fiigment:
She wanted to run, trapped in a steel box suspended from cables thousands of feet above the ground, she knew there was no escape and yet the flight instinct burned through every nerve ending in her body. With a deep breath she fought to regain her composure, reaching past him to push the button of the floor that she needed before slipping past him with careful consideration not to let any part of their forms touch.
Of course some part of her wanted his touch, wanted him to reach out and trace her jaw like he used to so very long ago. But that part of her was greatly overshadowed by her anticipation–and even hope–for some sort of confrontation to break this tension.
There was nothing he could do to her that she wasn’t sure she could handle, he’d made sure she was well trained, even without her particularly special abilities, years as his secretary, ambassador and all around top agent had left her with more than a fleeting ability to protect herself. And–though she didn’t want to have to use it–her innate abilities as a Super were a last life line if the time came that she needed them.
Arms crossed around the pile of papers and files in her grasp, she stared at the wall with her lips pressed together into a thin line, the silence between them teeming with more than just betrayal; hurt, anger, fear…love…they all filled the void between them as she waited in silence for the arrival bell to sound at her floor. Because Buddy was more than just a former employer, though few if any knew the circumstances of their meeting or their relationship, there HAD been a relationship and while her move had been tactical, it hadn’t been without a cost.
Buddy realized he was soon surrounded by two things he hated most in the world - silence. And her. Just having her name slip from his tongue made his whole mouth feel like poison. The taste of those syllables strung together was so foreign to him, it took his brain a moment to realize that he had actually spoken them aloud. He was disgusted with himself for not taking more precaution in assuring that they would never cross paths. He should have known that she was going to be in this very elevator with him.
But, then again, it had been years since they had seen each other; and Buddy had completely erased every single thought, and every single memory of her, from his mind. He had forgotten everything about the woman who had once been his entire world. So how could he blame himself for this? He had nothing to do with it. Surely it was her fault that they would run into each other like this.
The bickering in his mind made the silence in the elevator even more haunting. His urge to constantly speak, to always be the center of attention, made him want to start shouting at her. He wanted to ask her every single question that he had shoved in the back of his mind - Were you planning an escape all along? Why did you betray me? Do you know what happened to me because of you? The pain I go through every day because of what you did? Why did you throw away our years of hard work for a family of Supers? Why did you choose them over me?
Why? Why? WHY?!
Buddy's eyes gazed at the top of the elevator door, the numbers flashing before him as they moved up the NSA building. He glanced back to the buttons, the number of the floor she had pushed quickly approaching. Soon, she would get off the elevator, leave him alone, and he would never have to see her again. He would be sure of it. He would never, ever, lay eyes on Mirage for the rest of his life...
As the elevator gave a gentle ring, indicating they had arrived at Mirage's floor, Buddy immediately found himself reaching forward, his large finger holding down the "close door" button. Immediately, he began to ask himself questions, now wondering why on earth he was doing this. Why didn't he just let her go?
It only took a moment for his brilliant mind to finally come up with a logical conclusion to his illogical actions as the elevator began to move up the floors of the building once more-
He wasn't going to let her walk away from him so easily.
Grinning, an evil gleam in his eye, Buddy turned back to her and didn't dare to break eye contact. He took one step closer to her, his frame towering over her as he finally broke the silence between them. "You'd think after all you did to me, I could at least get some kind of greeting from you. Did you lose your manners too, that day you clearly lost your mind on Nomanisan? Or are you just so thrilled to see me that you can't even speak?"