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Ivy sat on the edge of the large bed, silently staring at Carmen as a million thoughts raced through her head. It had only been a few days since their last caper, and by this point, it was clear that Carmen was upset with her.
During the caper, Carmen had come close to being discovered by some V.I.L.E operatives which would’ve cost them the mission. So Ivy, in the heat of the moment, decided to be the distraction in order for everything to go smoothly. She ended up getting chased by Tigress around the warehouse V.I.L.E had taken over. Ivy was able to protect herself for the most part until she tripped over a loose metal bar hard, spraining her ankle. This allowed Tigress to take a few swipes at Ivy with her claws. She only got two hits in, one on her back and one over her left eye. Despite this, Team Carmen had succeeded. V.I.L.E was forced to flee and Ivy was immediately taken to get her injuries treated.
According to the doctor who treated Ivy, the scratches over her eye and on her back would heal in a few weeks. Luckily she wasn’t blinded in that eye but there was a possibility that both her wounds would scar. Her leg would take a bit longer to heal and she was currently required to use crutches. It wasn’t a huge deal to Ivy herself, after all the mission went well and everything seemed to be fine. But Carmen was an entirely different story.
Carmen was silent throughout the whole trip to the doctor, which was already a red flag in Ivy’s mind. Carmen rarely stayed that quiet, especially after a mission had been completed. But what happened after confirmed Ivy's theory. After the doctors, Carmen made a few comments about how reckless Ivy had acted. While her comments weren’t particularly harsh, the redhead could still detect the ire in her voice. Then later that night when Ivy slipped into bed, Carmen refused to turn to her and gave her a very quiet good night. This had been the routine for the past couple of days.
Which brings us back to tonight. Ivy reached up to adjust the bandage over her left eye as she continued to stare at Carmen. She took a deep breath then cautiously whispered, “Carmen? You awake?”
No response, so Ivy continued. “Carmen, I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to know why you’re upset, and you avoidin’ me isn’t goin’ to make me understand. So please, talk to me.”
More silence. Ivy sighed then reached for her crutches. She couldn’t sleep next to Carmen while she was upset, she’d just feel too lonely.
“Why would you do that?”
Ivy stopped in her tracks and turned to the girl laying behind her. “What?”
“Why would you do that,” Carmen repeated. “You put yourself in a lot of danger. Why would you do that?” Ivy just gawked at her girlfriend before recovering from her brief shock.
“It was the only thin' I could think of at the time,” Ivy explained in a worried tone. “And at the end of the day, everythin' went over well.”
“While that may be true you still got injured and put yourself at risk,” Carmen countered angrily as she sat up and faced Ivy. Her grey eyes burned with rage and what looked to be .....sadness? “Ivy, you could’ve gotten even more hurt than you already are?”
“But I didn’t Carm, and besides, the mission-” Ivy attempted to explain but was cut off by Carmen.
“I don’t care about the mission,” the brunette shouted. She was silent for a moment then continued. “You got lucky this time Ivy, but what happens if that luck runs out? What would happen if you....,” Carmen’s words trailed off as tears collected in her dull grey eyes. “You’re more important than the mission. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you. I-I can’t lose you, I can’t lose any of my family” she whispered as she began to quietly cry. Ivy immediately pulled Carmen into a hug, allowing her to cry as she stroked her long dark hair.
“Hey, it’s okay Carm, I’ve got you,” Ivy said softly in an attempt to reassure her girlfriend.
“It’s not okay! You could’ve been killed Ivy,” Carmen whimpered as she wrapped her arms around the redhead.
“By Tigress,” Ivy asked in a teasing tone which only earned her a glare from the thief. Ivy held up her hands in defense, though she still had a smug smile stretched across her face. “Alright, alright, I’ll be more careful from now on, okay?”
“Promise,” Carmen demanded as she looked Ivy in her dull green eyes. Ivy was stunned for a moment but smiled and nodded. She felt so touched by how concerned Carmen was for her, and couldn’t help getting a little emotional. Though no tears actually fell, they still gathered in her eyes along with the warm feeling of love that blossomed in her chest.
“I promise Carm,” Ivy strongly affirmed.
Carmen nodded in approval before hugging Ivy tighter. The redhead just simply rubbed her girlfriends back gently while whispering words of encouragement. After a few minutes, Ivy and Carmen were snuggled up under the blankets of their bed. Ivy kissed Carmen’s forehead as she was getting ready to finally be able to sleep when Carmen whispered, “just so you know I’m still a little mad at you.” Ivy just chuckled softly before whispering, “I love you, Carm.”
It was silent for a moment before Carmen pulled Ivy into a rather passionate kiss. Carmen tried to convey how much she cherished and worried about Ivy in their kiss, which the redhead picked up easily. In response, Ivy wrapped her arms around Carmen, silently clarifying that she wasn't going anywhere. When the final separated Carmen simply said “I love you too Ivy. Now get some rest.” She then laid back down and snuggled into Ivy’s arms as they finally drifted to sleep.