redhead murmured, "Let's go."

Silently, he followed.

Their lack of communication continued as she strode confidently back to the nearest train station, with him following a few paces behind. He felt more than a little uncomfortable trailing on her heels- it reminded him too much of his actions the first time they'd met. Unfortunately, the mere thought of walking by her side was far more terrifying, so he hung back, avoiding her stern gaze.

Either he was going to die a cold death at the former firefighter's hands, or she was going to tell him to never speak to her again. He didn't know which would be worse.

But when he followed her onto her usual train, the redhead taking advantage of the slower hour to find herself a seat, the man paused, unsure of her intentions. "Pyrrha, where are we-"

"Just come with me," she brushed off his words, looking away from him.

So, he silently complied and went with her as she exited the train at her usual stop, heading straight to her apartment. By the time they arrived at her home, it was nightfall. He hung back, uneasily climbing up the stairs to unit 240 for the second time in his life. Why is she taking me here? he pondered. …Is she actually going to murder me?

Yet, when she beckoned him over (after undoing about four more locks of varying types, he realized with a sinking heart- how paranoid had she become?) and stepped into her home, he couldn't find it in himself to cross the threshold. She paused in the foyer, turning around while she shrugged off her jacket. "Why aren't you coming in?" she asked pointedly.

He chewed his lip, wanting more than anything to come up with a witty retort to lighten the mood. He couldn't. "It doesn't feel right to come in," he admitted.

"Didn't stop you before though."

He winced. "I don't know how to convey the fact that I'm honestly, genuinely remorseful," he said carefully, finally meeting her cold eyes with his own. "I… it was my fault. I shouldn't have done it. It's all I could think about the entire time I've spent with you, Pyrrha. I don't want to intrude somewhere where you don't want me."

With a sigh, she waved him inside. "If you do anything, the VPD will come in a heartbeat. I've told a few of my old friends and colleagues about the stalking, and the break-in. They've been against me talking to you from the start, since the pickpocketing incident. I'm not playing games here."

He swallowed dryly. "...My name's on file?"

"Not officially. But it can be submitted in a heartbeat. So know that I'm not doing this lightly. Either come in or leave forever," she ordered. Quieter, she added, "You're letting the cold air in, standing there."

Well shit. Mercury followed her inside.

The apartment looked much the same as the first time he had been there, sparse and cold and lonely. From the entrance, he could see her bedroom through the open door. The firefighter's uniform was no longer hanging outside of her closet.

And, to his shock, the blond's photograph was no longer front-and-center on her desk. Instead, it was neatly placed in a corner of the desk, alongside a few other newer photographs, all framed and given equal importance.

It's been about a year now, he realized suddenly. She's moving on.

He trailed carefully after Pyrrha, taking a seat only after she gestured for him to join her across the small dining table. Spread out across it was sheaf after sheaf of paperwork. She quickly moved to tidy it up, but she wasn't fast enough to block the contents from his eyes. Mercury's mouth fell open slightly, and he leaned back, appraising her in awe. "You're… applying to be a paramedic?"

She shrugged. "You weren't wrong about me," she murmured sadly. "I really do love helping people. But the thought of going back into a fire is still-" she shuddered, "-I'm still not there yet. So, I was talking about it with some friends, and they thought that since I already have the emergency training and good hours with the daycare, I could volunteer in the evening with the community's paramedic program."

Pride rushed through Mercury's heart, and the surprised laugh which fell out of his lips was genuine, true. "I'm… that's actually really impressive. You're going to do an amazing job."

She shrugged, but he could see the small, pleased smile on her face. "Hopefully. I was talking to Sun about it- he works in the VPD, and we're old friends, so he's pulling some strings to get my application processed faster since I already have most of the required checks and qualifications."

Mercury's mind jumped back to weeks earlier, when he had seen the redhead and the blond in the café, chatting. Had that been what their meeting was about? "So… you're not dating him?" he asked tentatively. Internally, though, he cringed at how pathetic he sounded. Since when had he become so desperate, so needy?

Pyrrha's eyes popped open, and she shook her head furiously. "Oh my goodness, no!" she cried. "How did you get that idea?"

I saw you at the café- "You two just seemed close, is all."

"No, no way." She brushed off his concerns with a wry chuckle. "Sun and I are just friends. He's been chasing after a mutual acquaintance for years."

Although it shouldn't have meant so much to him, that knowledge made Mercury's heart warm up fiercely. "I see," he replied, trying to play it cool.

For a few minutes, they were both quiet. Mercury shifted uneasily in the silence. What could he possibly say to her?

"Is it true?"

He nearly jumped out of his seat. "Is what true?"

"What your friend said back there."

He blushed beet-red, feeling the embarrassment from Em's words rush back up into the forefront of his mind. "Yeah, it was."

"All of it?"

Mercury groaned, leaning his head down onto the cool wooden tabletop to ease the burning in his face. "All of it."

"How does she know?"

"Congratulations, Pyrrha," he said half-heartedly, "you've officially met the two other people who know anything about me. If anyone knows, it's Em. We work together almost every day." He snorted at the thought of how invested his co-worker had been in his budding relationship with Pyrrha.

He heard Pyrrha sigh heavily. Glancing up, his breath caught in his lungs as she pulled open her ponytail, sending waves of red cascading down her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it, humming in relief with the tension gone from her head. He swallowed thickly.

She didn't notice his fascination with her hair. Instead, she focused on gathering her hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. While she worked, she commented quietly, "I thought a lot about moving, y'know. After it happened."

Immediately, the crushing guilt was back. "…I'm sorry."

"I don't think you'll ever understand just how terrifying the last few months have been because of your… curiosity."

"I was wrong. I never meant for any of this to happen."

Pyrrha leaned back heavily in her chair, letting her head loll backwards over the backrest. "Did you mean it? When you said you loved me?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Do you say that often?"

"If I did, do you think Em would've made such a big deal about this? About you?"

"Hm." Suddenly, he felt a light touch on his arm. "Emerald mentioned the hospital. You- you did too, once. May I…" She paused, hesitant, unsure. "May I see them?"

He raised his head, meeting her gaze. He knew what she was asking for, and it was terrifying to realize that for her… he'd comply.

She was still seated across the table from him, eyes suspicious. She was ensuring that no matter what, there was enough distance between the two. She was still completely wary, and seeing her so on edge after once having been close enough to hold her hand and kiss her, was heartbreaking.

And yet, there was slight hope in her eyes. What did she need from him? What would make her feel safe with him again? Would showing her his scars make her feel comfortable enough to be with him?

He didn't know.

His heart was pounding in his chest. So few people in his life had ever seen the scars, the swelling, the area where his skin stopped and metal began. It was just too personal, too close- he became too vulnerable when his legs were exposed. They were the remnants of the most horrifying experience he'd ever gone through, after all.

The redhead across from him frowned lightly. She didn't think he was going to be honest with her. …I guess I have no choice.

So that was how Mercury ended up borrowing a pair of baggy shorts from the redhead, pushing up the legs to bare his prosthetics. It was the first time anyone other than his doctors, had ever laid eyes upon them fully. Although there realistically was no need to be bothered (he was proud, after all, for becoming so good at walking after the accident- most people could only dream of moving as fluidly as him) he still felt a sickening, creeping shame rising into his throat like bile. His prosthetics were just reminders that he wasn't whole, that he'd never fulfill the potential he'd once had.

When he took a seat on a kitchen chair once more, she scooted closer. Then, with careful hands, she reached out, running her finger hesitantly along the area where the prosthetic met his skin. He shivered from the foreign, tender touch, then looked away, hiding his eyes behind his hair. No one had ever seen him like this before. It was too much.

But her touch didn't ease, tracing his scars, ragged and terrifying- gliding along metal and silicone and carbon fiber carefully with those callused fingertips so sensitively that he began to tremble under the ministrations. What the actual fuck is happening? he kept asking himself, dizzy, intoxicated by the sensation.

Finally, Pyrrha whispered, "What happened?"

Although the words were innocent enough, there was a hint of steel in her eyes. She wasn't going to let this go. He sighed, leaning back heavily against the chair. How long had it been since he'd actually, properly verbalized what had happened?

It took him a few moments to find the right words. At last, in the most dry, succinct way he could think of, he replied, "My old man was an alcoholic. My ma finally had enough once I was eighteen, and ran away. In my senior year, he dragged me into the car and forced me to help him find her." He gestured towards his legs. "This is what happens when you have more booze than blood in your system, and you decide to drive your car off a decent cliff."

Mercury paused, allowing his words to sink in not only for Pyrrha, but for himself as well. It had been a long time since he had tried to explain what had happened. To his surprise… he didn't really feel as much of a sting anymore, thinking of it.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, horror clear in her tone. He raised his face, immediately melting into concern when he saw the empathy in her eyes.

Mercury shrugged. "It's in the past. Did it fuck up my life? Yes. But am I here? Yes." He grinned, giving the redhead a small wink. "And if I went to an Ivy League instead of bartending all night, I wouldn't have met you, right?"

She snorted, but the anger had slowly melted off her face as she heard his quick story. "I can see why it was hard finding work after that. It's not fair- it's not right in the slightest- but I get it, now." She gave him a sage smile. "You've… you're a better man than he was."

That compliment sent him soaring to the moon, only to be stopped by one raised finger. "Not by much- not yet, at least- but you're better."

He sighed, then gave her a weak grin. "You know, that's… fair, after everything."

She let her fingers trace over his biggest scar on his right leg one last time before she pulled away, and instantly, both relief and frustration washed over him. She stood, gesturing towards her bedroom. "The couch is yours for the night," she explained. "Do not leave, and don't even think about entering my bedroom. You know where the bathroom is."

He sat upright, brushing his pant legs back down to cover pale, scarred thighs. "Got it."

As she walked back into her bedroom, she paused, turning to give him one last doleful glance. "I'm trusting you, Mercury," she whispered. "Don't make me regret it." And with that, she shut the door behind her, and he heard a series of locks and bolts slip into place.

His heart fell, and he stumbled back onto her couch, where she had left a spare pillow and a few blankets while he had lingered in the foyer earlier. "I won't let you down," he murmured lowly, although she couldn't hear him. Still, it was his promise. He sat down, detaching his prosthetics and letting them lean onto the coffee table on his right before laying down. He dragged the blankets over his body stiffly before rolling to the side.

As he closed his eyes, however, the wonder of the whole situation struck him. She had let him in. She was giving him a chance. There was no way in hell that he could ever deserve it, and yet, here she was, taking a gamble with him.

When he had first entered this apartment, all he had thought about was how to bring down the mysterious redhead who had so easily caught him- 'little Miss Invincible', 'Red', a slew of other titles and insults and cusses that he had internally directed her way. Now, all he wanted was to be allowed to stay there, and help her bring it to life.

Four- No, five, he realized in amazement- months could change a person a lot, huh?

I won't let you down, Pyrrha.

And then, it was morning. He blinked open bleary eyes, stretching his arms high above his head as he sat up on the couch. The cushions hadn't been particularly soft, but at least he had slept dreamlessly through the night. Cracking his neck, he sighed, ruffling his hair messily. What a weird night.

But she hadn't kicked him out. That was… something, at least. He didn't understand why she had decided to trust him, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He'd happily stay as long as she'd have him.

To his surprise, a mug suddenly appeared under his nose. He looked up over the couch with a start. Pyrrha was standing behind the sofa, one cup of coffee in hand, with a cup of cocoa in front of him.

Meekly, he accepted the drink. When did she get up and make this? I didn't hear anything.

"I… didn't think that you'd let me stay," he admitted quietly, taking the hot chocolate with nervous hands.

She leaned back against the dining table, sipping her coffee as she scrutinized him. He blushed, looked at her in a dark sleeveless top and plaid sleeping pants, her arms built and scarred and strong, exposed for him to see. Looking at her like this, hair tied up in a neat bun, no makeup to accentuate her features and no pretty clothes to flatter her… she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

This really isn't a dream?

"I told you to stay out here for the night."

He nodded slowly. "I did."

"I know." The implications of those two words- that she had taken precautions with him around, that she had slept with her guard up, likely locked away in her bedroom with some way of knowing if he tried to bother her- sent chills down his spine.

A part of him almost laughed. Well, at least she's no longer happy with just a shitty lock on her front door to guard her belongings.

Pyrrha shook his head. "I'm glad. I wasn't… really sure if this was the right thing to do. Letting you stay, I mean." Looking up, she smiled at him, the corners of her mouth quirking up slightly at the corners. "I'm glad you proved that you were being honest, at least for today."

He hadn't seen that look from her without accompanying anger or bitterness for so long… It was beautiful.

"I don't plan on doing something that makes you uncomfortable again," he insisted. "Just… tell me if I fuck up, okay? I'll fix it." And he meant it. He wasn't going to ever jeopardize his relationship (whatever it was, he didn't know how to label it, nor did he care- all that mattered was that she hadn't thrown him away) ever again.

And then, her eyes creased into those crescent moons that he had missed so much, her entire face radiating relief. His heart swelled with affection, and he longed to reach forward, to hold her, to touch her skin- but he didn't. He tightened his grip on his cup instead. She needed space. Even he knew that.

She noticed his restraint, his respect of her space, her smile only growing. "It'll take some time for us to… be."

He shrugged, a wry snort slipping out. "I expected way worse, so I'll wait."

"How long?"

He smiled, nervous, shy- earnest. "As long as it takes. As long as you'll let me try."

The warmth in those jade eyes, and the ensuing pride which emanated from her voice, was dizzying. Red hair fell into green eyes, striking against pale skin. He was enraptured yet again, and for the first time in a long, long time, the chill in his bones faded away completely. He was warm.

"Well," she murmured, "that's a start."

-fin-