Chapter Text
Wattson appeared to be very unsettled; multiple Legends surrounded her and Crypto’s compromised drone. I couldn’t see her eyes behind the blonde locks that cupped her face, but I didn’t need to. Her cheeks were wet and her hands trembled as she interlocked them at her chest, her head tipping down to watch them. Her body language screamed anxiety. I wasn’t sure what to do for her. Revenant had full control over the drone and had scared the engineer into silence, Crypto was being torn into. My voices hadn’t warned me about him. Something wasn’t right.
This was clearly a setup; someone wanted him to take the fall for them. But right now, Natalie was all that mattered. She was scared, and I knew her well enough at this point. Loud was not her forte. We were the same on that front. She preferred peace and tranquility, restoring order, she constantly wore earmuffs that hugged her ears to shelter them from our matches in the arena. I had to help her. She was family. She trusted me.
“I do not care who did it,” Wattson spoke shakily, her soft voice breaking as she brushed one of her hands up her arm to comfort herself. “I need to be somewhere quiet.”
My eyes darted across from her as the hacker approached her slowly with his hands out of his pockets. It was unusual of him to wear his heart on his sleeve. “Natalie, I’m so sorry, I…” There was a hint of desperation to his voice. My pale eyes fogged over.
He’s scared.
I glanced back over at Natalie. Her body language remained the same. If I didn’t help her soon, something bad would happen. The tension was thick in the room; almost as if I could slice through it. I leaned back against the wall and crossed my arms; my eyes were glued to her. The voices were adamant to protect her, and so was I. I didn’t fully trust Crypto due to the suspicions being made, but I knew he was good for her. He had finally found a friend. Now it was being ripped away from him.
I tensed up as she lifted her head and met eyes with me. Those beautiful, bright blue eyes. They carried such sadness. They were still glossy from her tears; she didn’t need to speak a word to me to know she needed me. Pleading for her escape. I closed mine for a moment and exhaled out of my nose.
Stop hesitating. Help her.
Opening them again, I found she was still watching me. She had the most adorable pout upon her lips. My heart swelled at the sight. I shot her a swift nod, pushing myself up and pushing my way through the crowd.
“I’ll take you, Nat,” I said softly, one hand wrapped around my kunai in my belt, the other found itself sitting on her upper arm as I brought her close. She wasted no time in pushing herself deeper into my embrace, burying her face and one of her hands into my singed scarf. I could hear small sniffles erupt from her. She needed this.
“Thank you, Wraith.” She breathed into me, relieved. Her eyes were closed and her hair blanketed her face once more as I lead her out of the bar. Her grip tightened on me as we stepped outside; I peered down at her, she appeared to be right at home. She looked even cuter than usual wrapped in my arms. A small smile brushed across my lips. If there was one person who had this effect on me, it was Natalie. Luc’s incredibly smart, bright and beautiful daughter. If not for him, I would still be locked up in a mental hospital and treated like an animal. A test subject. I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time to think about that.
We arrived to her dorm. She lived a few doors down from me, so visiting her late at night while she tinkered with her pylons wasn’t hard. I enjoyed her company. I reached for the doorknob but paused, remembering this wasn’t my door. I needed her keycard.
“Nat.” I called gently. Now would be the worst time to startle her.
Natalie began to stir, rubbing her eyes as she gathered her bearings. She looked in front of us and noticed I was stumped. “Ah.” She reached into her jacket pocket and retrieved the card, scanning it next to the slick metal doorframe. The pad flashed green, and the door clicked. I offered a small nod in gratitude. She knew I was a woman of very few words; I only spoke when I felt I needed to. I kept secrets that I needed to keep. Nobody needed to know anything about me.
I pushed the door closed behind me.
Keep an eye on her.
I looked down at her and felt her arms pull away from me slowly, reluctantly. She didn’t want to leave my warmth. I immediately began to miss having her close, but I knew she needed rest. It had been a long day for her. For all of us. She met my eyes for only a moment; her lips branded a sheepish smile and her cheeks burned red. Then she broke eye contact, staring at the laminate floor beneath her shoes and tucking her hands behind her back. She looked like a shy schoolgirl asking out her crush.
“You know, Wraith,” Natalie began, her shy smile only growing. “I’m lucky to have you.” She said. The sincerity in her tone was true; she was a terrible liar. The voices were convinced too. The sudden compliment caused me to raise my eyebrows, a gentle smile sitting on my lips. “I don’t think I tell you that enough.”
“I’m glad I could be there for you,” I replied, lifting my hand up to her. My fingers brushed against her cheek as I moved her bangs out of her face, my thumb resting against her skin. She let out a gentle sigh, and our eyes met. The blue in her eyes was no longer cloudy; they practically lit up her room. Natalie brought a hand up to mine and settled it on my wrist. I could let my guard down around her, and I knew only to be gentle with her. She closed her eyes and leaned into my touch; my smile faded as a faint blush spread across my face.
I had learned not to question why she had grown so attached to me; she put her faith in me. I had only become more protective of her since the prowler attack. She was bedridden for weeks, I could only sit and watch her lifeless face. What would I have done if she had died? It was a reality I wasn’t ready to face. Luc would have been so proud of Natalie, and would never forgive me if I let something happen to her. Her own guardian angel.
A small sigh came from the engineer as she opened her eyes, a bright grin forming on her as she noticed my blush and sheepish grin. The realisation brought me back to reality and I cleared my throat, hoping she wouldn’t add to it.
“You should get some sleep,” I suggested, taking her hands into my own and admiring them. “It’s been a long day, and the doctors won’t be happy to know you’ve been on your feet all day. Even Legends need to rest sometimes.” I smiled. I was terrible at listening to my own advice, but I had my own demons to face.
“Oui, you are probably right…” Natalie yawned, her eyelids looked heavy. I was good at reading her.
“I’ll leave you to get changed and sleep,” I said, giving her hands a gentle squeeze and turning to reach for the door. I felt a tug at my sleeve.
“Wait,” She seemed to plead again. “Stay. Just for tonight. I still have horrible nightmares, I don’t know what to do when you’re not here.” She winced.
I looked over my shoulder at her, worry in my eyes. I couldn’t bring myself to leave her alone. It was the least I could do.
“I feel safe around you, Wraith.” She continued, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around my torso. She held me in a loose embrace; I wasn’t used to this contact, and Natalie had never been this affectionate to me. I slowly turned to face her, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other lifting her chin to look up at me.
“Please, Wraith.”
Natalie sat a hand on my pale, cold cheek, caressing it softly. The void was empty and freezing, I had become one with it; I travelled it often. I was still discovering pieces of my past. It was perilous; the engineer had helped me advance the technology I possessed to do so. We had become closer, more than I would publicly admit to the other Legends. But I didn’t want to put a label on us just yet.
My misty hues met hers.
“I’m still here, aren’t I?” I smirked at her, cocking my head slightly. I was smug with my comment. As the engineer’s smile widened, I watched her arm slither around my neck and catch me off guard with a soft kiss. It was a warmth I didn’t know I needed so badly. I moved my fingers to her neck, where I held her until we broke for air.
“It’s probably obvious now, but I like you,” Natalie giggled, her cheeks burning up. “Je t’aime, actually.”
Our hands never moved; we were both very happy to be in each other’s arms. I always loved hearing her talk french, even if it was once in a while.
“Well, that’s good,” I hummed, meeting her giggle with a soft chuckle. “Because I love you, too.”