SNAKESKIN (Tangerine) ✓

十八

The Cobra

I groaned in pain as I rolled onto my side, clutching my arm as it throbbed agonisingly. I could feel where the bullet had lodged itself into my upper arm. It shot a surge of pain up my arm every time I moved; so I froze, my eyes closed as I tried to keep from aggravating the wound.

"Bronte?" I opened one eye, not moving my body, as the blurry shape above me came into focus. Tangerine was hovering above me, his face very close to mine, consumed by worry. I shot him a weak smile, letting him know that I was okay. Yes, I was in terrible pain, but I was okay. I would live.

"I'm sorry!" I looked past Tangerine to see Ladybug. He was leaning over Tangerine's shoulder, staring down at me with a guilty look on his face. "I'm so so sorry." He dropped the gun, pulling at his hair in anguish. "Oh my god, oh my god. Why does this always happen to me?"

"Just shut up," I hissed, trying to push myself into a sitting position. Tangerine immediately leaned forward, holding my forearms and helping me up. He stayed away from my shoulder, where the bullet had lodged itself. I hadn't looked at it yet; I was too scared about the state of it. I knew it would be a bloody mess, as I could feel the slick liquid sticking my sleeve to my skin. It was disgusting.

"Bronte." I glanced up at Tang. He was staring down at my shoulder and I sighed, gritting my teeth and forcing myself to look down,

It was awful. The bullet had found its home just below my shoulder. My sleeve was covered in blood, which was now dripping onto the floor. I felt queasy. Possibly from the sight, but most likely from loss of blood. I felt lightheaded and leaned back against the wall, as Tangerine tapped me on the shoulder—the other one, of course.

"Bronte, can you stand?" I nodded meekly. "Good. Let's go to the bathroom, okay? Clean you up a bit."

I nodded again, groaning in pain as I pushed myself up onto my knees. Tangerine leaned down, sliding an arm around my waist and hoisting me to my feet. I shot him a grateful smile as he led me into the gangway.

I could hear Ladybug and the girl talking as the gangway door closed behind us. Tangerine slid the bathroom door open, ushering me in before he followed. "Sit down," he ordered gently, turning on the faucet and digging around in the cupboards for anything useful.

In one of the cupboards was a first aid kit. How convenient. He opened it up, removing bandages, cotton swabs and disinfectant. I winced at the sight of the small bottle. That was going to sting.

"Okay." Tangerine turned around with a wad of toilet paper in his grasp. He gestured to my arm. "May I?" I nodded and he got right to work, pulling down my sleeve and removing my arm from it. I waited self-consciously as he stepped closer, inspecting my exposed shoulder closely.

"How bad is it?"

He glanced up at me, our faces mere inches apart. "It's not that bad." He shot me a reassuring smile "The bullet's stuck good, though. We'll have to take you to the hospital after all this is over." He gently dabbed at the wound with the tissue, soaking up the blood that had yet to dry. When it was decently cleaned, he tossed the bloody wad of paper into the trash, rolling up another and rinsing it under the tap.

He continued dabbing at my arm with the wet tissue, his eyes concentrated on the bullet wound. He glanced up at me every now and again, his brow furrowed and lips pressed together,

"What's on your mind, Tang?"

He startled, his hand knocking the sore part of my shoulder ever-so-slightly. I winced in pain, trying to keep calm as he shot me an apologetic smile.

"Sorry," he muttered, leaning back against the sink. "I just... I can't believe you did that." His eyes were full of confusion and admiration. "That bullet could've killed you, but you still jumped in front of me." He cocked his head inquisitively. "Why?"

I shrugged. "Isn't it obvious?" He shook his head. "Lemon's gone. You're all I have now." His face softened, as he picked up the disinfectant. "I couldn't lose both of you in one day; right after we reconciled."

"Okay." Tangerine removed the cap on the bottle, pouring a few drops of liquid onto a cotton swab. "You ready?" I nodded. "Okay. This is gonna sting."

I braced myself as he gently pressed the soaked swab on my wound. I didn't feel anything initially, but then a sudden wave of immense pain crashed down on me, causing my arm to flinch away from Tangerine's hold. He grabbed my wrist, gently pulling me back to him.

"It'll be over soon," he promised softly, his eyes full of concern. "Just hold on for five seconds, okay?"

I nodded, my eyes screwed closed in anticipation of the pain that I was about to experience. But when Tangerine pressed the swab back on my arm, I didn't flinch. The initial shock of it was over and the pain had lessened to a dull aching sensation. I let out a sigh of relief.

"That wasn't so bad," I muttered and Tangerine chuckled as he wrapped a bandage tightly around my arm. "Thank you, Tang."

He just smiled sheepishly, shaking his head in modest humility. "Don't thank me," he urged, tying the bandage into a tight knot and ripping it off of the roll. "I owe you my life, Bronte. "He stared at me with a serious expression, reaching up to caress my cheek delicately. "I would be dead if it weren't for you."

"You don't owe me," I insisted, leaning into his hand, with a small smile on my face. "We're partners; we're supposed to look out for each other." I tested my shoulder, rolling it, only to find it still unbearably painful. Holding in a wince, I stood up, dislodging Tangerine's hand from my cheek. "Now, let's finish this."

Tangerine nodded, a small smile gracing his lips as he stared down at me. "Okay." He slid open the bathroom door, extending his hand out to me. I took it, letting him pull me out into the gangway. "Let's get this son of a bitch his fucking case."

I nodded. "Let's."

A/N: Okay, today's question: Out of all the characters in this movie (Ladybug, Tangerine, Lemon, Prince, Kimura, Hornet, Wolf, etc), which one do you think you are most similar to, and why?

I think I am most like Lemon; he loves his brother, but he also lets his pop culture obsessions rule his life a little bit. His head is also in the clouds, as he often doesn't listen to Tangerine or pay attention to important things.