fic ][ up where they stay all day in the sun
{Goes with this. Idk still.}
Parker couldn't remember her name, but she could feel it in the back of her mind. She still knew who she was even if she couldn't form a sound to go with it. She couldn't remember that she had been in The City for three months, but she knew that it had been a long time. It wasn't that she couldn't keep track of the days, they just weren't as concrete as she remembered them once being. Night lasted longer than it should have, and even the days weren't very light.
It wasn't so simple as forgetting though. It was the place. The City. It was the ghosts, which were the only way she knew how to call them. The powers that circled around constantly, that chose what she could and couldn't remember. They pushed pictures and emotions onto her, but didn't let her recall them herself to know what they were or why they hurt.
Sometimes she saw it in flashes. A flash of a man, waving a stuffed bunny in the air, then flames. And with it she felt a sense of accomplishment, pride even, and she didn't know what that meant. She saw other flashes, blurry faces of people that she thought she should know, but who she couldn't place. And each time a longing ached through her, and she knew she missed them. Whoever they were.
But there wasn't always time to try and piece the puzzle together, because The City seemed to be getting more and more restless. Everything burned all of the time as The Brigade and it's citizens tried to weed out any Intruders they could find. The small shack that she stayed in with Garrett, no larger than a garage with the same cold concrete floor, was off to the side of town, but far from hidden. Similar buildings near by were being ransacked and burned if need be. They were no longer safe in the one place she had found to be her sanctuary for the previous three months.
Garrett himself had been in The City for just over a month, but he couldn't remember how long it had been either. He had quickly learned how to survive from Parker, and they stuck together they best they could. He was still more ruffled than her though.
"Where will we go?" He asked, as he watched her pack up the few belongings they had.
"Somewhere else," she said. "I found this place, I'll find something else."
He reached for her arm, but she pulled away before he could take it. She didn't like being touched. She didn't know why, but she didn't. And he knew that. His hand moved up through his hair instead. "Ariel...I don't want anything to happen to you."
She pulled her lip between her teeth for a moment and met his eyes briefly, then shrugged it off and continued moving. "It won't. I know how to not get caught."
"I know," he sighed. "I know. You're a superhero."
Her finger came up to point at him. "Ninja. Get it right."
***
"I need to call you something if you're going to glare every time I say sweetheart or darling," he chuckled.
She rolled her eyes. "Give me a second, I'll think of something." She stretched on her stomach on her bedding and tapped her chin. It did make her uncomfortable when he used those pet names instead of a real name, but mostly because of that way his accent seemed to remind her of someone she knew and couldn't place. She knew that person called her those names and she didn't want him to share.
"Ariel," she said at last.
"Ariel?" He raised a brow and thought about it. "As in The Little Mermaid?" And that, oh that she remembered. She grinned and nodded.
"Yes. Ariel. I'll be Ariel."
"Do you want to be where the people are?"
Her grin only widened. "And see 'em dancin'!"
He laughed and leaned up a bit from where he lay, then started to sing. "Flippin' your fins you don't get too far-"
"Legs are required for jumping, dancing!"
They sang the entire song together, word for word, and she fell against her pillow in laughter, feeling warmer than she had felt in a long time.
"Okay, Ariel. And what is it you believe you do for a living?"
She thought again. "I'm a ninja."
"A ninja?"
"Yeah, I go after the bad guys."
"Mmm, Ariel the Ninja. I like that."
"And you're Garrett the..." She glanced over at him. He hadn't been in The City for much more than a week, so things were still fresh in his mind and she knew it.
However he just shrugged and stretched out again, propping his head up in his hand. "Nothing you want to remember."
***
They were a block and a half away when the boom sounded, and smoke billowed up from the direction they had come from. Parker froze and looked back. Garrett stopped with her for just a moment, then pushed her gently.
"We'll find something else," he said in her ear.
She was used to being the one to pull him along, lead the way, and remind him that nothing could be held onto there, but suddenly she didn't know how to move anymore. Suddenly fear and doubt pressed into her and wouldn't let her breathe. "What if we don't?" She murmured. "What if they catch us? What if-" Her eyes shot to his. There was a fear cropping up, mixed with another memory that she couldn't touch, that told her he was going to leave her behind. She could almost see him in a car, driving as fast as he could, and leaving her behind to get caught. Was that really him or was it someone else? She couldn't be sure.
He saw the look in her eyes and he must have recognized it, because he shook his head. "We're sticking together," he told her. "That's what you told me when we first met, isn't it? We have to stick together."
She mouthed wordlessly things that she wanted to say, but the words didn't come out. She didn't believe him. She didn't believe that he would stay with her, that anyone would. She didn't believe that anyone would want to. She didn't even know if she wanted to stick with him. Wasn't she used to being alone? Fending for herself? Something inside of her told her that was so.
Her eyes dropped shut and there was a voice in her ear that wasn't his. It was a good voice, though. A warm voice. It's a trust thing...we're a little more than a team...
Trust. Team. Family.
She didn't know if she was ready to trust him, but she had told him they needed to stick together and she didn't want to go back on that word. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
"We have to stick together," she nodded.
"We also need to run for it," he said. He looked over her shoulder and they both heard the unmistakable sound of The Brigade marching in their direction.
"Yeah, yeah let's run," she agreed, and they both took off with no real direction to go in.
Parker couldn't remember her name, but she could feel it in the back of her mind. She still knew who she was even if she couldn't form a sound to go with it. She couldn't remember that she had been in The City for three months, but she knew that it had been a long time. It wasn't that she couldn't keep track of the days, they just weren't as concrete as she remembered them once being. Night lasted longer than it should have, and even the days weren't very light.
It wasn't so simple as forgetting though. It was the place. The City. It was the ghosts, which were the only way she knew how to call them. The powers that circled around constantly, that chose what she could and couldn't remember. They pushed pictures and emotions onto her, but didn't let her recall them herself to know what they were or why they hurt.
Sometimes she saw it in flashes. A flash of a man, waving a stuffed bunny in the air, then flames. And with it she felt a sense of accomplishment, pride even, and she didn't know what that meant. She saw other flashes, blurry faces of people that she thought she should know, but who she couldn't place. And each time a longing ached through her, and she knew she missed them. Whoever they were.
But there wasn't always time to try and piece the puzzle together, because The City seemed to be getting more and more restless. Everything burned all of the time as The Brigade and it's citizens tried to weed out any Intruders they could find. The small shack that she stayed in with Garrett, no larger than a garage with the same cold concrete floor, was off to the side of town, but far from hidden. Similar buildings near by were being ransacked and burned if need be. They were no longer safe in the one place she had found to be her sanctuary for the previous three months.
Garrett himself had been in The City for just over a month, but he couldn't remember how long it had been either. He had quickly learned how to survive from Parker, and they stuck together they best they could. He was still more ruffled than her though.
"Where will we go?" He asked, as he watched her pack up the few belongings they had.
"Somewhere else," she said. "I found this place, I'll find something else."
He reached for her arm, but she pulled away before he could take it. She didn't like being touched. She didn't know why, but she didn't. And he knew that. His hand moved up through his hair instead. "Ariel...I don't want anything to happen to you."
She pulled her lip between her teeth for a moment and met his eyes briefly, then shrugged it off and continued moving. "It won't. I know how to not get caught."
"I know," he sighed. "I know. You're a superhero."
Her finger came up to point at him. "Ninja. Get it right."
***
"I need to call you something if you're going to glare every time I say sweetheart or darling," he chuckled.
She rolled her eyes. "Give me a second, I'll think of something." She stretched on her stomach on her bedding and tapped her chin. It did make her uncomfortable when he used those pet names instead of a real name, but mostly because of that way his accent seemed to remind her of someone she knew and couldn't place. She knew that person called her those names and she didn't want him to share.
"Ariel," she said at last.
"Ariel?" He raised a brow and thought about it. "As in The Little Mermaid?" And that, oh that she remembered. She grinned and nodded.
"Yes. Ariel. I'll be Ariel."
"Do you want to be where the people are?"
Her grin only widened. "And see 'em dancin'!"
He laughed and leaned up a bit from where he lay, then started to sing. "Flippin' your fins you don't get too far-"
"Legs are required for jumping, dancing!"
They sang the entire song together, word for word, and she fell against her pillow in laughter, feeling warmer than she had felt in a long time.
"Okay, Ariel. And what is it you believe you do for a living?"
She thought again. "I'm a ninja."
"A ninja?"
"Yeah, I go after the bad guys."
"Mmm, Ariel the Ninja. I like that."
"And you're Garrett the..." She glanced over at him. He hadn't been in The City for much more than a week, so things were still fresh in his mind and she knew it.
However he just shrugged and stretched out again, propping his head up in his hand. "Nothing you want to remember."
***
They were a block and a half away when the boom sounded, and smoke billowed up from the direction they had come from. Parker froze and looked back. Garrett stopped with her for just a moment, then pushed her gently.
"We'll find something else," he said in her ear.
She was used to being the one to pull him along, lead the way, and remind him that nothing could be held onto there, but suddenly she didn't know how to move anymore. Suddenly fear and doubt pressed into her and wouldn't let her breathe. "What if we don't?" She murmured. "What if they catch us? What if-" Her eyes shot to his. There was a fear cropping up, mixed with another memory that she couldn't touch, that told her he was going to leave her behind. She could almost see him in a car, driving as fast as he could, and leaving her behind to get caught. Was that really him or was it someone else? She couldn't be sure.
He saw the look in her eyes and he must have recognized it, because he shook his head. "We're sticking together," he told her. "That's what you told me when we first met, isn't it? We have to stick together."
She mouthed wordlessly things that she wanted to say, but the words didn't come out. She didn't believe him. She didn't believe that he would stay with her, that anyone would. She didn't believe that anyone would want to. She didn't even know if she wanted to stick with him. Wasn't she used to being alone? Fending for herself? Something inside of her told her that was so.
Her eyes dropped shut and there was a voice in her ear that wasn't his. It was a good voice, though. A warm voice. It's a trust thing...we're a little more than a team...
Trust. Team. Family.
She didn't know if she was ready to trust him, but she had told him they needed to stick together and she didn't want to go back on that word. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
"We have to stick together," she nodded.
"We also need to run for it," he said. He looked over her shoulder and they both heard the unmistakable sound of The Brigade marching in their direction.
"Yeah, yeah let's run," she agreed, and they both took off with no real direction to go in.