The first time Sameen Shaw eats a Red Delicious apple, she spits out her half-masticated excuse of an apple and throws it at the boy who’d given it to her.

Apples aren’t meant to be bitter and tough to chew.

The Red Delicious, with red waxy skin may look perfect, but the taste and texture leaves a lot to be desired. Shaw crosses it off her list of food.

-

Shaw clicks the safety back on her gun; she puts it on the side table where it belongs. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Just checking in,” Root says. She rummages through Shaw’s fridge, avoiding the weaponry and scavenging for food. Opening the milk carton, her nose crinkles at the putrid odor. “Do you have any food that isn’t going to kill me?”

Shaw ignores her, inspecting her knives, running the blade along her finger. No blood. She takes out a sharpening stone.

Root spots the fruit bowl on the counter. She puts out the fruit one by one: an overly ripe banana, a few pears and a Fuji apple. She stares at the Fuji apple. “Is this all you have?”

“Yes.”

Humming, Root chooses the pear instead of the apple.

-

Chucking her boots to the side, Shaw cracks her neck while she steps into her apartment. Her eyes sweep the area. Shaw tenses. Her hand inches towards her gun at the back of her pants. She spots the note on the kitchen counter. Root.

You should have a more balanced diet.

Shaw grits her teeth. She relaxes slightly. Unwrapping the fruit basket, Shaw narrows her eyes. Too heavy to just be the fruit arrangement. She dumps out the fruit.

Sitting at the bottom of the basket, a new gun.

Shaw smirks and tests out the weight in her hands.

She puts the fruit haphazardly back into the basket. Shaw tosses the Red Delicious straight into the trashcan.

-

Ducking behind the pillar, Shaw fires off another round of bullets at her attackers. Three screams and three thumps, three down.

Across from her, Root reloads her guns and steps right into the line of bullets, she rapidly returns fire until there’s silence.

Shaw drags her back to safety next to her, noting the line of blood running down Root’s arm. “Again?” she hisses.

Root shrugs. “Mission accomplished.”

Going into doctor mode, Shaw assesses the damage, her lips pursed. “Just a graze, anything else hurt?”

Root shakes her head. She brushes Shaw off and leans over to the counter, the hotel front desk with their complimentary bowl of apples. Red Delicious. She snatches one, biting into it.

“Really?” Shaw shakes her head, heading out the door.

“I’m hungry,” Root says. She finishes the apple and dumps the core into the bushes.

Shaw raises an eyebrow.

“It’s biodegradable.”

“Not that.”

Root steals a jacket off the park bench, draping it over her wounded arm.  “Then what?”

“Those apples are disgusting,” Shaw says.

“I think they’re good.”

“You have terrible tastes.”

Root grins, leaning into Shaw’s personal bubble. “I think I have great tastes.”

Shaw shoves her away, eyes glaring at Root’s back while Root disappears into the crowd.

-

While making coffee in the middle of the night, Shaw yawns, checking her phone once more. Harold needs her in an hour. Barely four hours of sleep and her phone rings, another number apparently. Maybe Bear will be there to keep her warm.

Shaw pours her coffee in a to-go cup.

She stops pouring.

Two Red Delicious apples in her fruit bowl. No note. Shaw’s fingers twitch.

She shakes her head, leaving them there.

-

The knife flies out of her hand once she registers who breaks into her apartment. Shaw grins, satisfied at the indignant yelp.

“Kiss kiss to you too,” Root says. She pulls out the knife from the wall and slides it back over to Shaw. “Hope you weren’t thinking of getting your security deposit back.”

Shaw shrugs. “Wasn’t going to get it back anyways.”

Root tilts her head. “What else did you destroy?”

Shaw doesn’t answer.

“Anyways, as much as I love our girl talks, She does have a mission for you.” Root takes out an envelope from her coat pocket, dropping it on Shaw’s lap.

“Do I get a say in this?”

“There’s a rocket launcher waiting for you,” Root says.

Shaw grins. “When do we leave?”

“You leave tonight.”

“What, you’re not coming?”

“She has something else for me,” Root says. She inspects Shaw’s kitchen, eyes landing on the fruit bowl. A slow smile spreads across her face.

Shaw rolls her eyes, pulling out her new ID from the envelope instead.

“Bye sweetie,” Root says, hovering by the doorway. “And She says you can keep the rocket launcher after you’re done.”

The door clicks shut.

Shaw takes a look at her fruit bowl.

An apple is missing.

Good riddance.

She never did like Red Delicious apples.

-

Unwinding her scarf, Shaw sets the bag of groceries on the counter. She glances at the fruit bowl. Shaw grits her teeth.

Her phone rings, Unknown number. Shaw quickly swipes to answer.

“Miss Shaw?” Finch asks.

Shaw squeezes her eyes shut.

“Sameen. If you could just … Root wouldn’t –“

Shaw hangs up.

She pulls out a fresh bag of apples from the bag, ripping the plastic bag with her fingers. Shaw takes out the old fruit from the basket, dumping them into the trash can. She pauses at the last one, mushy and brown. Shaw’s fist clenches. She drops it in with the rest of the garbage.

Shaw pours the apples into the bowl.

Nothing but Red Delicious apples.

Just like last week.

And the week before that.

And the month before that.

Shaw licks her lips. She takes an apple, rubbing the red skin across her shirt, polishing it. Shaw takes a bite, grimacing at the bitter taste.

Shaw eats the whole thing.