The Grey Zone (Black Noir / The Boys Fan Fic)

Ch 29 Impatiently Waiting

Chrissy nervously plucked the hem of her sleeve. Alone in a booth, she eagerly awaited the arrival of Jess at the cafe, as agreed.

Bored and slightly paranoid, she didn't even have the solace of her phone to keep her company. The strict rules on the set of VoughtCon promotions required all phones to be held in a lock-up to avoid spoilers for the event. Throughout the day, her battery had run flat.

Relentless heat from the studio lights had created a consistent stream of people popping back in the MUA chair for touch-ups. Combined with the fact Chrissy had been on her feet all day, the environment had made her feel slightly queasy.

Of course, in true Chrissy fashion, she managed to put on a brave face in front of the crew and clients. At one point, she had been unknowingly under the watchful eye of Nathan Lawson, who was impressed by her adaptability.

The one thing giving her comfort was knowing she could meet with Jess and confess to holding back information. She wasn't sure how she would explain herself, but she believed it was the right thing to do. 

"Refill, hun?" a burly waitress asked.

"Please." Chrissy lifted her cup with a tired smile. Coffee was a sorry replacement for a meal, but she couldn't bring herself to eat until Jess arrived.

The cafe around her was relatively busy. Gentle chatter and the clattering of cutlery provided a calming metronome. For Chrissy, being around people helped her shake off the creeps that meeting Matthew had given her. That said, she wasn't completely off her guard.

Halfway across the city, Black Noir also waited impatiently for Jess.

As the sun set, he practised dangerous parkour across the rooftops to kill time. Unfathomable leaps were followed by deep grunts as he lifted his heavy, suited body up onto new vantage points. Every few minutes, he would stop to survey the street below in the hopes of seeing Jess approaching.

In his mind, the plan was perfect. Whilst he didn't get chance to hand her the polaroid personally, he was sure that with a date, time and location on the back, there would be no way she could resist.

But time was ticking onwards and she was yet to show her face.

Black Noir leered out from the side of a billboard, watching the street below. Mundane people went about their mundane lives. Unlike other members of The Seven who tried to keep a work/life balance, Noir only understood working for Vought. He had forgotten what a normal life felt like.

As the last of the glowing sun set, ego tempted him to simply go on without her. He didn't need her to get the job done. In fact, it would be much quicker for him to tackle the target on his own.

But it would be far less enjoyable for him.

He didn't want it over with fast. Noir wanted to draw it out. He wanted to savor his time - his time with Jess.

He might not have needed her, but he craved her.

Time trudged on but felt as if it stood still for both waiting parties.

Chrissy was now starting to worry. An hour had almost passed with no sign of Jess. Sure, New York traffic could be troublesome but such lateness seemed excessive.

Her softened curls dipped under the table as she searched for an outlet to charge her phone.

"Are you ok under there?"

A gruff voice startled her so much that she bumped her head on the way back up.

"Oh, Chrissy, I'm so sorry," the man chuckled. Chrissy looked back at the man with an embarrassed smile. Cringe flared up within her, causing her hands to grip the tattered faux leather booth beneath the table.