Chapter Text
Chase grumbled as the bright English sun glinted into his eyes. It reflected off the hood of the ACME-issued silver car, leaving him to squint at the road ahead, his frustration allowing him to forget about the presence of the sun visor and a certain Ms Argent in the passenger seat. He gripped the steering wheel a little harder and his palms got little more sweaty, encouraging his hands to slip off the wheel which led to him tightening his grip, losing more grip, tightening his grip, losing more grip—
“Agent Devineaux, you don’t need to keep squinting at the road,” Julia started, gesturing to the sun visor just above his forehead “here, let me get it for you.” She reached over the armrest console to brush two fingers against the fold of visor, lowering it slowly and carefully, fully aware that her forearm was disrupting Chase’s driving.
Chase tried to keep his eyes on the road, slowly aware of how it became easier to see the road with each cautious pull Julia took to the visor. He began to notice the light sweet smell of Julia’s perfume, her jacket sleeve almost brushing his nose with each tug. He noticed the warm vanilla tones and the underlying flowery quality of the fragrance, as well as how her actions whiffed the scent directly to his nose. A sparkle reflected off a small silver bracelet that peeked out from her sleeve, her milky wrist seeming to glow under the sun, almost putting him in a trance.
All too soon, Julia’s hand retracted as she had finally pulled the sun visor all the way down, snapping Chase out of the perfume-induced hypnosis he was in, leaving him to huff the leather car seat scent all new cars possessed. He let out a silent sigh, already missing the scent of her perfume despite the fact she was less than a metre from him, sitting in the passenger seat, legs crossed daintily with her hands on her lap. After being given the green light by the Chief that he could join the field again, he was restored as Ms Argent’s partner to hunt for the elusive Carmen Sandiego. They had already been on multiple missions together, Carmen slipping out of their grasp each time and with each mission Chase spiralled further into a deep-seeded confusion on his views on his dear partner.
“Mr Devineaux, we’re almost at our destination, just take the next left.”
Julia’s voice pulled him back to the English summer road and his sweaty palms. His face flushed a light pink as he realised what he was doing, steeling his eyes back onto the road. They were in the remote countryside of Yorkshire and were ordered to stay in a small inn in the middle of nowhere, before driving up to Manchester where Carmen was recently spotted. For the past few hours, Chase had seen nothing but grass, sheep, the occasional horses, cows and more grass so he couldn’t wait until they reached the inn, wanting to just take a very long nap until their eventual departure to Manchester the next early morning. He slowed the car down, spotting the turning and the road that led to a quaint-looking inn made of stone. A rusty sign read: The Silver Spoon Inn.
After the car was parked, the two agents stepped out into the cool summer breeze that whirled around the vast open plain fields of the English countryside. The rough gravel crunched underneath his shoes, contrasting to the light—almost calculated—steps Julia took as she walked towards the boot of the car where their hand luggages resided. Chase spotted her intent to retrieve her hand luggage and decided the only gentlemanly thing to do was to acquire both luggages and carry them to the inn, therefore preventing Agent Argent from soiling her dainty hands on pathetic activities like carrying baggage. He hastily walked towards the boot of the car and opened it, the two bags neatly stacked inside despite Chase’s reckless driving. Julia wobbled slightly on the gravel due to her heel, letting Chase seize both luggages before she could even lay a finger on the edge of the trunk.
“Agent Devineaux, I can take my own bag, I am not a child.” Julia said confidently, though her imbalance on the uneven ground said otherwise.
“Ms Argent there is no need for that, I am just doing this as your partner. I-It is only common courtesy!” Chase laughed, grasping the bags in one hand before turning to slam the trunk shut. She looked at him questionably, probably wondering where this gesture could’ve come from
He realised his cheeks were turning red as he faced her, trying play off the awkward grin on his face. Hastily, Chase turned to the entrance of the inn and strutted towards it, hoping she would think his behaviour was due to the summer heat. Julia stared at the spectacle for a moment before following after him, pondering on his surprising manners.
The inside of the inn was rather cramped, a bar stood not too far from the main desk and a worn red couch slumped to the right of them. There were people sitting at the bar, a few having meals atop wooden, water-ringed tables while some were simply talking with one another over a drink. Chase’s eye twitched slightly at the high amount of people in the crowded inn, groaning at the queue that separated them from the front desk. Julia quietly stared alongside him, calculating how long they would need to wait to get to their room.
After what felt like an eternity to Chase and half an hour to Julia, they reached the front desk. Chase set down their bags and huffed, looking impatiently at the receptionist who tapped away on her phone, seeming to not notice the two agents standing at her desk. Julia coughed loudly to interrupt her texting, irritated eyes glued to the woman’s rhythmic tapping fingers
“Name?” the receptionist spat, eyes still not looking up from her phone.
“Devineaux and Argent.” Julia responded, seeing how Chase’s shoulders tensed the more he looked at the rude woman.
The receptionist looked up as soon as they addressed themselves, somehow still managing to tap away at her phone, seeming to speed up.
“Sorry, due to the high amount of guests we were only able to provide one room for you two. Don’t worry the other room has been refunded and you have been given an upgrade.” The receptionist droned, the apologetic message not matching her bored tone.
“Pardon?” Chase sputtered, feeling a patch of heat brew beneath his collar. He pictured the awkwardness that would ensue between him and Ms Argent and how his image would be ruined for her. The thought of sharing the same room with her—potentially exposing his bad habits like the chain-smoking he suppressed with mints when on duty—sent a shiver down his spine, especially when he had humiliated himself enough times in front of her.
“You heard me. There’s only one room for you two, unless there’s trouble in paradise?” the receptionist questioned, sliding a key with a wooden keychain that read ‘34’ onto the desk towards them.
“We aren’t a—“ Julia began to correct.
“Next.” the receptionist shouted past them, gesturing to the other people behind them.
Julia let out a small sniffle, offended at the woman’s impudent behaviour, snatching up the key from the desk.
“Let’s go Mr Devineaux.” she grumbled, storming towards the staircase beyond the desk.
Chase’s eyes widened as he realised what was actually happening. He picked up the luggages and tailed behind her, ears burning, the luggage handles in his vice grip.
The room was rather spacious in comparison to the rest of the inn, a rickety double bed stood in the middle of the floor and two decrepit side tables sat either side. A lamp perched on one of the side tables with its lamp shade missing, while a dusty armchair faced the bed from one of the corners of the room. The wallpaper had peeled in some places to reveal the decaying wood beneath, making Chase grimace.
Julia looked so out of place to him. Her petite frame and stature stood out from the dingy room, milky skin seeming to radiate against the shadows. She was like royalty in a peasants slum within this room, a diamond amidst the rubble. This was no place for her.
He placed the suitcases by the ancient wood desk that occupied the left of the room before throwing himself onto the armchair. Dust flew up into the air, making him cough wildly. A small smile formed on Julia’s lips and Chase had to compose his being from exploding from embarrassment, or was it joy? He couldn’t tell, maybe it was a mixture of both. He stood back up and caught his breath, straightening the tie of his ACME suit.
“Ms Argent—uh—how are we going to do this?” Chase asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Well, Mr Devineaux, we could share the bed,”
A dozen butterflies flitted through Chase’s body and he had to stop himself from shaking.
“or, one of us could sleep on the chair. But, if I’m honest, I really wouldn’t mind either option.”
Julia tugged awkwardly at the hem of her jacket.
Chase’s mind had gone blank for a second, his only focus being the sentence:
”But, if I’m being honest, I really wouldn’t mind either option.”
Did that mean she maybe thought of him as more than a partner? Or that she actually didn’t mind being in his presence even at her most vulnerable? Or—
No.
She was simply being courteous, as she always was to him no matter how badly he treated her.
That thought brought his hopes crashing down, once again. He resolved to leave her be. He would take the dusty armchair, despite the fact his body craved the bed even if it looked like it would collapse at any given moment. He would be the courteous one.
“Ms Argent there is no need for any of that,” he let out a fake smile, waving his hand as if to dismiss her options “I will take the chair and you can have the bed.”
Julia’s eyes widened in surprise.
“A-are you sure?” she queried, shocked that he would say that even with his body looking like it hadn’t seen a bed in a while. He had been acting quite odd for the past few missions but this was on a whole new level of strange for Julia.
“Yes, yes,” Chase coolly said, trying his best to suppress the burning in his cheeks “I will take the chair.”
“Okay then...” Julia trailed.
“Mr Devineaux, really, I can take the be—”
“No, no Ms Argent. Please, I-I insist!”
Chase grinned again, almost looking mad to Julia. His deep brown eyes looked tired yet wild at the same time and she could have sworn she saw his left eye twitch, she opened her mouth again to protest.
“I-I need the restroom!” Chase exclaimed before she could utter a single word and he quickly rushed to the open door to the right of the bed, failing to close it gently. It let out a loud bang as he slammed it, making Julia’s shoulders tense for a moment.
Chase backed against the bathroom door, before clicking the lock on the handle. He felt queasy, his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest, his legs felt like jelly. Stumbling, he made his way over to the sink, turning on the tap to splash some cold water onto his face, the chilling temperature soothing his burning cheeks. He looked at himself in the stained mirror, no longer Chase Devineaux but a blushing mess. Why was he so flustered? Perhaps it was the prospect of sharing a room with somebody who he didn’t know how to feel about, constantly swinging between disparaging himself and obsessing over her utter perfection. Her kindness, the way she carried herself, how she never put herself before others—even just how she moved—all made him feel confused. He needed a cigarette.
After letting himself cool down for a minute or so, Chase flushed the cigarette butt down toilet, attempted to fan out the smell of smoke and checked himself in the mirror one last time. The red in his cheeks had died down and he quickly carded his fingers through his hair, trying to flash a normal smile at his reflection. He looked like a fool but it would have to do. He reached for the doorknob. Don’t make an idiot of yourself. He turned the knob, hearing a click as it unlocked, he paused for a moment before pushing the door open.
Julia had taken the initiative to begin unpacking her belongings, they had nearly a whole day to themselves after all. Her things were all neatly sorted into two smaller bags that slotted nicely into her suitcase, one holding her clothes while one appeared to be holding her toiletries. Chase was almost amazed at her level of organisation, his suitcase on the other hand, had definitely seen better days. Before the mission, Chase had just scooped up what ever shirts and pants he could find amidst his disorderly apartment, his toiletries consisted of one razor and some shaving cream, his toothbrush, some deodorant and an almost finished tube of toothpaste. He never brought any body wash, nor shampoo and conditioner. It was a bad habit he had picked up, always assuming that the places he was staying at would have one of those free obligatory toiletry sets, or at least built in dispensers. He frowned, seeing Julia pull out some small bottles which were definitely full of shampoo, conditioner and other tonics. Hell, her little bag of toiletries seemed to hold an entire store to Chase. Reflecting back to his little smoke break in the toilet, he realised there were no obligatory toiletries like he had hoped, not even a small bar of soap by the sink. He was going to have to ask Julia to use hers at some point during the day.
Chase unzipped his suitcase, an unfolded shirt sleeve immediately flopping out like a dismembered arm, it was a mess. As he leaned over his sad discord of belongings, he felt a pair of eyes look over. The humiliation began to wash over him.
“Were you in a rush to pack, Mr Devineaux?” Julia piped, sitting herself at the edge of the bed. An audible creak sounded.
“Er, yes, Ms Argent, I was.” Chase declared, much too confidently for his shattering pride. He had a whole day of this to go, and then he had a whole night.
“What do you suggest we do? We have a whole day here, off-duty might I mention.” Julia asked him innocently, this was their rest day before going back out to hunt for Carmen. It was a nice summer morning in the middle of the English countryside, and Julia thought they could perhaps take a stroll through the nearby fields.
Chase just wanted to rest. He turned away from his suitcase, about to announce he was going to take a very long nap, but he saw the look in her eyes. He knew she had moved away from her home in England to pursue a career as an inspector in Poitiers, and now she was finally back home. Throughout their car ride, he could hear her quietly marvelling at the countryside, saying how beautiful it was even if all it was just grazing livestock and open fields. She had a contagious sparkle in her eyes that Chase hadn’t seen before.
“I do not mind, Ms Argent. What do you propose?”
For once, Julia was in charge.