Work Text:
Brooklynn walks into the common area of the penthouse after her morning shower. Soyona is sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter, enjoying a cup of coffee while she reads something on her tablet.
"Thanks for the clothes," Brooklynn starts. Soyona had laid out some for her on the bed while she was showering.
"You're welcome." She replies, setting her tablet aside and setting a plate in front of Brooklynn.
Brooklynn joins her, sitting at the adjacent stool. Waffles with strawberries, and bacon cooked just the way she likes it. How... oddly domestic of her. She takes a bite, and much to her dismay, it's even better than it looks. Soyona is something of a cook, and Brooklynn will give her that much. But only that much.
"This is good," She compliments with her mouth full. "Thank you."
"Mhm," Soyona sips from her mug. "Did you want a cup of coffee?"
"Oh, uh, sure."
"How do you like it?"
Brooklynn snickers. "What, you don't already know, Santos?"
"Well, it's not something that ever came up," She replies, stoic. "And regardless, you can be delightfully unpredictable sometimes."
"Sweet," She finally answers. "Lotsa sugar and creamer."
"Well, maybe a little predictable." She smiles ever so slightly as she mixes together the requested condiments. Soyona slides the mug down the counter to her as she takes her seat, and Brooklynn takes a sip as soon as she's handed it. She immediately regrets it however, because the steaming hot coffee burned the shit out of her tongue.
"What's on the roster today?" Brooklynn asks, eating a cold strawberry off the top of her plate in attempts to soothe the burn.
Soyona glances at her tablet before answering, shrugging faintly. "A few meetings, and I need to swing by the lab to pick up a few things. Nothing too exciting."
"Anything you need help with?" She smiles.
"No, that won't be necessary."
Brooklynn pauses awkwardly for a moment before turning back to her plate. She'd ask if Soyona was sure, but she didn't want to come off as desperate. Soyona glances up at her as she falls silent.
"Don't be so disappointed, dear," Soyona rises from her seat with her empty cup and ruffles Brooklynn's hair as she walks by. "Enjoy a day off."
Brooklynn doesn't reply, watching Soyona disappear off down the hallway, presumably to freshen up for the day. She returns sometime later, dressed in a crisp white suit with neatly tied back hair. She looks every bit the successful, formidable businesswoman she is.
"I'll be back by dinner," She informs her curtly. Brooklynn stares down at her plate as she walks out.
As the door closes behind her, Brooklynn is left alone with her thoughts. She pushes her plate away, no longer hungry. She spends her day wandering aimlessly around the penthouse, trying to keep herself occupied with mindless tasks, but no matter what she does—her thoughts always drift back to Soyona and this complicated web they seem to have woven around eachother. It's making her head spin. I mean, how could she have become so engrossed in this part that she's playing to the point where she sleeps with the very person she's aiming to destroy?
Why is it Soyona Santos, of all people?
She'll tell herself it's nothing but means to an end. That this... thing between them will soon be obsolete, and Brooklynn will reach her goal in just a matter of time, taking down this monster and reuniting with everyone. She'll be happy.
She thinks about her friends, how happy she'll be to see them (and how she hopes they'll be just as happy), how she'll go about explaining her previous interactions with them, and lack thereof. Then she thinks about how they'd react if they were to hear about her and Santos. Not that she'd ever dare bring it up, but what if—god forbid—it slips, or Soyona is angry enough to reveal her little secret? How exactly would she justify this to them? How would Kenji feel? Darius, even?
By evening, the sun has begun to set, casting shadows across the cityscape outside the ceiling-to-floor windows. Brooklynn finds herself on the balcony, staring out at the frankly very stunning view, when she hears the front door open and close. Soyona walks in, looking just as put together as she did that morning.
Brooklynn expects Soyona to greet her on the balcony immediately, she doesn't see her until maybe fifteen minutes later when Soyona has changed into her night clothes composed of thin, satin pajamas. She removed the pins from her hair as well, allowing it to drape loosely around her shoulders.
"Still awake, I see," She comments, standing overtop of the sliding door's track and leaning against the wall.
"You said you'd be back by dinner." Brooklynn pauses. "It's eleven."
"Work gets away from me sometimes," She dismisses as she steps closer, snaking her arms around Brooklynn's waist and resting her chin on her head. The touch gives her goosebumps, and she thanks the heavens that Soyona can't see her face because she can already feel heat rising to it.
Her hands drift down to her stomach, fingers splaying out against it. "Beautiful, hmm?" She muses.
"Yeah," Brooklynn replies softly, thoughtfully. "The skyline reminds me of home."
"You miss it?"
"The city itself, sure. Sometimes." She answers carefully. "New York's great."
Soyona pauses shortly. "Tell me about it sometime."
"Haven't you been?" She halfheartedly jokes.
"Yes, but I'd prefer to hear it from you. It's your experiences I'm interested in, Brooklynn."
Brooklynn doesn't respond. She doesn't have anything to say, even if she wanted to. She hates when Soyona does that—act all interested in her past. In her. It's the cruelest form of manipulation, she thinks, and it's annoyingly tempting to give in.
Soyona seems content to just hold Brooklynn and enjoy looking out over the city, and the silence stretches between them. It's broken by only the distant hum of the cars fifty-four floors below them, and the breeze rustling the leaves on Soyona's balcony plants.
"You're quiet tonight," Soyona remarks softly as her hands continue their tender exploration of Brooklynn's midsection. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"Ah, just..." She pauses, thinking about something other than her question.
Don't do it, Brooklynn. You're better than this.
She does it anyway.
"Tired," She finishes, leaning herself backwards into Soyona, letting herself enjoy the touch.
Her fingers toy with the waistband of Brooklynn's sweatpants. "Long day?"
"You could say," She pauses. "You too, I take it?"
She sighs. "Same as always. Tedious paperwork and meetings with incompetent investors. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother."
That last comment strikes Brooklynn as odd. "Really?"
Soyona shrugs as her hands dip lower, fingers tracing the curve of Brooklynn's hip. "Not that I'd ever change anything," She clarifies. "It's just that this field can drive anyone up the wall, even me. That's why it's refreshing to have something nice to come home to."
Me? Brooklynn thinks, resisting the urge to ask that question aloud.
She basks in the sensation that is Soyona against her skin. Her hands are surprisingly soft.
Soyona presses a kiss to Brooklynn's temple, lingering there for a moment. "Come to bed?" She invites softly.
"Sure."