Absolutely no pressure, but I can’t help but think about being the new, sweet and shy assistant or secretary for Waller that Rick Flag starts to have a little bit of a soft spot for. So what, if he comes up with excuses to go to her desk and talk to her? Or tries to find all the things that make her smile? He’s just being a nice coworker! He definitely doesn’t have a crush on her…. Right?
closer, closer, closer ; rick flag x reader
a/n: OMG RICK, DO YOU HEAR ME CRYING (especially what I saw in the Peacemaker trailer, somebody sedate me pls), THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOUUUU I NEEDED THIS (writing this took me back to the good ol' Kinnaman appreciation days HI MOOTS IF YOU'RE READING THIS ILY ❤️)
warnings: loads of fluff, comedic (rick and harley argue like siblings), rick yearns and is scared to be more than friends, protective!rick (+ the squad if you squint), a bit of a timeskip from the ask, mild ssquad explicit language. overall? a feel-good fic!
» j.k. m.list , or check out my full m.list!
'With that sweet smile of yours, and the look that held an endless gratitude.' ;
“Y’know, ya’ gonna have to tell her at some point.” Harley mused as she waited for her espresso to brew, tapping her nails on the table as she turned to Rick, her tone bored but her facial expression otherwise.
Knowing.
Pushing.
A mischievous glint in her eyes.
Oh, well, that last one was just her.
Rick raised a brow, about a mere five minutes into his station at Harley’s cell, smacked right in the middle of the prison, one of the usual rotations he had to do. He had a feeling he knew what she was referring to, but he didn’t show it. Not on his face, at least.
The others? It couldn’t be said the same. The idle hold on his firearm tightened, even the faintest stutter in his heart.
Besides, Rick was partially at fault for telling her about Waller’s secretary, and hell, even if he hadn’t, Harley was a professional. At some point, she would have known the colonel had a thing or two for her.
He scoffed, not bothering to act stupid, knowing she’d amp up the teasing, “Oh, great idea.”
“I know, that’s why I said it.” She replied cheekily, her grin and her first sip ticking him off.
“Any other bright ideas you got?” He sarcastically asked.
“Oh, plenty,” She nodded in excitement, putting her cup down on the table to list her ideas with a count of her fingers, “Compliment her hair, ask her on a little walk when ya’ not showin’ ya’ guns off, take her out to dinner, buy her a ring…”
She only grinned at him, a great contrast to his narrowed eyes.
“Or y’know, steal it or whateva’,” She casually added with a shrug, “You know some of us are pretty good at that.”
Rick rolled his eyes, “Some psychiatrist you oughta’ be."
Harley gasped, stomping over to the bars, “Now, you listen here, ya’ little–! At least I ain’t the one mopin’ and broodin’ ‘cause someone doesn’t wanna believe me when I tell him that he and his honey bee could most definitely be a thing!”
“Would you keep it down?” Rick chided.
“Why? Ya’ scared? I’m tryna’ help!” Harley challenged, turning to the CCTV camera at the very corner of the room, waving at it, “Hey! Ya’ hearin’ me?”
“Harley!” Rick warned.
Squeak.
“Guys?”
Rick and Harley stood frozen in their spots, then turned to the source of the sound, the softness of the spoken word, and seeing none other than the very person he found himself looking forward to seeing every day for the past few months.
“Hey,” Rick offered a little smile, clearing his throat and straightening as he approached, making sure to stand in Harley’s line of sight as she waved.
And in some way, avoid any of Harley’s ideas from happening.
“Everything okay?” Rick asked, one eye almost twitching, when he heard Harley let out a little ‘aww, young love’ under her breath.
“Just came over to see you guys.” You smiled, ever a treat in the ears of the colonel and the anti-hero, the latter cooing at your generosity for your time.
“See, I’m her favourite,” Harley teased Rick before turning to you with a pout, “He’s bullying me.”
“Am not.” Rick growled under his breath, whether it was because she was accusing him of bullying or that she called herself your favourite, well, you weren’t certain.
“Are too!” Harley countered, bantering (read: arguing, on Rick’s side) with one another like siblings when you chuckled.
“Guys, guys,” You raised your hands, hoping to stop them before it could get out of hand and draw in a nosy guard or three to come over, “You both are great. My favourites. I promise.”
“But I bet he’s ya’ bigger favourite, right?” Harley gave an eyebrow waggle, her grin widening at your gaping, confused, and dare she say, embarrassed, and with Rick righting up at the very change of the ‘favourite person’ to him, she quickly continued, “Really! The other day, he told me—”
“Okay!” Rick interrupted before she could even get another word, “I think we're done here,”
He turned to you, mustering a smile, “You, uh, wanna get out of here? Harley's my last station for the morning.”
You blinked, surprised by the sudden turn of events, and whatever these two knew about that you didn't.
“Oh, well, I don't mind. Don't let me be in the way if you've got something else.” You responded, letting him lead you to the door, side by side.
“Nah, all good. Thought lunch would do us good.” Rick reassured, and when you turned away, he took the opportunity to glare at Harley, who only stuck her tongue at him, mouthing ‘tell her, or I'm tellin’’.
Damn it, Harley.
“Bye, Harley.” You waved when you turned back to the woman, not noticing the two pretending they weren't silently arguing for a moment there.
“Bye, hun!” She waved back, cupping her hands to really make sure you both heard her, “Have fun!”
Have fun?
With the heavy military-grade door closed behind him, the two of you walked down the hallway. You turned to him, the curiosity in your eyes almost too much for him to bear, “What was that about?”
He huffed, he had to admit, it was all amusing, “Beats me. Just… Harley being Harley.”
The two of you shared a chuckle, filling the walk with a comfortable silence after.
“Hey, I… Thanks for the coffee this morning,” You smiled, small but nonetheless warm, never failing to prompt Rick to smile back, as well, “And, well, almost every morning, too. But this morning, especially. With Waller calling me in at the last minute with some big guys past midnight, and then getting the paperwork done before seeing her today, and then—”
You huffed before taking a deep breath, exhaling, “Thank you. I probably looked like a mess when I clocked in.”
A cute mess, he'd argue, before pushing that thought down, “Glad I could help.”
“Bet the other guys can count on you for anything.” You jested, earning yourself a fond scoff out of him.
The Squad? Somewhat. The guards? Kind of.
You?
Well, he didn't have to spell it out, did he?
“Eh, not really,” He admitted, turning to you with a wry smile, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes becoming more prominent.
Should he tell you?
“Don't do it with the rest of the guys.” He added after.
“Oh,” You looked at him, a little surprised, “You… Don't do it with them, they don't do it with you?”
He chuckled, shaking his head, “You think the guys would wanna take their time buying me coffee?”
You gave it a thought—he wasn't wrong. Sure, not all of them were bad; some were knuckleheads, and a handful were just assholes. You've seen some of them being a dick to the prisoners in ways you'd think were more cruel than the criminals themselves.
Rick, on the other hand, made sure none of them targeted you, even in a rare instance, threatened one or two of them with the unknown. While he didn't outwardly say what, they could only guess it had something to do with anyone from the Squad.
After all, they weren't totally invincible by being on the other side of every cell, and Rick's influence around the prisoners wasn't to be questioned.
Men he knew like Killer Croc could be the least of their worries.
“Okay, well, not even John? Emi?” You asked, a tilt in your head, an endearing habit of yours.
“Nope, they can get their own coffee.” He joked lightly, prompting a laugh out of you, too.
Rick didn't mean to make it a habit. The first time he did it, he bought it at a coffeeshop he was familiar with, as a ‘welcome’ gift after finding a little greeting gift on his desk. A little box of chocolates from your hometown, something some of the other A.R.G.U.S. members received, too.
It was a simple thank you, really.
You were really thankful that he went out of his way.
With that sweet smile of yours, and the look that held an endless gratitude.
And, well, it never became a one-time thing.
It wasn't always coffee, and he didn't always buy either. He knew his way around making a good cup of something in the pantry, and it gave him a more solid reason to see you, be it in the pantry or at your desk.
He had learned to ignore Emilia's or John’s knowing looks.
But the Squad?
“Better not let some bloke sweep her off her feet before you do.” Dubois once scoffed, a lighthearted one, in all honesty.
If anything, Waller’s secretary was one of the few people he didn't mind, and like Rick, in all honesty, respected. For someone so soft-spoken, for anyone to handle Amanda for a living, 9 to 5, and oftentimes, more?
An achievement on its own.
But like Harley’s words, Rick would find himself thinking over Dubois’ statement as well, no matter how many times or how hard he'd try to push it all aside.
He'd chalk it up to being polite, just people trying to get by, someone who was… Like him.
Did that make sense?
But deep down, deep down, Rick knew it wasn't the whole truth, and with how much you had wormed your way into his mind, and more, a sliver of him knew he'd have to address it at some point.
For now, he was playing it safe. At a distance, somewhat, but he knew he couldn't ignore it, and maybe, as Dubois told him during a moment of genuineness, that he had denied himself a good thing for some time.
But one thing Rick did know was that he'd do it right.
“Hey,” He stopped at the final door to where the offices were, “You up for dinner later? Together? With Friday and all, and… I know a good Italian spot. I can drive you home after, no problem.”
Your heart fluttered at his suggestion, always the gentleman, and even more so when he, dare you say, looked hopeful at your response. Encouraging your feelings for the rugged colonel who had been by your side since working alongside Waller.
“Yeah,” You began softly, then with a little more confidence as you nodded, returning his smile, “Yeah, that'd be really nice.”
Rick could almost see the bigger smiles of his friends now.
˚ · . f i n . · ˚
» a/n: no, you guys don't understand but i miss writing for his man so much it hurts-all the memories are COMING BACK WITH THIS ERA. don't you guys EVER let me forget about him, EVER, ESPECIALLY ANON DEAR THANK YOU. And don’t forget to leave some sugar! ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ ;; gorgeous divider by @firefly-graphics ♡
Warnings: SMUT 18+, language, dirty talk, sexual suggestions, drinking, innuendos, girl on top, unestablished relationship, unprotected sex (wrap it up folks), creampie, uncovered feelings, tipsy sex with consent
Inspired by a conversation with @a-reader-and-a-writer a long time ago.
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Rick looks over his shoulder for the ninth time in a row, his hands gripping his mug a little tighter each time as he watches you laugh in amusement, a smile never leaving your face as you watch man after man get tossed from the mechanical bull. Rick grumbles at the sight, swirling his beer around before downing it and making his way over to the crowd.
Tapping on the announcer's shoulder, Rick asks to be next as he catches your eyes from the arena, a perfect brow raised in question.
"Alright folks, our next contestant is Rick!" The crowd cheers around him but his ears tune out all the others, only focusing on the way you cheer his name. The man places a worn cowboy hat on Rick's parted hair before giving him a slap on the back. "Good luck." Rick nods as he hops over the barricade and straddles the mechanical bull. Gripping onto the handle with one hand, Rick holds onto the hat as the bull slowly begins to move. After picking up pace, Rick's body flows with each rough thrust of the bull. People around him cheering and screaming in support as Rick manages to stay on the bull longer than most of the previous riders.
You, on the other hand, can't help the way the blush slowly blooms under your skin as your eyes fixate on his posture and how it moves in tandem. And his hips. His damn hips. "Hot damn." A girl next to you mutters as she twirls a finger in her hair, her heated gaze watching Rick's body. You roll your eyes in annoyance as jealousy creeps in. It's not like he's yours. He's merely a friend, a coworker, but damn you wish he was yours. You take another sip of the drink in your hand as the bull starts to slow down.
"Alright, easy there cowboy. Don't wanna show up everybody now," the announcer jokes as the bull comes to a complete stop, allowing Rick to slip off with grace and make his way over to you, a shit eating grin on his face, but before he can make a comment, the girl from earlier steps in.
"Howdy cowboy. Wanna take me for a ride?" You have to resist the urge to kick her ass into the floor as Rick lightly places his hands on her arms and pushes her to the side, unveiling you.
"Enjoy the show?"
"Oh for sure. You were definitely entertaining," you comment, plucking the hat off his head and placing it on yours, a sudden surge of confidence flowing through you. "Though I'd like to see what else those hips could do, Colonel."
Rick chuckles, taking the drink out of your hand, the adrenaline from the ride and alcohol coursing through his veins and giving him the courage to flirt back. "Well darlin', that's if you can handle the ride."
"What makes you think I can't, Colonel?" Rick blushes as your manicured hand traces down his covered abdomen. "I don't think you could handle the rider."
Rick takes a step closer, walking into your touch and you can't deny the pure energy that flows between the contact. "Why don't we get outta here and find out?" Your previously hooded eyes shoot wide open as you take in the meaning of his words and for a second you can see the regret in Rick's eyes at the bold suggestion. "I mean, we don't actually have to. I was just flirtin'. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable." He mentally beats himself up as his eyes roam the room, finding interest in a random hole on the wall. He knows he shouldn't have said anything. He knows he should've stuck to just keeping things professional but a hand on his forearm stirs him from his thoughts as he looks down at you, sporting a soft smile.
"No, no." You're quick to reassure him. "I could go for a ride."
You and Rick kiss each other with a blind passion, teeth clanging against each other as he backs you and him through the door to his apartment. Falling onto the couch, Rick's hands fall to your hips and drag you on top, your legs straddling either side of his legs as his hands roam around your body.
Breaking away, the two of you pant as you hastily get undressed, dying to have full skin on skin contact. Slipping off his lap, you shove your pants and underwear off before yanking your shirt off, sitting naked on his couch as he shoves his pants down enough for his cock to spring out and slap against his stomach, precum leaking out of the tip. He immediately grabs his member and gives himself a couple of pumps as you reposition yourself over his lap.
"Are you sure about this, we can stop." You shake your head, pushing his hand away and grabbing his member, running the tip over your wet folds.
"1000%. You have no clue how many times I've thought of this." Rick smirks at your comment, his hands falling to your hips.
"Is that so? You think about this? About us?" You nod, jolting forward slightly when his tips nudges your clit. "How often?"
You don't know if now is the time to be admitting your feelings for the colonel, but judging by the way he's looking at you with hope in his lustful eyes. Might as well. "Every night."
Rick resists the urge to break out in a big grin and hop from his chair in excitement at your proclamation of attraction, after all, it means that he has a 99.9% chance that you would say yes to a date if he would ask and he likes those odds. Instead, he hangs his head and smiles softly, a perfect ash blond lock falling to his forehead and you immediately push it back, causing him to look up at you from his position. "How about we take this to the bed?"
"I think I'd like that." Rick nods his head before standing up and carrying you to his bedroom as your hands mess with his short cropped hair. It doesn't take long before he is laying you out on the bed and slotting himself between your legs, his large frame covering yours.
"Are you absolutely sure?" His normal hazel eyes now seem a dark brown in the dark of the night as he stares down at you, looking for any sign of hesitation.
Smirking, you wrap your legs around his waist and flip him over to where you situate yourself on top, breasts heaving with each breath causing Rick to drool. He always knew you like to be in charge, in fact it sometimes causes arguments between the two of you, but now? Rick doesn't think he minds you in control. "I did say I was gonna ride you, didn't I?"
Taking control of the situation, you grab ahold of his member before lining him up with your sex and slip him in as the both of you groan at the sensation. You had always fantasized about how Rick would feel buried in you, fantasized about how big he is, but in comparison to the real thing, your fantasies severely underestimated how it would actually feel. "Fuck darlin'. You're so tight."
Blush blooms underneath your cheeks as you hesitantly roll your hips, watching his face and gauging for a reaction. Much like on the field and in the office, Rick shows little to no expression at the movement of your hips. Normally you would pass off his stoic behavior as just him keeping to himself, but you really don't think now is the time for him to be silent. Stilling yourself, you place your hands on his chest, being very careful to avoid the angry scar down his left pec. "Y'know Rick, my job would be easier if you gave me some sort of clue as to how you feel."
Rick honestly didn't realize his stoic behavior. If he's being honest with himself, he's just trying to keep his cool and to not cum in you. If he did, he doesn't think he would be able to forgive himself for embarrassing him in front of you, especially during sex. Instead, Rick's large hands place themselves on your hips as he guides you along his member, sitting up and sliding deeper into you, the tip of his member hitting your cervix, causing you to gasp while Rick smirks. "Trust me darlin', I feel amazing." He captures your lips against his, your hips moving in tandem with each other as he slides in and out of you with ease. "Don't think I'll be able to last much longer with the way you rock those hips."
If you thought he already had a southern accent, the alcohol and the lust make it ten fold and if you didn't know who you were with, you would probably assume that you weren't with Rick. Still, his accent, his scent, the way he feels in you, the heat of his skin, and the way he holds you in his grasp has your orgasm approaching. Knotting your hands in his hair, you let mindless fingers pull at soft tufts as your pants get louder, spurring the colonel on. "That's it, darlin'. Use my cock to make you cum."
One more thrust is all you need before you're letting out broken moan into the night as your orgasm crashes over you, waves of pleasure radiating down from your head to your toes as Rick continues to thrust up into you with the sole intent of bringing his orgasm. Noticing how his hips start to falter, you grab his chin and turn it towards you, a different kind of ferocity in your eyes. "I want you to cum. I want you to cum in me, Rick. Make me yours."
"Fuck." Rick's eyes roll back in his head as he spurts his hot cum in you while you rock your hips against his to coax him through his orgasm. After a minute of collective breathing, he gently picks you off his lap and sets you down beside him on his bed as his hand finds yours. "I want to do that again."
"Right now?" You question with a giggle as he brings your had up to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss to your knuckles that sends butterflies to your stomach.
"Well, I'll need a couple of minutes before round two, but I'm talking about permanently. Would you like to go on a date with me?"
Smiling, you roll onto your stomach and rest your chin on his chest. "I think I'd love to. But now," you drag a finger down his chest, twirling a strand of his happy trail between your fingers, sporting a grin that has Rick's cock twitching, "I wanna do that again."
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Author's Note: So this is the first full length Rick fic I've posted in a while but I hope you guys enjoy!!!!!!
General Tag List: @marvelousmermaid @himbovillain-anon @babblydrabbly @a-reader-and-a-writer @fairchildflag @infatuatedjanes
For the follower celebration, how about Rick Flag, forced proximity, fluff, and office. 💖
Office Space | Rick Flag x F!Reader
Follower Celebration
Summary: Rick doesn't like sharing his space
Word Count: 1.6k words
A/N: Thank you to @a-reader-and-a-writer for the request, beta-reading and the suggestion for the ending! 💖
In the five years that he had been working for ARGUS, Rick Flag had never once needed to share his office space. He was a private person, choosing to keep to himself outside of missions, and the small room located on the east wing of Belle Reve suited him perfectly. Everything was just how he liked it and – most importantly – he was situated far enough away from the rest of the staff that he was rarely bothered by their mindless gossip and childish games.
It stood to reason then, that one Monday morning when Amanda Waller dropped by unceremoniously to announce he was going to have company, Rick was less than impressed. Five years was plenty of time for him to become stuck in his ways settled, and he did not relish the thought of having to adapt to a change in circumstance. He dealt with plenty of that out in the field. Surely he should be allowed this one small comfort.
Peering around Waller’s imposing figure, Rick had found that the young woman in question hadn't looked particularly pleased by the arrangement either. In fact, she had seemed quite alarmed to learn she would be sharing such close quarters with Rick. Perhaps it was the permanent scowl etched across his tired face that scared her, or maybe it was the thinly veiled contempt he so clearly held for the Director of Task Force X. Either way, in that moment Rick’s feelings on the matter were crystal clear. As far as he was concerned, this was obviously some kind of ploy by Waller, a punishment for some minor transgression that he had long since forgotten about.
Indeed, not bothering to introduce the two colleagues, Waller had simply ushered the woman inside and, with a smirk capable of curdling milk, she’d met Rick’s gaze across the room, adding, "I'm sure the colonel will make you feel right at home.”
Rick had chosen to ignore the woman’s weak smile as Waller departed. In fact, he had already decided not to speak to his new office mate if he could help it, proceeding to answer her tentative questions with curt responses as he kept his attention fixed on the screen before him. He wasn’t there to play babysitter. Besides, if she couldn’t figure out how to request additional office furniture, or where to find the stationery supplies, she definitely wasn’t going to last long working for Waller.
A small, spiteful part of Rick had been tempted to tell her as much.
To say that Rick had been less than accommodating would have been an understatement; so much so that he had half expected the woman to be long gone by the time he got to work the following morning. But it seemed she had arrived bright and early. Her new desk had been delivered and she was so engrossed in whatever she was typing, that she hadn’t even looked up when Rick walked in. Well, Rick had thought to himself, at least she’s a fast learner.
Fast forward to nearly six months later and the situation hadn’t changed. Despite their unspoken agreement to ignore one another at all costs, Rick felt a constant and, at times, inexplicable annoyance towards his office companion. He hadn’t bothered to learn anything about her, other than a couple of general observations: he had quickly surmised that she was Waller’s new admin assistant (the latest in a long line), and that she was quiet and kept to herself even outside of their shared four walls. He rarely saw her interact with the rest of the staff unless she was running errands for their boss, which by all accounts was a frequent occurrence.
Returning from a mission late one evening, Rick needed to swing past the office to collect some personal belongings. It was rapidly approaching midnight and except for the team who had been running the mission, the operations wing of Belle Reve was abandoned. Or so Rick thought until he spotted the soft glow of light coming from beneath the office door. Reassured by the weight of the twin glocks tucked safely inside his shoulder holster, he pushed open the door.
Once his eyes adjusted to the low lighting, he spotted his office mate sitting at her desk, pouring over a ream of paper and chewing agitatedly on the lid of her pen.
"What're you still doin' here?" He grunted, irritated to find that once again, he was not alone. After spending the last three days in close confinement with Harley Quinn and Digger Harkness, Lord knows he needed some personal space.
When she did not respond immediately, Rick called her name, the sound of which proved enough to startle her. Though he had at the very least bothered to learn her name, he tended to avoid using it at all costs.
She jumped out of her seat, eyes widening at the unexpected intrusion. "Sorry…I'm just… I’m finishing up some work."
"Can't it wait till the mornin'?" It was only as Rick approached his own desk that he noticed her eyes were wet and rimmed with red.
She shook her head miserably. "This is the fourth version of my report. If I don't have it on Waller’s desk by seven am tomorrow, it's over. My probation period has almost ended and she'll fire me for sure.” She pressed her knuckles into her forehead and sighed dejectedly. “I just can't get it right."
Unexpectedly, Rick felt a twinge of regret forming within his chest. The sum of their interactions might start and end at exchanging the odd curt message, but if he was completely honest, he was becoming used to her quiet presence. The thought of her being replaced with someone louder and more obtrusive didn’t sit particularly well with him.
“Fourth version, huh?” He hesitated at the edge of his desk, his hand just inches away from the bag he had come to retrieve. He could be in and out of the room in a matter of seconds, but something caused him to pause.
Perhaps it was simply pity because he knew all too well the games that Waller liked to play, or maybe it was something else – something he found in her tear-stained expression – but at that moment Rick found himself unable to walk away. Rounding the corner of the desk, he held out his hand. “Let me see.”
Her fretful eyes widened and she seemed to freeze, clearly taken aback by such an uncharacteristic gesture. When she didn’t immediately respond, Rick shrugged off his holster and laid it on his desk.
“Let me read through the report. I’ve written God knows how many of these things. Maybe I can help.” He had a sneaking suspicion that there was probably nothing wrong with the report, but it wouldn’t hurt to confirm.
“You - you’d do that?” The look of surprise hadn’t left her face, but she gingerly reached out and offered him the paper. “It’s almost midnight.”
“S’not like I’ve got anywhere else to be.” It was a half-truth. He could have been heading home by now, but there was no one waiting for him back at his one-bedroom apartment, and the adrenaline from the mission guaranteed that sleep would evade him for at least another twelve hours.
“I don’t want to be a nuisance,” she continued to protest, but he had already tugged the report out of her grasp.
“Just do me a favour and order take-out.” He met her bemused expression with a rare smile. “I’ve barely eaten for three days.”
By the time the food arrived, Rick had finished his read-through of the report and his findings were just as he suspected. “Waller’s testin’ you,” he announced as she placed a carton of noodles before him. “There’s nothin’ wrong with your original report and the only way you’re gonna get an ounce of respect from that woman is if you stand up to her. You want my advice?”
Settling back into her chair, his companion nodded. She had been quiet – almost on edge, in fact – while he read, and even with this tentative alliance in place, Rick could tell she was still wary of him. That was fair. One small favour wasn’t exactly going to change her feelings towards him.
Clearing his throat, Rick shuffled the pages into a neat pile on the corner of his desk. “My advice is that you present her with the original report. Be confident. Tell her you checked over the details and you’re sure that they’re correct. Don’t let her faze you.” He pointed to the stack of paperwork. “Hell, this is better than 90% of the reports I write for her. She should be damn grateful to have you onboard.”
A smile slowly crept across her face. “Thanks Rick. I really appreciate your help.”
Rick merely grunted in response before diving into his food. The two of them quickly lapsed back into silence, but the knot of tension in his stomach had loosened.
Despite his late night and definitive lack of sleep, Rick was at Belle Reve for seven AM the next morning. Though he would never admit it, he was anxious to find out how his office mate had fared with presenting her report to Waller. He would consider himself at least partly responsible if things had not gone well, and as much as he might have desired to reclaim the office for himself, he definitely didn’t want anyone to get fired.
“Flag! Wait up! You are never going to believe this!”
Sleep-deprived and battling a host of conflicting emotions, he had barely made it past security when he found himself being accosted by Economos.
“What do you want, John?” Rick grumbled, trying to side-step his over-exuberant colleague.
“I can’t believe you missed it!”
“Missed what?”
Economos was practically bouncing on his heels, a wide grin spread across his face. “The new girl! You should have seen her standing up to Waller. It was incredible!”
In spite of his lack of caffeine, and the fact that he would be sharing his office space for some time to come, Rick Flag couldn’t help but smile.
summary: keeping your relationship hidden from the team can lead to arguments--fun, staged arguments.
"Pardon me," You exclaimed, reaching out to lay a hand on Mrs Abrasio's upper back as you passed her, slyly snaking the other into her purse. In the crowd of rich donors chatting amongst themselves, you managed to snag both her cash and her notepad from her purse in a second without being caught.
"Excuse me," She replied sweetly. "I shouldn't have been standing there, my apologies."
"No worries, ma'am. I really like your dress by the way!" You complimented her with a smile before continuing your walk outside to the van where Rick and the Squad were waiting for you.
Before Task Force X left Belle Reve, Waller decided that the best bet would be to send you in alone, not to draw suspicion. Events like these were dangerous--full of shady, wealthy people who may easily recognize somebody like Harley or Blackguard from previous encounters. You, on the other hand, wore a mask when you committed your crimes before Belle Reve, making you the sole candidate for this mission.
"Y/n, if I don't hear an update in the next three minutes, I'm coming in," Rick's voice cut in over the comms. He was in the front of the van, tightening the black tie around his neck as he prepared to rescue you when there was no reply to his warning. Just as he began opening the door, though, you stepped out with a deep sigh.
"Sorry I couldn't answer. Too crowded in there--someone would've noticed me talking to myself," You said as soon as the door shut and it was just the two of you outside, chatter from within the ballroom muffled now.
"Thank god," He muttered, loosening the tie before removing it completely. "You got what we needed?" The two of you walked back to the van, Rick standing unusually close to you.
"Yes, Colonel." You held out the notebook for him to examine. The cash stuffed in your handbag was yours, he didn't need to know about that. "Christ, this fabric is itchy." Your hands tugged at the fabric of the linen dress, trying to keep it from rubbing against your neck.
Rick looked up from the notebook and surveyed you up and down before shrugging off his suit jacket and tossing it to you.
"Here," He said plainly, turning his back to you so that you could change into it. You caught it and stared at it blankly for a long moment, alternating glances between the back of Rick's head and the jacket.
"That's very sweet, Rick, but I don't think this is going to cover me," You spoke to the back of his head, watching as he turned around to face you. You were holding the jacket up to your neck, showing him that it would barely brush the waist band of your underwear, nonetheless cover your ass.
"Just put it on and get in the front seat, I'll find a blanket or something to put on your legs," He said, pushing himself off of the hood of the van and moving to the opposite side to rummage through the glovebox in search of a way to salvage your decency before another member of the squad decided to take a peek.
You smirked to yourself as you put the coat on and then awkwardly tried to shimmy out of the dress while staying covered. The zipper in the back was tricky, but you managed to get it undone and slipped the dress into a pool at your feet, stepping out of it and leaving it on the ground. No way were you going to touch that fabric again. You followed Rick's orders and went to sit in the passenger's seat of the van where he waited outside the door with a loading tarp in his hands and an embarrassed blush on his cheeks.
"This was all I could find," He muttered, motioning for you to sit down as he tucked the tarp in around you.
"Thank you, Rick," You smiled, patting him on the head playfully. He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Harley's voice from the back cabin.
"Are we leavin' or what?" She banged on the divider. "I got plans, bozos!"
"What plans, Quinn? You're in prison," You shouted back, Rick's face still close to yours.
"I'm itchin to get a looksie at what you promised to bring me earlier," She called teasingly, earning you a questionable stare from Rick. Your eyes grew slightly and you let out a nervous chuckle.
"Alright, Quinn, don't get your panties in a twist!" You pounded back on the divider.
"You're the only one who makes me feel that way, dollface!" She snorted. You rolled your eyes and smiled widely, but it went away at the feeling of Rick's hand on your leg.
"You doing something I need to know about?" He asked sternly, but the glint in his eye told you that he already knew about the cash. Of course he did, how could you have assumed any differently?
"Of course not," You fiend innocence. "How could I ever betray my sweet, sweet Colonel Flag?" He watched closely as you moved to place your hands on either side of his face, arms otherwise lost in the fabric of his coat.
"I can't be serious with you," He sighed out, leaning into your touch minutely. You smiled and rubbed a thumb mindlessly over his cheekbone.
"Guess I shouldn't kiss you then, huh? Wouldn't want you to laugh in my face or anything," You said, searching his eyes despite your carefree tone.
"I think it'd be good practice," Rick whispered before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to your lips. He pulled away after a moment and leaned his forehead against yours, eyes trailing down the skin of your neck and chest.
"Eyes up here, Flag," You teased before grabbing a handful of his hair and pulling him in for another kiss. You broke it this time, pushing him away dramatically. He stumbled back from the van and furrowed his brows at you, concern painting his face. "We gotta get back to Belle Reve, Flag. Unless we want one of them seeing us," You whispered the last part.
"Y/n, are you doing something I should know about or not?" Rick shouted in his Colonel's voice, but the smile you saw on his lips betrayed him. He was putting on a show for the others, making them think that the two of you have been arguing this whole time.
"I said that's none of your business, Flag!" You kissed him one last time, grinning giddily against his lips. "If you want to know so badly then ask Waller, she's had eyes on me like a fucking hawk since I got here!"
"Maybe it's cause you're trouble, idiot!" Rick yelled back at you once he was in his seat.
"I miss regular prison," You said as you bit back a smile, slumping into your seat in case Harley or the others decided to open the view window.
"If you were in regular prison you'd have never met me," Blackguard called from the cabin and slid open the view window to face you with an offended expression. "I thought we were closer than this, Y/l/n."
"We met in high school, Hertz," You reminded him. "Go sit back down and let me yell at the Colonel."
Notes: A short piece in which Dad Rick attempts to get closer to the newest addition of the family - even if it means shaving his beloved beard…
“Hey darlin?”
You poke your head out of the kitchen to see your husband frowning at the mirror.
“What’s up?”
“Should I shave?”
You raised your brows at the unexpected question. “Well, where did that come from?”
Rick turns to you. “Robin isn’t letting me give him kisses or come near him for that matter,” he glumly tells you about his failed misadventures with the family’s newest addition. “I think it’s the beard.”
You take a look at your husband. Honestly, you didn’t mind the lumberjack look he had. In fact, you adored the slightly grizzly man in front of you.
“Give it time honey, maybe Robin hasn’t got used to that feeling. Besides, I think you look hot.” You purred, walking closer to him.
“You sure have a way with words.”
“You know I’m right.”
Rick sighs. “But either way, I’m going to make sure Robin gives me that kiss before he’s completely under DuBois charms.”
You couldn’t imagine the former marksman once notorious for his brutality trying to compete with your husband to get your newborn’s attention. Now that was something you needed to see.
***
As you chopped the vegetables in the kitchen, you made cooing noises at the baby who was inside the playpen at the living room. Robin giggles, before rolling around with his stuffed hamster plushie that Cleo had gifted.
The door opens, and you prepare for the onslaught of what were to be your twins, husband and Robert.
“Mama! Mama!” Your twins yell in unison. Like the little cannonballs they are, they almost ran face first into you.
“Woah! What’s the rush there Lightning McQueens?” You set your knife aside to see the identical gleeful looks on their faces.
“Papa shaved! It’s so smooth now! Like the ice rink you took us to last winter!” Freya, the more descriptive of the two starts to pull you by your apron.
True enough, behold a cleanly shaven Rick Flag grinning at you.
“Well look at you! You clean up nicely.”
Robert sets the shopping bags on the table. “Let’s just hope little bugger recognizes his old man here.” You let out snort as you removed your apron.
“Let’s put that to the test shall we?”
As the two men busied themselves in the kitchen, you went back into the living room to retrieve Baby Robin who was babbling at you happily.
“Come on big boy,” you stretched into the playpen to scope him out. “Papa’s back home.”
At the mention of Papa, Robin’s eyes lit up. The little boy clapped his chubby hands happily, squirming around in your arms.
“Where’s my little Prince?” Rick’s southern drawl came behind the fridge as you walked into the kitchen to sit Robin on his high chair. Robert waits beside you with bated breath of this unpredictable outcome.
Robin gurgles, hands waving around as if to signal his father of his presence. Rick finally closes the fridge door and the two make eye contact.
“Hey buddy!”
Robin blinks, and starts looking around causing Rick to be confused.
“Whatcha looking for bud? Papa’s over here.”
But Robin sees you and reaches out with grabby hands. You decided to try a new approach. Lifting his chubby body out of the seat, you walk over to Rick.
“Papa’s here Robin!”
It’s hilarious really, from Robert’s point of view as he sees the poor little chap not recognizing his cleanly shaven father. Lips wobbling at the thought of being whisked away by a stranger, your baby boy starts to burst into sobs.
You rock him back and forth, hushing him with soothing noises.
“That’s not a scary man, that’s your Papa!”
Robin doesn’t seem to be able to process this as his cries bounces off the walls.
“Alright there chap! Come on lemme hold you for a second.” Robert takes his godson from your arms, turning Robin’s body to face him while the two of you stood by.
When Robin realized that he was being held by his favorite uncle, the cries had slowly subsided.
“Well would you look at that!” Robert guffaws. “Knew you were something ya little bugger!”
Robin reaches out a hand to feel Robert’s beard, breaking out into giggles. You figured your husband would need much comforting after seeing the sight in front of him.
“My old friend. I knew it when he saved me back then in the battle of Qurac.” He tells you glumly. “I knew that god would make me pay Robert back one day. I never knew it would be this cruel.” Rick shuffles over to you with puppy dog eyes before burying himself in your shoulder.
“Aw… come on, it’s not that bad.” You and Robert make eye contact and you try your hardest not to laugh. “Give it a little time.”
You wished you had said that a little earlier for Robin gives a huge smooch at Robert’s request. Rick gives you a dead stare, daring you to refute him.
“Okay… maybe I stand corrected.” And the two of you break into laughter in front of a very dismayed husband and a confused baby.
Summary: You’re a prisoner in Belle Reve, and Rick is tasked with recruiting you for Task Force X.
Pairing: Rick Flag x reader
Word count: 10.6k (it’s a long one)
Warnings: Violence, death, blood, attempted rape, angst of course
A/N: So no one asked for this, but I watched The Suicide Squad and became obsessed with him, so... yeah. Enjoy a non-dark-ish one for a change!
Belle Reve had a new prisoner.
She came in kicking and screaming, her shrill shrieks bouncing off of the tiled walls. Two guards in full SWAT armor carried her in, keeping their heads down. They moved so fast, they practically lifted her off the ground, her feet barely brushing the floor. The fluorescent lights casting an eerie, green-tinged glow flickered above her one by one as she moved past them.
Rick Flag watched her from a room on the other side of a one way mirror in the hallway, a passive observer. She had on a straitjacket, buckles and straps binding her arms and securing them in place. Tears ran down her cheeks, her eyes red and puffy from crying so hard.
She leaned her head back, and a piercing wail escaped her throat, this one louder than all the rest. The light above her shattered with a thunderous crack, splintering into a thousand pieces. The guards dropped her to shield themselves from the torrential downpour of glass shards raining down on them.
She managed to land on her feet and stood up as straight as a board. One of the guards lunged at her. She glared at him, and he flew backwards as if some invisible force had pushed him. He collided with the wall painfully before sliding down it, collapsing into a crumpled heap on the floor.
The other guard moved to restrain her, but she landed a solid kick to his chest that threw him back. Several other guards came stampeding into the hall until she was soon surrounded. She did her best to fend them off, but they piled on top of her until one managed to stab a needle into her neck.
Her entire body went still. Her eyelashes fluttered, and then Rick swore she looked right at him, even through the trick mirror. He went rigid, his breath caught in his throat. She was unflinching, the hard lines of her face set into a stern expression. It only lasted a second, but he felt like she saw straight through him to his very soul.
Then, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she wavered on her feet, swaying side to side. She finally lost balance as she went unconscious, tipping over. The guards caught her before she made contact with the ground. They hoisted her limp body in their arms and dragged her down the hallway until they were out of Rick's sight.
Beside him, Amanda Waller sipped from her coffee cup like she was watching the weatherman on the local news.
"Marvelous, isn't she?"
Rick tore his gaze away from the scene and looked at her. "She sure is something," he murmured.
She hummed in agreement. "She’s one of our new arrivals.” Her crimson-painted lips smirked over the rim of her mug. “One of the deadliest, too.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Is this why you called me here? To show off your shiny, new toys?"
The amusement dropped from her face, and she looked at him. "I brought you here because she, is your new assignment."
–
Belle Reve was noisy almost all hours of the day, so it surprised Rick when he stepped into the wing his assignment was being held in only to find it dead quiet.
“Special Cases Unit,” Waller told him as they traversed through the labyrinth of cells in Belle Reve. On either side of them, inmates yelled strings of profanities at them and rattled the bars of their cages. He tried to keep a straight face and ignore them, staring straight ahead and not daring to look any of them in the eye. “That’s where you’ll find her.”
There was no doubt in Rick’s mind that the word ‘special’ was a stand in for ‘dangerous,’ or even more likely, ‘exploitable.’
The thud of Rick’s boots against the squeaky clean tile echoed off of the blank, white walls. All of Belle Reve looked oddly pristine, but it was even more off putting and out of place here. It put on the appearance of a hospital, deceptively safe and luring its victims into a decapacitated state. If Rick knew anything about the way Waller’s mind operated, then he knew this ploy was intentional.
The hallway seemed to go on forever, stretching into eternity. He risked a glance at the doors on either side, and he could just catch glimpses of the people on the other side of the tiny, square windows in each. They were screaming, mouths open, eyes wide, and yet, it was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. It was the same as the others, only this time, someone had gotten the brilliant idea to install soundproof walls so you couldn’t hear them, which was strange. Rick thought Waller thrived on the sounds of their screams.
He turned a corner into another, thankfully smaller, hallway of doors. This area was less brightly lit than the others, less clinical and a little more dim. He stopped at the door at the very end. Two guards fully decked out in tactical gear stood at attention on either side, their hands resting on the handguns in their holsters, which even for a heavily guarded prison full of dangerous supercriminals was an odd occurrence.
“Colonel Rick Flag,” he announced himself. “I’m here to give the inmate her lunch.” He jutted his chin down at the metal tray of brown slop and gray mush in his hands.
They eyed him warily, but ultimately stepped aside. He slowly approached and stopped in front of the door, peering in through the small window he could only assume was bullet proof. Through the thick layers of glass, he could make out a brightly lit and fully padded cell that was rather large to contain only one person. At first glance, it looked completely empty until he noticed the girl in the corner.
She was awake now, sitting in the very back wedged in between the padded walls. Her knees were tucked under her chin, and she was rocking back and forth. Her head was down, so Rick couldn’t make out her face. His gaze fell to the straitjacket he had seen her in earlier. She was still wearing it.
“How’s she supposed to eat with that thing on?” he asked.
“How does a pig eat out of a trough?” one of the guards sneered, and they both snickered under their breath.
“Slide it through here,” the other grunted. He bent down and opened a slot in the very bottom of the heavy, solid door.
He raised a brow. “I need to speak to the inmate in person.”
“No one is allowed to enter the cell while she’s present.”
“Well, Amanda Waller gave me clearance.” He stood up a little straighter, displaying his staggering height over the man. “Does that mean anything?”
They both exchanged a meaningful look, something unspoken passing between them, but they ultimately gave in. The guard sighed before undoing the complicated lock on the door and wrenching it open with a metallic screech. “This better not come back to bite me in the ass,” he grumbled under his breath.
Rick swallowed hard before stepping over the threshold and into the cell. For a second, he could hear her mumbling to herself, or maybe it was a few notes of a melody she was humming. But at the noise of his entrance, her body went rigid, and her head shot up, eyes wide with fright and alarm.
There was a thunderous noise behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see that they had wasted no time in slamming the door closed on him. He huffed before turning back around to face her.
She scrambled backwards and pressed herself even further into the corner, shrinking in on herself. “Stay away!” she exclaimed, panic and distress written all over her features. “Don’t come near me!”
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said in a soft, soothing tone, adjusting his posture to appear non-threatening. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
She shook her head vigorously. “It’s not that,” she gasped. “I can’t control it. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He blinked in shock. Rarely had he ever come across an inmate who was concerned for his safety. Usually, it was the exact opposite. He cracked a small smile. “You’re not going to hurt me.” He held up the tray higher for her to see. “Here, I brought lunch.”
He cautiously crept towards her, his boots making no sound as they sank into the cushioned floor. She was still curled up in the corner, completely closed off from him. The closer he got, the more he could see how badly she was shaking, her chest rising and falling like she was hyperventilating.
He stopped a couple of feet away from her and got down on his knees so they were eye to eye. He set the tray down and slid it the last couple of feet over to her. She recoiled into herself further, like she was afraid she might explode if she touched it.
“See?” He raised his hands in the air. “No harm done.”
She stopped shaking, her breath evening out. She stared at him, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “They usually just slide it through the door and leave.”
“Well, I’m not the usual.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “My name is Colonel Rick Flag. What’s yours?” He shot her the warmest, friendliest grin he could muster.
She scoffed. “Like you don’t know already.”
It was true. Waller had told him everything about her prior.
She told him her name as she walked slightly in front of him, her hands clasped behind her back. She always liked to be a few steps ahead of everyone, literally and figuratively. "Grew up in Gotham, parents died. Got tossed around the foster system for a while before she became too much for them to handle and was sent to Arkham Asylum.”
“But why bring her here?” He struggled to keep up with her stride. “Why not keep her in Arkham?”
“They no longer had the resources to deal with her… capabilities.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “It’s better that she’s here with us, anyhow. I can only imagine the kinds of experiments they were doing on her there.”
Rick shuddered, but tried not to show it.
His smile didn’t falter. “I’d like to hear it from you, if you don’t mind.”
Her body relaxed a little bit more. She said her name in a whisper so quiet, Rick barely caught it. Her voice was so small and broken, almost on the verge of cracking.
He said her name back to her. “You have to be uncomfortable in that thing.” He gestured to the buckles going down the front of her straitjacket. “Why don’t I take it off for you so you can eat?”
She went tense again and firmly shook her head. “That’s not a good idea.”
His smile dropped. “Why not?”
“Because,” she hid her face behind her knees, “it’s worse when it’s off.”
“It’ll be alright,” he assured her. “You don’t have to be afraid.”
She seemed to believe him, because after a second, she sat up, tucking her legs underneath her. He scooted forward until he was right in front of her. He reached out and started undoing the buckles. She seemed like she was holding her breath the whole time.
He helped stripped her of the jacket and threw it aside, leaving her in her undershirt. She stayed very still, as if she were waiting for something to happen. What it was, Rick wasn’t sure, but it must’ve never come, because after a second, she let out a deep sigh of relief.
“See? That wasn’t so bad.” He smiled at her. “I told you everything would be fine.”
This time, she returned the smile, or at least attempted to, the corners of her dry lips twisting into a lopsided grimace. She stretched her arms, the joints in them cracking, and wiggled her fingers. She stared at her hands like she had never seen them before. He wondered how long it had been since she last had her arms free.
“You must be starving.” He nudged the tray towards her again encouragingly. “Go ahead. Eat.”
She glanced up at him again wearily like she was making sure he was genuine before she grabbed the tray and dug in. She must’ve been ravenous to devour the unappetizing sludge heaped upon her plate the way she did. He sat there in silence with her, merely watching as she ate with a soft smile on his face.
When she was done, she lifted her head and wiped the crumbs from her mouth with the back of her hand. She stared at him with her round, doe eyes, like she was studying him. “All the others are scared of me,” she tilted her head curiously, “but you don’t seem to be.”
“I don’t see anything to be scared of.” He airily laughed.
Her brow furrowed, and her face contorted into a pensive expression. She retreated back into her shell, hugging her knees to her chest. “Why are you here?”
He laughed again. “I brought you your lunch.”
She shook her head. “That’s not why you’re really here.”
He fought to keep the thin veil of a smile on his face. He felt like she could see right through him again.
“I don’t get it.” Rick got in front of Waller, stopping her in her tracks. “What’s any of this got to do with me?”
She pursed her lips. “I want you to recruit her for Task Force X, see if she is mentally capable enough to be controlled.” She cocked her head. “Can you do that for me, Flag?”
She held out a manila folder to him with the word ‘CONFIDENTIAL’ emblazoned across the front in big, red letters. Her name was on the tab. Rick looked down at it, gritting his teeth. Finally, he relented, snatching it from her hands.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
–
Rick came back the next day. The guards let him pass without issue this time, and she was back in the corner, her arms restrained by the straitjacket again.
She perked up when she saw him, and that made his heart flutter a little in his chest. “Rick,” she breathed, sounding a little relieved as she stared up at him.
He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face. “I brought you something.”
He unveiled what he had been hiding behind his back: a pad of paper and a box of crayons. “I figured you must get bored in here with nothing to do. I know it’s not much, but…” It was the most he could smuggle past the metal detectors and scrutinous security.
Her eyes lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning. “No, it’s great. Thank you.”
He smiled. “Great. Just don’t tell anyone. This is our little secret, okay?” He held a finger up to his lips and winked at her. She laughed.
She scooted over as he sat down next to her. He set the paper and crayons down in front of her and reached for the buckles on her straitjacket. “Here, let me–”
“Oh, no need.” She smirked at him before fixing her gaze on the box of crayons. Suddenly, the lid on the box lifted all on its own, and a blue crayon sailed through the air before connecting with the pad, creating spirals and lines and shapes across the paper.
“Woah,” Rick gasped underneath his breath.
He leaned back against the wall and watched her work. He noticed the way her brows furrowed and her tongue poked the inside of her cheek as she focused. She now had three different crayons flitting across the paper of their own accord, moving in tandem together to create a pattern. He leaned closer, peeking over her shoulder, and recognized a familiar symbol taking shape.
“Is that Batman?” he asked.
She nodded shyly. “I always admired him growing up.” Her expression soured. “I wanted to be like him, once.”
He raised a brow. “What happened?”
Her lips pouted, and she shrugged. “Some people just aren’t meant to be heroes.”
He wanted to ask what she meant by that, but the look on her face told him otherwise. So instead, he posed, “It must get lonely, being in here all by yourself.”
She shrugged again. “It’s not so bad. I’m used to it. I’ve always been on my own.”
He turned to face her more fully. “What about in Arkham?”
“I was locked up most of the time, and when I wasn’t…” A look of horror crossed her face, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
He tilted his head as he considered her. “You’ve never had anybody visit you?” he asked.
Her countenance turned grim. “There’s no one left to visit.” She shook off the gloom that had overtaken her and dropped her gaze to her drawing. “Besides, I like it here better anyway. I can’t hear the others screaming.”
At that, Rick went tense.
Later, he cornered Waller in her office. “I think it’s time we let her out for meals with the others and have recreational time.”
She barely paid him any mind, shuffling through files on her desk. “Look, Flag, just because you two are playing nice so far doesn’t mean she’s not a menace and a danger to this facility.”
He towered over her, leaning on his hands against her desk. “You brought me on to recruit her for Task Force X,” he reasoned. “How am I supposed to be sure she can work well with others if we never see her in a similar environment?”
Waller stilled at his words, her hands freezing over the paperwork she was sorting. She looked up at him, her lips pressed into a straight line. “Fine. Starting tomorrow, she can join the others for meals and rec, as long as she’s under your supervision.”
He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Thank you, Waller.”
She pointed a stern finger at him. “But if this goes tits up, as I expect it will, the blame falls on you, understand?”
He clasped his hands behind his back and gave her a firm nod of his head. “Yes, ma’am.”
–
“I’m not so sure about this, Rick.”
She stood behind him as he escorted her to the dining hall, doing her best to hide behind his large frame. They passed guards who shot them strange looks, and other inmates whooped at them from their cells, causing her to shrink even further into the opposing wall.
“This’ll be good for you,” he told her. “You need time out of your cell. You’ll go crazy being cooped up in there all day.”
“I already am,” she mumbled under her breath.
They arrived at the dining hall. There were a good amount of female inmates already there, either sitting at the tables or waiting in line to receive their food. Some were obnoxiously loud and joking with each other. Others kept to themselves, sitting alone with their heads down. He didn’t know which ones he should be more cautious of.
Rick waved her forward. “Go ahead.”
She latched onto his sleeve, and he stiffened at the contact. “Please, Rick. Don’t make me,” she begged him in hushed tones. “I don’t think I’m ready for this. I never got along with the other inmates.”
“Don’t worry about them,” he assured her. “I’ll be right here, making sure nothing happens.”
She stared up at him from beneath her lashes. “Promise?”
His heart skipped a beat as he met her gaze, and he swallowed hard. “Promise,” he whispered.
She let out a heavy sigh before letting go of his sleeve. He nudged her over to the line of inmates waiting for their food, and she threw him a playful glare over her shoulder. He stifled a laugh and took his position over by the wall to observe her.
She slinked over and took her place as last in line. Some of the other inmates noticed her and started to whisper amongst themselves until all eyes in the dining hall were on her. She kept her gaze on the tile beneath her feet and hunched her shoulders, trying to make herself smaller. But it was too late. There was already a steady thrum of excitement buzzing amongst the crowd.
“Hey, look at the fresh meat!” one of them called out, and the room dissolved into jeering and snide remarks. She trembled, and her bottom lip started to wobble. She looked like she was about to cry.
Rick clenched his jaw. It took everything in him not to go storming over there and throw her over his shoulder, carrying her out of the room and never letting her out again.
He kept a close eye on her as she shuffled forward in line. None of the inmates had touched her yet; they seemed to know it would be over for them if they did. And Rick knew he would lose his cool if he saw any of them lay a hand on her.
A few of the other guards supervising told the others to knock it off as she made her way forward in line. She finally got her food and squeaked out a thank you before scurrying away. She sought solace at an empty table in the very furthest corner of the room, a good distance away from everyone else. Her hiding places were nothing if not predictable.
He moved a little closer to where she was. She sat on the very edge of the seat with her legs pressed together, eating as fast as possible. Her eyes shifted from side to side, constantly maintaining surveillance for any approaching threats, like she was ready to flee at the first given opportunity. Every now and then, she’d look at him, and he’d shoot her a reassuring smile back.
Rick was so zeroed in on her, he almost didn’t notice the table of female inmates out of the corner of his eye. They shot her an occasional glance with their beady eyes like they were sizing her up and grin at each other with sharp, yellow teeth. Eventually, they stood up wordlessly, the legs of their chairs scraping against the tiled floor the loudest sound in the world.
Rick’s body went rigid as he watched them stalk over to her. He noticed she, too, froze up as she watched them approach. They surrounded her on all sides, looming over her and leering down at her. They looked so much bigger than her, almost twice her size.
They spoke to her in hushed tones, so quiet he had to strain to hear. He barely caught glances of her in between their solid bodies. She was staring up at them with wide eyes like a rat caught in a trap, gripping the seat with both hands so hard her knuckles were white. Then, she locked eyes with him, silently pleading him for help. Except he wasn’t so sure it was her safety she was pleading for.
She looked like a shaken up bottle of soda about to explode.
He shot across the dining hall and was by her side in a second. The prisoners spread out when he approached, assuming aloof positions. “What’s going on here?” he demanded, his voice gruff.
“Oh, nothing, Colonel,” one of them responded, batting her lashes at him innocently. “We just wanted to see if little mouse here wanted to be friends.” She reached out and twirled a lock of her hair around her finger.
It took everything in Rick not to rip her hand away. “Well, I’m sure she can find better friends than the lot of you.” He cocked his head in the direction of their table. “Go on, back to your seats.”
They grumbled as they retreated back to their table, making faces and crude gestures towards her. “Colonel’s pet,” he heard one of them hissed, although he couldn’t tell which one it was. The rest snickered in response.
When they were far enough away, she closed her eyes and released a breath she had been holding in, her chest hollowing out. She ran her hands through her hair and tried to still her leg that was bouncing up and down incessantly.
Rick leaned down, whispering to her under his breath, “Are you okay?”
She gave a slight nod of her head, imperceptible to anyone else. “They just asked me if I wanted to join their group for protection.”
He bristled. He should be the only one she had to rely on for protection. Not anyone else, and certainly not some stupid gang. “That’s what you got me for, isn’t it?”
She looked up at him and nodded again, her lips curling into the hint of a smile.
“See, now that wasn’t so bad, now was it?”
She pursed her lips. “I guess not.” She shrugged. “Thanks, Rick.”
“No problem,” he almost called her sweetheart, but caught himself before he could. He backed away from her and resumed his post against the wall, smiling to himself. Throughout the rest of the meal, they would lock eyes from time to time, and it was almost like they were communicating with each other silently, entire sentences and conversations going unsaid.
Her appearance caused a commotion that was easily handled the next couple of times, and then the fervor surrounding her presence promptly died out. The nickname ‘little mouse’ quickly caught on with the inmates, and they would shout at her from time to time, but Rick was always a few steps behind her when she would look to him for reassurance. Besides that, she went unbothered.
Except for the day she didn’t.
It was cool enough out that the inmates were allowed to go outside for recreation time. Rick brought her outside, and she squinted as she stepped out into the sun, shielding her eyes with her hands. He wondered when the last time she had seen the light of day was.
He trailed behind her over to the benches on the left side of the little enclosed outdoor space, far away from anyone else, as was typical. She stuck her fingers through the chain link fence and pressed her face against it, gazing out at the stretch of blue sky in the distance. The heat beat down on them still, and Rick was starting to sweat under his bulletproof vest, but she seemed unfazed.
Rick liked to watch her, he had noticed. He liked the way she looked at the world with naive, optimistic, almost childlike enthusiasm, at least when she wasn’t scared half to death. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen something like that in an inmate. Maybe it was because she had been behind bars almost her entire life.
The radio strapped to Rick’s chest crackled to life, and he picked it up. “Calling for backup,” a voice said over the radio. “We have a situation in the dining hall. Anyone who can get here, please come, now.”
He rolled his eyes and hit a button on the radio, responding. “This is Colonel Flag. I’m on my way over.”
She seemed to have noticed his momentary distraction, because when he looked up, she was already staring right at him over her shoulder with concern. “I’ll be right back.” He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t go anywhere while I’m gone.”
It was her turn to roll her eyes. “Couldn’t even if I tried.”
It turned out to be just a disagreement between two of the male inmates that had gotten pretty heated, nothing out of the ordinary. Fights happened in Belle Reve all the time. This one was handled swiftly, and Rick ended up escorting them back to their cells. Whoever had called for backup must’ve been new and inexperienced.
He locked the last inmate in his cell with a huff. He was starting to get antsy about leaving her alone. He didn’t like being away from her for so long. It turned out he had a good reason to be nervous when he heard his name called out.
“Flag!” He turned to see Waller rushing at him, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. He knew the only times he had seen her this frantic were in a real emergency. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you with the asset?”
“What’s wrong?” His heart started beating faster. “Is she okay? Did something happen?”
“Why don’t you go see for yourself?” she snapped at him.
At that, he took off like a shot down the hall, running at full speed. He passed confused guards shooting him odd looks, but he paid them no mind. All he could think about as the soles of his boots slapped against the floor and the air rushed around him was her, and what harm had been done to her. His heart hammered so hard in his chest, he thought it was going to burst through his ribcage.
The closer he got to the scene, the more he saw inmates and even some guards running in the opposite direction like they were running for their lives. They had horrified expressions on their faces, and Rick went a shade or two paler. Whatever could make them look like that in a maximum security prison certainly wasn’t good.
Rick pushed past the guards herding the inmates back inside and burst out into the rec area. He wasn’t prepared for what awaited him.
There was blood, so much blood, dark and slick and oily, coating the pavement in a thick, oozing puddle. He could smell it, the stench so thick in the dry heat that he nearly suffocated on it, the coppery scent stinging his nose. He coughed, blinking away tears. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen so much blood all in one place, and the thought that this could be hers, her blood, made his heart seize in his chest.
But then he saw the bodies: multiple bodies cut up and torn to shreds with bits and pieces of metal sticking out of them. Their eyes were wide, their mouths gaped open, completely motionless, no doubt long gone from this world. He looked amongst their faces for hers and was relieved when he couldn’t find her. However, what he did notice was that they were the same group of girls who had approached her in the dining hall a couple of weeks earlier.
He heard a sniffle, and that was when he looked up to see her. She was sitting in the corner of the destroyed fence, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face in her legs. It was similar to how he had first found her in her cell, rocking back and forth and humming softly to herself, except this time, her orange uniform was splattered with blood.
Rick made his way forward, stepping over the bodies splayed out in front of her like broken dolls. He cringed when he stepped into the pool of blood, the squelch making him sick to his stomach. It was a massacre.
He looked around; there was no one else there except for a couple of guards. They seemed to be glued to their spots and resisting the urge to heave. They stared at him as he approached her like they wanted to tell him to stop but couldn’t find the courage to do so.
Once he was a couple of feet away from her, he called her name softly. “Go away,” was her automatic response. Her voice was small. “I can’t control it.”
He said her name again and squatted down in front of her. “It’s alright. It’s just me.”
She looked up at him, and he got a good look at the tear tracks cutting through the blood on her face. “It wasn’t my fault,” she blurted. “They came at me. They had a shiv…”
Rick gritted his teeth and glared at a cold, limp arm in his periphery. They had offered her protection. Protection, of course, from themselves. “It’s over now. You’re safe.”
He reached out to her, and she flinched away from him, quivering. He shushed her calmly and reached out for her again. When she didn’t react harshly, he scooped her up in his arms and stood up. She didn’t hesitate to bury her face in his neck, her fingers clinging to the fabric of his jacket.
“Don’t worry,” he placated her as he carried her away. “I’m here now.”
–
“What were you thinking?”
Rick stood on the other side of a door to Belle Reve’s medical unit. He could see her on the other side of the tiny, square window, sitting on a bench with her head hanging low. A nurse sat next to her, stitching up a cut just above her eye. Thankfully, she hadn’t sustained many injuries, just the cut from where a girl had swiped at her with the makeshift shiv and missed before she went down, and it wasn’t very deep. It would hardly leave a scar.
She kept her gaze trained on the floor, completely immobile, almost catatonic. She had the straitjacket back on again.
“Flag, don’t make me ask you again,” Waller hissed next to him, her hands on her hips. “What were you thinking?”
He kept his eyes trained on her as he replied, “I thought I could leave her alone for a few seconds. She was making such good progress.”
He could feel Waller’s eyes burning holes in the side of his face. She let out a sharp exhale through her nose, nostrils flaring. “Well, I have no choice but to revoke her rec time privileges. She’ll go back to being confined in her cell.”
His head snapped to look at her. “What? You can’t do that,” he asserted. “They were trying to kill her. She was just defending herself!”
“Most people don’t slaughter a group of full grown women and almost cause a breakout when they defend themselves,” she shot back. “Now, I have five dead bodies on my hands.”
He swallowed hard, at a loss for words. She continued to stare him down, even when he broke eye contact. “Do you understand, now?” she asked.
He clasped his hands behind his back and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She stared at him a second longer as the silence settled, the air between them fraught with tension. “Do your job and get her under control, Flag.” Waller glanced at her through the window. “I’ll leave you to tell her the bad news.”
She turned on her heel and walked away, the ominous click of her heels fading as she receded.
Rick looked back at the window to see the nurse finishing up. He pulled the door open, and her head shot up as he stepped inside, closing it behind him. The nurse carefully placed a bandage over her sutures and packed all her things away in her first aid bag. He waited as she stood up and scurried away.
When they were alone, he waited a second for her to say something. When she didn’t, he asked, “Are you okay?” His voice was quiet, but in the silence, it was booming.
“You keep asking me that.” She stared through him, her eyes unfocused.
“Because I want to make sure.” He tilted his head. “I’m worried about you.”
“Shouldn’t you be worried about the people I just killed?” she hissed, but then her hardened expression softened into a look of regret.
He squatted down in front of her so they were eye level. “I’m sorry.” He placed a hand on her knee, and she stiffened at the touch. “I should’ve been there.”
She groaned and retracted from him, shirking his hand off of her and tucking her knees under her chin. “How can you blame everyone but me?”
“It wasn’t your fault.” He sat down next to her. “They attacked you, and you got scared. You couldn’t control it.”
She looked up at him almost in awe. “How are you still not scared of me? You saw what I can do.”
He reached up, his fingers ghosting over the bandage above her eye. A tender look a tad too fond crossed his face. “Because I know you won’t hurt me.”
She gazed at him in reverence, leaning into his touch. Then, something changed in her, and she turned away from him. “You’re so nice to me.”
He scooted closer to her, leaning forward. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You’re too nice.” She gripped the edge of the bench. “When people are nice to me, that usually means they want something from me.” She looked at him suspiciously.
Guilt twisted in his gut. He knew what he was doing was wrong, getting close to her in order to figure out whether she was fit to join Task Force X or not. But it also wasn’t like he didn’t care for her. In fact, if there was anything he was scared of, it was discovering the extent of just how deep his feelings ran for her.
He placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned down so he met her eye. “You can trust me,” he said assuredly.
The corners of her lips quirked into a smirk. “Promise?”
He nodded, forcing a smile on his face. “Promise.”
–
She didn’t react as badly to finding out her privileges had been revoked as Rick thought she would. In fact, she seemed a little relieved to have time all to herself again away from everyone else.
He went back to bringing her her meals. Those were the only times of day where she was allowed out of her straitjacket, and he snuck her in more paper and crayons, eventually adding a box of markers and colored pencils to the collection. She was a relatively good artist, and he enjoyed watching her draw, even in complete silence. The quiet between them was never uncomfortable.
She started to show up in his dreams, and even more worryingly, his nightmares. He would dream about being on a mission gone wrong, as they so often did. He was fighting for his life to keep the bad guys at bay, almost out of bullets, when she would call his name so softly he barely heard her above the gunfire.
He whipped around to see her standing behind him, hunched over and clutching her stomach. Blood seeped in between her fingers, and she peeled her hand away to reveal a gunshot wound in her middle. Her mouth fell open, blood dark like ink spilling out like a fountain. Her eyes rolled back into her head just as she fell over.
He screamed, but his voice got lost in the void. He ran forward to catch her, but it seemed no matter how hard he tried, she was right out of reach. She was swallowed by the black abyss, vanishing out of sight. His vision swam with red and the images of chaos and destruction swirling around him until he was yanked out of his subconscious.
He would jolt awake in bed, sitting up straight. His legs were tangled up in the sheets like he had been tossing and turning all night. He pushed his hair matted to his forehead out of his face, and his chest slick with sweat rose up and down as he recovered his breath.
He blinked, adjusting his vision to his room submerged in darkness. His gaze fell on the drawings stuck to the wall across from his bed that he taped up. She had given them to him as a token of gratitude for giving her something to do. He focused on one in particular, a drawing she had done of both of them together. They stood side by side, hand in hand, smiling. He allowed it to ease his fears.
It was just a nightmare, he reminded himself. Just a nightmare. But he was plagued by the knowledge that it could soon become a reality.
The nightmares came more and more often until he was having them nearly every night. The only thing that seemed to help was visiting her, making sure she was safe in her cell. As much as he hated seeing her locked up like a caged bird, it assured him to know she would still be there when he returned the next day.
He went to her cell, tray in hand. He had gotten used to the echo of his footsteps as he walked down the silent halls. He slowed his step, however, when he noticed that the two guards who were usually outside her cell weren’t there.
He walked over and peeked through the window to see it was empty. His heart thudded in his chest, but he told himself that they had probably just taken her to the bathroom.
His pace quickened as he made his way to where the communal bathrooms were. He stopped outside the door, his brow furrowing when he didn’t see the guards there, either. His pulse started to race when he heard a muffled shout from inside.
In the blink of an eye, he tossed the tray aside, sending food flying everywhere. It clattered to the ground with a metallic clang. He pushed through the door and rushed into the bathroom.
He was met with the sight of her and the two guards in the communal showers. One of them had his arm wrapped around her middle and the other clamped over her mouth, trying to hold her still. The other guard was laughing and trying to pull off her pants. She was doing her best to kick at him with her legs, her arms still restrained by the straitjacket.
At the noise of the door swinging on its hinges behind him, they all looked over at him. His eyes locked with hers, and this time her silent plea for help was for her.
He wasted no time launching into action. He grabbed the guard pulling at her pants and threw him into the wall. His head collided with the tile with a loud crack, and he slumped against it, collapsing in a heap on the floor.
The other guard let go of his hold on her, dropping her to the floor. But before he could get a hit in, Rick punched him square in the nose. He stumbled back, gripping his broken nose as blood dripped through the spaces between his fingers. Rick grabbed him by his jacket, slamming his forehead into his. When he let go, the guard sank to the wet ground, unconscious.
Rick stood over him and kicked him in the ribs. He winded up to do it again when a voice broke him out of his rage.
“Rick!” she cried, her voice hoarse. He looked at her over his shoulder. She was sitting in a puddle of water and staring up at him, the spray from the shower raining down on her. “Stop! He’s not worth it.”
He looked back down at the guard crumpled at his feet, his hands curling into fists at his sides. He may not have been worth it, but he deserved much more than what he had gotten. He looked into her eyes again, and something there made all the fury pumping through his veins dissipate.
He stepped down from the guard. He went over to her and knelt at her side. “Are you okay?” He cupped her face in his hands, scanning over her for any injuries. There wasn’t anything overtly obvious besides the blue and purple bruising around her eye and a split lip. “What happened?”
She trembled under his touch. “They told me it was time for me to shower. But when we got there, they went inside with me, and then they started tugging at my clothes…” She trailed off, her swollen bottom lip trembling. Big, fat tears like pearls slipped out of the corners of her eyes and dripped down her cheeks.
He shushed her and wiped them away with his thumbs. “It’s okay.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. He glared behind her at the guard lying on the floor, his limbs splayed out, and nearly shook with anger once more. “I should kill them.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” She nuzzled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. “You’re better than that.”
He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he wasn’t. But he tightened his grip on her, too content with holding her in his arms to let her go, even to kill those assholes who tried to take advantage of her. He sighed, resting his cheek on the top of her head. Now, she’d seen what he was capable of.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured into her hair.
She twisted in his grip to look up at him. “For what?”
“For not protecting you.” Even if that wasn’t really what Waller had tasked him with, he still felt responsible for her. “Your well-being is supposed to be my top priority, and I keep failing you.”
Her brows knitted together in confusion. “Rick, if it weren’t for you, who knows what those pricks might’ve done to me?” She shivered in his arms at the thought, and he squeezed her in response. “You saved me.”
She laid her head back down on his chest, closing her eyes as she listened to his heartbeat. They stayed there underneath the still running shower, their hair going damp and their soggy clothes sticking to their bodies. Rick rocked her back and forth and raked a hand through her hair. The only sounds were of the water streaming out of the shower head and her humming a melodic tune that echoed off of the walls.
–
The guards were fired.
Rick was furious when he found out that was all that was happening to them. He wanted to see them locked up in Belle Reve themselves, watched them get chewed up and spit out by the very inmates they had abused their authority of for who knew how many years. That was the real punishment they deserved. But they were threatening to press charges for the damage Rick had done to them, and Waller had told him not to push his luck.
As a result, she no longer trusted anyone else to guard her, so Rick was delegated as her entire security detail. He spent almost every hour of every day with her, bringing her meals, trips back and forth from the bathroom, and patrolling while she was asleep.
The upside was that this meant they got to spend more time together. She didn’t have to wear her straitjacket as often, and it was easier for him to smuggle in art supplies for her. Plus, it was hard to have nightmares when he only got the chance to nap for twenty minutes at a time.
The lights switched off at ten pm, plunging the cell into darkness. He sat just inside the door, watching her sleeping form in the middle of the cell. She was lying on her side, her chest rising and falling in even movements. He struggled to keep his eyes open.
His ears pricked at the sound of a pained groan, and his eyes shot open. He looked over to where she was. She was writhing on the floor, her face scrunched up and contorted in pain. She shook, digging her fingers into the cushioned floor.
“No,” he heard her softly whisper, and she shook her head. “No!” she said again, except this time a little louder.
He got up and ran over to her. He called her name. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He knelt down next to her. She must be having a nightmare. “It’s okay. You’re just having a bad dream.”
He reached out to touch her, and when his hand made contact, a spark ignited, like he had stuck his finger in an outlet. He was thrown backwards as if someone had pushed him and launched through the air. His back slammed into the wall, and he slid down, falling to the ground. Thank God this cell is padded.
She gasped for breath as she shot up wide awake, her chest heaving rapidly. The shiny bruise around her eye had faded to a sallow yellow, and the cut in the middle of her bottom lip was scabbed over and healing. Her head snapped to look over at him, and she scrambled over to him as best she could with a straitjacket on.
“Rick.” She sank to her knees in front of him, leaning over him with concern written all over her face. “Are you okay?”
He groaned as he pushed his hands against the floor to sit up. “I’m fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it.” He winced as he rubbed the back of his head.
His eyes went wide when he realized what he had said. He looked up at her, but if she had noticed, she didn’t show it. She was too preoccupied with fussing over him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, I swear. I just…” she trailed off, starting to sniffle.
“Hey, it’s okay.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and stared her straight in the eye. “I know you didn’t mean any harm by it.”
“But I hurt you.” Her bottom lip wobbled. “I promised I would never hurt you.”
He brushed her hair out of her face, cupping her cheeks in his hands. “You didn’t hurt me,” he assured her. “You could never hurt me.”
She stared up at him with stars in her shiny, round eyes. His gaze flickered down to her lips, and she seemed to realize where he was looking. She stilled for a second before her lips parted slightly, and she leaned into his touch.
He pulled away from her, clearing his throat. “Did you dream about the guards?” he asked in a hushed tone.
She blinked rapidly, snapping out of it. She shook her head. “No. I was dreaming about,” she paused, “my parents.”
He swallowed hard. She hadn’t opened up to him about her parents’ death before. Sure, he read about it in her files, but he knew it wasn’t the same. He could tell it was a touchy subject for her.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” he asked, leaning down to catch her eye.
A brief moment of silence ensued, and she broke it when she sucked in a deep breath. “I was back in the car with my parents, in the backseat. There was a storm out, and I got scared. Out of nowhere, the car swerved off the road…” She stopped before a sob could escape, and he could tell she was getting choked up. “Next thing I knew, the front half of the car was completely crushed, but I was safe.” Her eyes welled with tears, and she tried to blink them away. “I killed my parents.”
“The report said they lost control of the car,” he said.
She shook her head. “It was me. I made the car swerve off the road.” She let out a shuddering breath. “The people I care about always get hurt. My parents are dead because of me.”
She burst into tears. Without missing a beat, Rick swept her up in his arms, placing her in his lap like it was second nature to him. He held her close to his chest and carded a hand through her hair. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know what you were doing.”
He felt a wet spot form on his jacket from her tears, but he didn’t mind. He let her cry it out until she was hiccuping and sniffling when she ran out of tears, her eyes dry. “It’s okay,” he cooed. “You’re safe. You’re with me now.”
He rocked her back and forth. She started humming again, that strange melodic tune. “What is that?” he asked.
“A lullaby my mom used to sing to me as a kid to get me to sleep,” she said. “It helps calm me down.”
“It’s very pretty.” She had a beautiful voice. It was almost haunting, listening to her hum the solemn, melancholic tune in the otherwise dead silent room.
“I’m sorry that I’m making you stay here with me,” she murmured. “You must be so tired. I know it’s unfair.”
“I don’t mind,” he told her honestly. “I want you to feel safe.”
She looked up at him, fluttering her lashes damp with tears. “Then… Do you mind holding me until I fall asleep? I’m scared the nightmares will come back.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He knew it was inappropriate, that he should push her off of his lap right now. But she was so warm, and it felt so right to have her in his arms, like she belonged there, and when she looked at him like that…
“Of course,” he whispered.
That caused a lazy smile to spread across her lips, and it made his stomach flip knowing that he put it there. She laid back down on his chest and snuggled closer to him, curling up against him. He froze when she buried her face in the crook of his neck, her breath fanning over his skin.
“You’re so warm,” she mumbled sleepily.
He stayed rigid against her until she let out one long snore. He risked a glance down at her face, and her eyes were closed, a peaceful smile still gracing her lips.
He relaxed against her and leaned back against the wall, tightening his hold on her like he was shielding her from the rest of the world. They were like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly. He rested his head on top of hers and allowed the sound of her even breathing to lull him to sleep. He no longer tried to fight it when his eyes closed.
They slept soundly for the rest of the night.
–
She looked up at the sound of the door to her cell opening. She smiled when she saw it was Rick closing the door behind him.
“What brings you to my humble abode?” she joked, rolling her eyes.
He strode towards her with both his hands behind his back, a nervous smile on his face. “I have a surprise for you.”
She perked up, sitting up straight. “A surprise for me? Why?”
He knelt down in front of her and revealed what he was holding: sitting in the palms of his large hands was a small cupcake with an unlit candle stuck in it. “Happy birthday,” he said, a wide grin on his face.
Her smile dropped. She looked down at the cupcake and then back up at him, confused. “It’s my birthday?”
“That’s what it said in your file.” His smile started to crack. He could usually read her like an open book, but now he couldn’t tell how she felt, if he had overstepped or not.
“Huh.” She lowered her gaze to the padded floor. “I guess I forgot. It’s been a while since anyone cared to celebrate it.”
His heart wrenched in his chest at how dejected she looked. He couldn’t imagine what it had been like for her to grow up in Arkham Asylum scared and alone with powers she didn’t have control of.
He cleared his throat and held the cupcake out to her. “I made it myself, so if it doesn’t taste good that’s why.” He fidgeted nervously. “I hope you like vanilla.”
She took it and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Is this really for me?”
He laughed slightly. “Who else would it be for?” She plucked the candle out of the cupcake and looked up at him, raising a brow. “I couldn’t light the candle because of fire safety reasons,” he told her.
She shrugged and tossed it over her shoulder. He watched anxiously as she peeled back the wrapper and took a bite out of the cupcake. He raised a brow at her as she chewed. “Do you like it?”
She swallowed before answering, “Of course I do.”
Relief washed over him. “I know it’s not much, but…”
“It’s more than anyone else has ever done for me.” She shied away from him, looking up at him from under her lashes sheepishly. “This is probably sad, but this might be the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
“Well, I’m glad I could make it happen for you,” he said, smiling.
She returned it, her smile growing wider. Suddenly, she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He went still with shock for a moment before returning the hug, rubbing circles on her back.
“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear, and he shivered. “This is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied.
She pulled away, and just as he was about to let go of her, she leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. It didn’t last longer than a couple seconds, but it was enough to make Rick’s brain shut down as he just sat there staring at her with his jaw dropped like an idiot.
She mistook his lack of response for rejection. “I’m sorry. I know that was wrong of me, and you probably don’t feel the same, but I thought I’d at least give it a try.” She paused when she ran out of air, her cheeks flushing a bright red that somehow made her even more adorable. “God, I’m pathetic––”
He cut her off before she could ramble anymore by connecting their lips again. It was her turn to freeze up before she melted against him. She kissed him shyly, like she was unsure of what she was doing. He tangled his fingers in the hair at the back of her neck and took control, moving his lips against hers. When he slid his tongue into her mouth, she let out a moan, the sound sending shivers down his spine. She tasted like vanilla.
When he pulled away, he too was out of breath. He opened his eyes and stared down at her. Her lips were shiny and swollen, and she was staring up at him with those big, doe eyes of hers that made him weak in the knees.
“Was that okay?” she squeaked out.
He cupped her face in his hands. “It was more than okay, sweetheart.” He pressed his lips against hers again briefly. Now that he had finally gotten to kiss her, he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to stop. “It was perfect.”
She practically purred in his hands, closing her eyes and leaning into his touch. Rick ran a hand through her hair and made a vow to himself that he would never let any harm come to her, let alone put her in a situation where it was even a possibility.
–
“Have you come to a conclusion regarding your assessment of the asset, Colonel Flag?”
Rick stared down at Waller who was sitting at her desk with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes, so dark they were nearly black, bore into him intensely as she waited for an answer.
He shifted under the weight of her heavy gaze. He stood in front of her, his hands clasped behind his back and his stance wide. His forehead was starting to break into a sweat, and he swallowed hard.
The truth was, there were many prisoners in Belle Reve who he wouldn’t mind seeing gunned down in the midst of a battlefield somewhere faraway, prisoners who had committed horrible atrocities. But she wasn’t one of them –– anything but. She was meek and soft and fragile, despite the immense power she had displayed. She had already been through so much, he couldn’t stand to put her through anything like the sick, twisted coverups Waller had in store for her. He didn’t want to taint her with the violence and brutality, his own little piece of heaven he could keep separate from the rest of the chaotic world.
He didn’t even want to think about what he’d do if she didn’t make it back.
“I have come to the conclusion that the asset is too unstable and unpredictable to join Task Force X,” he stated in a strong, clear, commanding tone.
Waller didn’t move. She continued to stare up at him, arching a brow. “Is that so?”
He wondered why she was asking him again, but he remained firm in his stance. “Yes, ma’am.”
Then, her lips curled into a devious smirk. “Well, I disagree with your assessment.”
Rick drew his brows together. She spun in her chair to face her computer. “You’re right; she is unstable, but while you were gathering intel on her, I discovered a way of making her cooperate and comply with our demands.”
She waved her mouse, and the computer flickered to life. Rick took a step closer, peering over her shoulder at the screen. Pulled up was security footage from her cell a few days earlier of Rick kneeling in front of her on the ground. Her arms were around his neck, a cupcake crushed in her hand…
His stomach plummeted. Oh, no.
Waller clicked play, and he watched himself on the screen lean forward and kiss her. He watched as his fingers threaded in her hair and stared at the blissed out expression on her face when he pulled away.
Rick’s hands curled into fists at his sides, his nostrils flaring. “You didn’t want me to gather intel on her.” He tried to keep his voice from shaking with rage. “You were using me to get to her.”
“Oh, please, Flag.” She clicked pause on the video and spun in her chair to face him, steepling her fingers like some sort of Bond villain. “Don’t act like I’m responsible for you starting an affair with the inmate you’re supposed to be guarding.”
He scoffed. “Do you think I’d care if you fired me?”
She pursed her lips. “Perhaps not,” then, that smirk he knew only meant trouble crossed her face, “but maybe you would care if she were stuck in here all alone without you. Who knows what the next guards will do to her if they get their hands on her…”
Rick could feel his nails digging into his palms from clenching his fists so hard. “You’re despicable,” he spat.
“You can save the insults. I’ve been called worse.” She pointed at her frozen image on the screen, tapping her finger against the glass. “I’m doing what’s necessary, Flag. I’m not going to let you waste her untapped potential just because you have feelings for her.”
He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to recruit her for Task Force X, to betray her trust and ship her out to war. But he also didn’t want to leave her in Belle Reve on her own, unprotected. Who knew what could befall her, then? At least, if she joined, he could keep an eye on her, even if she hated him so much she never wanted to speak to him again…
His hands were tied.
Waller watched the different emotions pass across his face as thoughts bounced around in his head. Once he finally looked up at her, resigned, she knew she had won, although there had been no doubt from the beginning. She always did.
“So, do you want to be the one to break the news to her?” She swiveled side to side in her chair, pleased with herself. “Or should I?”
