Partner in Crime

Partner in Crime: a RedCrackle oneshot

Two black cars skid to a stop before the steps of the city's history museum. The main entrance is empty of guests in the quiet of night, with the exception of one disgruntled figure who is slouched in front of the grand entranceway, left to be found neatly tied up in red rope.

The car doors slam shut as two pairs of ACME agents step out of the vehicles, peering at their already-caught culprit.

Zack, Ivy, Jules, and Devinaux instinctively turn their gazes upwards to find their suspect's captor, La Femme Rouge. She stands poised at the very top of the museum's overhang, the full moon behind her casting a silhouette of her billowing trench coat in the crisp evening air.

Each of the agents' faces donned a knowing smile at the sight of the scarlet thief, making it seem as though they had all suddenly recalled some slightly melancholy inside joke, triggered by having simply existed in the thief's presence.

From high up on her perch, Carmen looks back upon the four, a friendly smirk playing at her lips as she reminisces upon the past adventures she shared with each of the agents on the ground.

"You looked good out there, Carmen."
says a familiar voice from behind her, snapping Carmen out of her thoughts.

She lets out a small chuckle at the comment, and tips her hat goodbye to her old friends below.

Carmen turns around to see Crackle, AKA Gray -- her oldest friend, turned enemy, back to friend, and now more recently her partner "in crime", and, perhaps... something even more.

Gray stands a few steps away from Carmen with his arms crossed in front of his broad chest, along with a cocky grin plastered on his face.

"I could say the same to you, Gray."
Carmen retorts, taking a couple steps towards him and putting on a teasing smile of her own.

"Um, actually Carmen,"
Gray says, stepping forward to close the gap between them. He leans down slightly to meet her eye level, their faces just inches apart.
"That's Graham, to you."

They both stand there for a moment, their faces impossibly close, each silently daring the other to be the first to look away.

Only a second goes by after what feels like forever when Carmen finally folds, but she doesn't give Gray a chance to register his victory as she gently shoves his taunting smirk away with the palm of her hand.

"Oh shut up," she says to him, chuckling as he reels back with a feigned look of betrayal.

His act of innocence cracks when he chokes out a quick laugh, his face quickly recovering to its original state of flirtatious delight.

"Come on, Blacksheep, you know I'm just havin' a lend of ya." Gray says to her jokingly, putting an earnest hand over his heart.

"Haha, very funny." Carmen says, rolling her eyes as she walks past Gray to the far edge of the museum rooftop, nimbly setting herself down on the ledge.

Gray watches her, his eyes softening with that quiet admiration that only ever fully reveals itself when she's not looking. He waits a moment before coming to sit beside her on the concrete ledge, his feet dangling over the street far below.

"So," Gray starts, "Did you get to say hi to our mates from ACME?" he asks, looking sideways at her.

Carmen lets out a breath. "No," she says, Gray noticing the twinge of nostalgic sadness in her response.
"They're all professionals now, Gray. They've got a job to do. There's no room for small talk out on the field, especially when they're busy trying to keep Chief happy."

"Ah yes, Chief." Gray says, leaning back on the heels of his hands. He tilts his head up to the tranquil evening sky, his thoughts flashing back to the times he spent at ACME headquarters being questioned by the imposing hologram lady.

She had looked even taller in real life, from what he remembered when she came to pay him a visit at the hospital all those years ago.

The first thing he had asked Chief about when she came in that day was if she knew how Carmen was, despite his being admitted to the hospital by Carmen's own doing.

Chief had asked Gray if he would prefer to get in touch with Carmen himself, but he reluctantly declined the offer.

Back then, he had decided it would be best for him to stay away from Carmen, so that she could go on to live her new life without having him there to further complicate it. It absolutely broke his heart, to voluntarily withdraw himself from the one true friend he had in the world.

Gray was unbelievably grateful that he and Carmen had reunited since then, their friendship growing stronger than it ever was before. He might even say that they were becoming something more than just friends, but nothing could be said for certain at this point.
He was just glad to have her back in his life again.

Gray smiles to himself, his thoughts circling back to their conversation about ACME's head agent.
"She was a pretty stern lady that one," he remarks with a small chuckle.

Carmen glances back at him in amusement. "Exactly," she says, letting a soft giggle escape her as well. "That's why I'm surprised to hear that her and Zack are getting along so well."

Gray nods in agreement, still gazing up at the faint sprinkle of stars in the sky.

Carmen turns back to look out across the vast landscape of buildings below them.
"Anyway," she says after a beat of silence, "Jules knows I'm always up for a coffee if they ever have time to do some catching up."

Gray turns to face her with that classic cocky grin of his, though his eyes are full of tenderness as he takes in the sight of Carmen's delicate visage in the evening city lights.

"Would you... maybe care to join me for a cuppa right now, then?" Gray asks, his voice low and sincere.

Carmen meets Gray's gaze, his eyes hopeful, but not insistent. Her chest is flooded with warmth as she notices a shy dusting of red over his cheeks. She smiles, playfully raising an eyebrow at him in attempt to ease his nerves.

"Didn't we just go for a cuppa yesterday? And twice last week?" She queries, still in awe about how nervous he gets whenever he asks her to join him at a café.
Carmen realizes with a pang of guilt that his concern is probably completely valid, considering that she had stood him up the first time they had agreed to go out after her caper Down Under an eternity ago.

"Sure we did," Gray responds, smiling coolly now at her teasing, "but that doesn't make up for all that time I'd waited for you back in Sydney, you know."

Carmen tilts her head to him in agreement. "Fair enough, Graham." She flashes him a sly grin.
"It's a date then."

Gray lets out an amused breath at her bravado, shifting to stand himself up on their perch. He extends a hand down to his scarlet maiden.
"Hold on tight..."

Carmen looks up at him with an adoring glint in her eye before taking his hand and hoisting herself up to stand beside him.

Gray lifts her hand to his lips and places a gentle kiss over her knuckles, his eyes never leaving hers as he does so.

"... and don't let go."