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[color=217c85][b]#217c85[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=808080][b]jinx[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/lR0gnKH][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=feffb5][b]#feffb5[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=808080][b]redback[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/109r9I0][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=808080][b]descendant tower[/b][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]It seemed that the training was going less well than expected when two of them, back to back, had ended in a tap out. There was only one remaining simulation and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to connect the dots to figure out who was left. Phil clicked the final buttons and turned toward the room. [color=d6d6d6]"Veronica and Theodore."[/color]

Ronnie’s hand that rested on Luke’s knee pushed off of him as she stood up. She slipped past him and made her way toward the door. She rested her fingers on the handle, glancing back over her shoulder at Theo with an amused grin. [color=217c85]"Let’s go, handsome. Just like old times."[/color] With that she opened the door and stepped inside. 

Theo hesitated, face twisting into a grimace. He turned, only once Ronnie stepped through the door, toward Myla. [color=feffb5]"I hate her."[/color] The confession felt more vulnerable than he wanted to be at that moment, before he had to step into combat without her by his side, but it felt important to voice it. [color=feffb5]"I’ll make it fast."[/color] He promised, pressing a featherlight kiss to Myla’s cheek before turning around to follow Veronica into the room. 


While she had [i]some[/i] idea of what to expect after watching everyone else, each simulation was entirely different, hand crafted to expose their weaknesses like picking at a scab. Ronnie had no idea what that could mean for her. It wasn’t like kryptonite or something would work on her, but she also wasn’t a fucking God either. There was no way she could handle what Magni could singlehandedly. She’d be lucky if she could even keep up with Theo, not that she’d ever voice such a thing. But she had to do it… [i]be part of the team[/i]. Whatever the hell that meant.

She sighed softly, stepping onto the X. As Ronnie slowly turned to face Theo, her confident mask slipped back into place along with her flirtatious smile. [color=217c85]"I’ve missed this,"[/color] she confessed.

[color=feffb5]"I haven’t."[/color] He snapped, keeping his back to her as he stepped onto the yellow X, waving at the glass window impatiently. [color=feffb5]"Let’s start, please."[/color] Theodore couldn’t think of a single nice thing he had to say to Veronica, and his mom had taught him that if he didn’t have anything nice to say, it was better not to say anything at all. He would work with her, and be cordial when it was required, but otherwise he meant what he’d said. The person he knew, the Ronnie he’d cared for, was dead to him. 

[color=d6d6d6]"Thumbs up when you’re both ready,"[/color] Phil replied.

Ronnie puffed out her lips with an exhale and rolled her eyes. [color=217c85]"You’re so serious now."[/color] She shook her head and held up a thumb lazily. Theo was so quick to hate her, no different than Myla. He acted like she was [i]so[/i] different when this was the exact same person he fell in love with, whether he wanted to admit it or not. While she might have disappeared, [i]he[/i] was the one who changed. And from where she was standing the only thing different in his life was Hell’s [i]fucking[/i] Angel. Every angle pointed back to that woman and while her attention might be onto bigger, better and far more rigorous endeavors with Luke, that wasn’t going to stop her getting her own little piece of revenge after the bitch’s little threats earlier that morning. 

[color=d6d6d6]"Emergency shut down word is [i]‘watermelon’[/i]. Simulation will begin in 3… 2… 1."[/color]

The room grew dark as the concrete walls faded to a starless night’s sky, while the yellow glow of light pollution emanated around them. The wind whipped around them, sharp and cold as white flurries of snow collected on their shoulders. The temperature plummeted. The chill apparent in the way the hair along Ronnie’s bare skin stood on end and the protrusion of her nipples against the thin material of her shirt. She crossed her arms over her chest, attempting to retain what body heat she could as she looked around. They stood on what appeared to be a fairly basic New York rooftop, but they weren’t closer to any other buildings to run to and lacked both her grappling hooks and Theo’s webs. So, basically stranded. [i]Awesome.[/i]

Ronnie walked over to the edge of the roof and looked down. It had to be at least twenty stories, easy. But they were in a simulation, so it was safe… [i]Right?[/i] Curious, she dipped a foot over the edge. There was no resistance. No invisible floor. [color=217c85]"What the—"[/color] Her brows furrowed. She picked up a crushed beer can that rested on the ground beside her and tossed it over the edge. Her heart sank as she watched it plummet all the way down to the alleyway below. [color=217c85]"Fuck this."[/color]

Her head snapped around as the sound of dozens of loud footsteps could be heard hurrying up the stairs towards the rooftop entrance. Ronnie looked over at Theo for a split second to see if he had some kind of plan then rushed the door. The first man out wasn’t ready for her. She jumped up, hooking her legs around his neck and used her body weight to flip him right over the edge of the roof. It wasn’t until she heard him splat on the ground that she realized she should have taken his gun first. [i]Damn it.[/i]

The chill in the air cut through his clothes, goosebumps rising across his arms, slicing into Theo as sharply as any knife could. [i]Fuck.[/i] He could already feel the edges of diapause sneaking up on him, mind growing more hazy, but it wasn’t too bad yet. They needed to end this quickly, or he’d end up going into fucking hibernation. He missed her analysis of the roof, looking around instead to make sure there weren’t any obvious snipers on nearby rooftops. Without his webs, Theodore felt trapped and vulnerable. 

He twisted around at the sound of the door banging open, and then a body launching over the ledge. If he’d had his webs—but he didn’t, and there was no point in thinking about that now. Theo looked around, feeling a little desperate to go into the fight with something other than his fists, and his gaze caught the sight of some kind of pipe jutting out through the roof. [color=feffb5]"Bingo!"[/color] He jolted forward, running toward the men spilling out from the door that stood between him and his goal, Theo waited until he was within arms length of one of the men to launch himself into a graceful flip over his head, landing right on the edge of the rooftop, hand curling around the pipe before ripping it free with a loud and hideous screech of protest, and then he launched himself into the fray. 

It was easier to stay warm when he was fighting, twisting out of the way to avoid a punch, he swung the pipe with enough force to break the man's arm, and his gun clattered to the ground. Begrudgingly, Theo kicked it toward Ronnie before spinning around to smack another man in the face with the pipe. [color=feffb5]"Man,"[/color] he laughed, knowing it was a simulation but unable to resist. [color=feffb5]"You have a face only your mom and my pipe could love."[/color] The simulation was surprisingly accurate in its offended expression of the man, which only added to Theo’s fun as he swung the pipe again, knocking him clean out. 

Ronnie smirked, scooping up the gun and immediately emptied the clip in the next three men that burst through the door. [color=217c85]"You [i]still[/i] do that?"[/color] she mused with a laugh as she tossed the gun into the air. She caught it by the barrel and pistol whipped the next guy. Before he could get his hands on her she kicked him in the side of his knee, breaking his leg with a sickening snap. While she could have left that guy there, it wasn’t like he’d be doing anything else, she just wanted to be [i]extra[/i] sure. She blew the man a kiss before slamming her foot into his chest and sent him falling over the side like his friend before him. [color=217c85]"That’s five,"[/color] she called over her shoulder to Theo, keeping count of her kills like it was a game.

His good mood plummeted the moment he heard Ronnie’s voice and was reminded of…everything. The pipe connected with another man's head, but Theo’s careful clutch on his control slipped for a second. Three things happened at once; the man's face caved in, the momentum shot him clean off the roof and into another building, and his pipe snapped in half with a thunderous clang. [color=feffb5]"Damn it,"[/color] he muttered, scooping up the other half of the pipe and chucking it another merc, watching with mild amusement as it bounced off his head and into another man’s, making them both stumble and fall.

He wasn’t keeping count, it wasn’t a game for him, and he wasn’t having fun. They were training today because Myla had been attacked yesterday, because his dad and other heroes had gone missing, because they had no other choice. [color=feffb5]"Just shut up, Veronica."[/color] He grunted, dodging a punch to the back of the head but taking a fist to the ribs for his troubles. 

[color=217c85]"[i]Veronica,[/i]"[/color] she mirrored with a playful sarcasm. Ronnie made the nails on her right hand grow and curve into piercing claws before grabbing one of the approaching men by his family jewels. She smirked, giving it a little yank and twist while reaching for his gun with her free hand. She pressed the barrel to his head. [i]Bang.[/i] Dead. She fired two more shots and two more mercenaries fell to the ground in what was quickly becoming a pile. 

[color=217c85]"You haven’t called me that since—"[/color] A punch caught her in the side from out of her periphery and knocked the wind out of her. Ronnie stumbled to the side gasping for air. She sucked in a sharp breath and clenched her teeth before shooting her attacker between the legs. Then, for good measure, she swiped her nails across his neck, ripping open his throat and covering her in whatever synthetic blood pumped through… Whatever the fuck he was. 

[color=feffb5]"Since you faked your death and disappeared, yeah, I know."[/color] He snapped, catching the arm of the man who punched him in the ribs, clenching his fingers until the sickening sound of bone cracking filled the air. Theo lifted him by the broken appendage and used the man to knock another one off the roof. They fell, screaming all the way to their messy death, and he was glad this was just a simulation. The back of his neck tingled, and he jerked his head to the side before a fake bullet could lodge itself into his skull, twisting around to kick the goon in the stomach before he drove his elbow into the man's spine, snapping it. 

Theodore let out a breath, eyes darting around them. He’d only stay angry if he didn’t start blocking her out, it didn’t matter what Veronica said, not anymore. The tension slipped from his shoulders, eyes narrowing as instinct and concentration took over. Theo darted around the rooftop, kicking, punching, and throwing whenever he could. If he had been keeping track, his numbers would easily be in the fifties after only a few minutes. His breathing was heavier, little puffs forming into the air in front of him, fingers going numb from the cold. He was slowing down a little, diapause becoming more of a threat with every passing second. His eyes felt tired, and he decided if this didn’t end in the next fifteen minutes he’d call the damn safeword if only to save himself going into hibernation. 

[color=217c85]"I mean, I was going to say the last time we [i]fucked[/i], but sure."[/color] Ronnie emptied another clip into whoever poured out of the door next. [color=217c85]"And I didn’t fake my death,"[/color] she scoffed and rolled her eyes before dodging a punch to the left, grabbing the guy's head and slamming his face straight down into her knee. [color=217c85]"I just… Didn’t [i]tell[/i] you I was alive,"[/color] she added as if it clarified everything. 

Distracted with her taunting of Theo, she nearly missed the man that charged at her. Ronnie dodged out of the way just in time for him to dive past her and fly right over the edge of the roof. As she watched him fall two gunshots rang out followed by a searing pain in her calf and hip. The force knocked her off balance. She stumbled and tripped, tumbling over the edge with a sharp gasp that sucked the air from her lungs.

His hand locked around her wrist, stopping the downward descent of Veronica’s body wrenched his shoulder from its socket, a wheeze of pain escaping Theo’s lips, and he heard a gun fire behind him, pain lacing over his back. [i]Fuck. This. Shit.[/i] He should have let her fall, it wasn’t like it was real, it wasn’t like he actually cared about Ronnie anymore. It had been pure instinct, his mind had shifted from it being Veronica to being Myla for a moment, he’d only seen the tips of her fingers disappear over the edge and he’d moved without thinking, all of his worst fears rising to the surface again as he remembered finding her yesterday in her apartment, broken and bleeding and–he’d caught her, for what? For a second, just one horrible second, Theo thought about letting her fall. 

Then, because he was a better person than Veronica and a hero, damnit, he hefted her over the ledge before he could get shot again, letting go as soon as she was safe, staggering to the side as his arm fell awkwardly at his side. [color=feffb5]"Yeah, I’m done."[/color] He muttered, shivering and not above forfeiting. Theo opened his mouth, [i]watermelon[/i] on the tip of his tongue. 

Ronnie sucked in a sharp breath when his arm reached over the edge and he grabbed her wrist just before she slipped out of reach. Her body swung into the side of the building from the moment with a thud. In that split second her mind raced back in time over two years ago. Her and Theo were playing a game of cat and mouse for months and that night he chased her across rooftops on the Upper Eastside. She had stolen something from some rich twat, she couldn’t remember what. But she remembered that night. How she made one wrong move and slipped over the edge. Then he was there, Redback—[i]Theo.[/i] Even on opposite sides, he couldn’t let her fall and die. His web caught her and he pulled her back up to the rooftop. She didn’t know what overcame him or her in that moment, but sense and reason fell to the ground in her place as she pulled up the bottom of his mask and kissed him. That was the moment everything changed. 

Like a puppet of deja vu, Ronnie’s body mirrored the memory as she was pulled to her feet beside him on the roof. She didn’t hear what he said or notice he was injured. [color=217c85]"You saved me,"[/color] the familiar words fell from her stunned lips like a ghost of their past. Like the night of their first kiss all of her logic drifted away. She grabbed a handful of his shirt, pulling him in closer until their lips met. The brief moment stretched on for eternity as waves of memories and emotions crashed into her. How Theo used to love her, used to hold her, used to kiss her… All of it, gone.

Familiar lips pressed over his own, but the attraction he used to feel, the adoration, the [i]love,[/i] it was all gone. The moment he realized she was never actually missing, that she’d chosen to allow him to mourn her loss, any remaining embers Theo held for Veronica had died. His lips were like stone against her own, unyielding, unmoving, and the second she pulled back, his hand connected with her cheek sharply. The slap rang out, cutting through his anger. 

[color=feffb5][i]"Watermelon."[/i][/color] He snarled the word as if it were the most disgusting thing ever to grace his lips, and as the rooftop and simulated cold drained away Theo spat onto the concrete beneath his feet, wiping off his lips with his good hand. [color=feffb5]"How [i]dare[/i] you?"[/color] His voice shook, so much rage and hurt building up in his chest that he couldn’t decide if he wanted to laugh, cry, or throw up. [color=feffb5]"You let me think you were [i]dead.[/i] Do you have any idea what that did to me? How heartless are you, to think you can waltz back into my life a year later and think you have [i]any[/i] right to kiss me? You [i]disgust[/i] me."[/color] He was yelling by the time he was done, chest heaving, the pent up aggravation at the entire situation getting the best of him, and he spun on his heel, stalking out of the room before he could come to his senses and feel bad for slapping her. 

Ronnie's head remained turned to the side, her hand cupping the tender skin of her cheek as it grew hot. [I]He hit her. Theo hit her.[/I] She didn't know if she should be stunned or appalled or maybe even slightly impressed at how he stood up for himself in a way she had never seen before. Even so, a shove she might have understood, but a slap? [color=217c85]"[I]What the fuck!?[/I]"[/color] she spat at him as he walked away toward the exit. [color=217c85]"You won't even give me the chance to explain. You just paint me as your [I]fucking[/I] villain, let your girlfriend threaten to throw me off the fucking tower and somehow [I]I'm[/I] the bad guy!?"[/color] She shouted after him as she trailed a few feet behind.

The door slammed against the wall, a perfect indent in the shape of Theo’s hand was pressed into the metal of the door with a soft screech, a dent forming in the wall as it impacted, but he didn’t care. He needed—needed…Myla. 

The entire time their training commenced on the other side of the window, Myla sat in a tense silence. Every comment and jab that Ronnie made set her teeth on edge. She kept her eyes closed, running her fingertips across her forehead while her other hand remained pressed against her side to stem the bleeding. She tried to focus on Theo's fighting, the way he started to slow from the cold, and the annoyance that coursed through his body each time the woman spoke. Myla was able to brush most of it off, the comment about their sex life less so. Then Ronnie went over the edge and for a brief second she was almost [I]happy[/I] about it but Theo caught her before her mind could run away with the thought. She grimaced hearing the way his shoulder popped out of socket and when he said he was done some of the tension eased in her muscles. 

But then all other thoughts vanished when Ronnie kissed him. The color drained from her face while Myla's heart pounded furiously against the inside of her ribcage. She thought she heard a slap but every sound was muffled behind the deafening thrum of her pulse. No one ever likes their partner’s exes, but Myla fucking hated Ronnie. She did more than break Theo's heart, she let him think she was dead. She toyed with their emotions like they were her own personal playthings. But more importantly and more selfishly, she kissed him when she had no fucking right.

The door slammed open and Myla was on her feet. There was no logic or reason, just a blind rage that dulled her senses and burned like an inferno inside her. She brushed past Theo, fist balled at her side. The second Ronnie stepped out of the simulation Myla pulled her arm back then threw her knuckles into the woman's jaw with every ounce of strength she had and knocked her back into the wall. [color=962929]"Who the fuck do you think you are?"[/color] Her voice was steady but venomous as her cold anger grew more heated every second she remained near the woman. 

Ronnie bounced back, pushing off the wall then shoving Myla away to create some space between them. [color=217c85]"Fuck off, [I]angel[/I]. This has nothing to do with you."[/color]

[color=feffb5]"Don’t fucking call her that."[/color] Theo hissed, reaching out reflexively to steady Myla. His hand was trembling, very aware of everyone watching the show, but he didn’t move to stop her yet, his shoulder was screaming in pain still.

Myla stumbled backwards a step or two but she regained her footing quickly as Theo caught her. She moved forward, closing the distance between them until they stood nearly chest to chest. [color=962929]"I told you,"[/color] she jabbed her index finger into Ronnie's sternum a little harder than necessary as she spoke. [color=962929]"To leave him alone."[/color] Myla took a half step forward, her voice dropping to a whisper that cut through the space between them like a blade pressed against Ronnie's throat. [color=962929]"I didn't think you were the type of person who needed to be threatened twice. But apparently I underestimated how dumb you are."[/color] She took another step forward so there was less than an inch between them. [color=962929]"Touch him again and I'll fucking kill you. There will not be a third time. So get it through your thick fucking skull or I'll crack it open like an egg."[/color]

She turned away and took a few steps towards Theo before the anger could get the better of her, but Ronnie couldn't keep her mouth shut and let Myla get the final word. [color=217c85]"Save it for someone who fucking cares. You're far less intimidating when you can't even look me in the eyes."[/color]

That was it, the final straw. Myla paused for just a second as her face went blank and her heart settled to an ominous sort of calm. Then she lunged.

His good arm curled around Myla’s waist, hauling her up and back away from Veronica. All of the cold and all the anger had drained away, and Theo just felt [i]tired.[/i] He put himself between Myla and Ronnie, catching the other woman’s gaze from the corner of his eye. The air seemed to thicken some surrounding them, a sense of danger oozing from every fiber of Theodore’s soul. [color=feffb5]"I know you,"[/color] his voice was softer, more hollow, and he pulled Myla close to his chest. [color=feffb5]"You’ll spin a story that absolves you of all guilt, you’ll lie to anyone if it’s to save your own ass."[/color] He closed his eyes, resting just a little of his weight against Myla, taking comfort in her being so close. [color=feffb5]"I don’t care to hear your lies, fuck off."[/color]

Myla squirmed against Theo's hold until she broke free. She couldn't stay still as all the anger and frustration boiled and built up inside of her. She looked psychotic and unhinged, she knew it. How the fuck could anyone on this team think otherwise? That had to be Ronnie's plan, to push her over the edge and isolate her. She sounded paranoid and maybe she was. Myla couldn't think straight as the rage consumed every fiber of her being. She shoved her way past everyone and kicked a chair across the room as she walked by sending a surge of pain up her right leg. She didn't bother waiting for the elevator. The last thing she needed was to be stuck waiting like a caged predator. She burst through the door to the stairwell and started climbing her way up the tower.

Theo didn’t wait to hear anything else from Ronnie, or anyone else, before he followed Myla, making a point to slam the stairwell door behind them to cut off the other woman's voice. [color=feffb5]"Myla, wait!"[/color] He cursed as his arm jerked, agitating it further, but he climbed after her, taking the steps two at a time.

[color=217c85]"You’re like a little angry Chihuahua that Theo needs to keep on a shorter leash,"[/color] Ronnie called after her as she rubbed her sore jaw and made her way towards Luke. She didn't think he'd be much comfort, but it wasn't like she had much in the realm of friends there. She doubted Aria would look at her the same after all of that and all she really wanted was the distraction of somebody else to take her mind off of it. [color=217c85]"Your floor, right?"[/color]

[color=995749]"Yeah,"[/color] Luke spoke slowly, eyebrows high, but…he wasn’t one to turn down a good time, even if the promised good time was with someone who just acted a little crazy. He’d been worried for a split second that Ronnie and Myla would get into an all out brawl, but the blonde's self control was actually impressive. [color=995749]"Come on, beautiful. Let’s get some ice on that first."[/color] He wrapped an arm around Veronica’s shoulders, guiding her toward the elevator. He caught sight of Zaria as he passed, making a point to keep himself between the two women, smirking a little at her as she stood there, wide eyed and worried. 
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