The Twin Flame: Grumpy x Sunshine

Eyes Open

"Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown. Everybody's watching to see the fallout..."

"Karli!" Sam bellows, you and Bucky following on his heels as you finally make it to the designated coordinates.

She pokes her head up from the balcony of the seemingly abandoned building. Her head tilts to its side with calculated grin, "I thought I told you to come alone.

"You called my sister, that's how we're going to play this?" Sam sneers.

"I would never hurt her," Karli assures him. She looks between you and Sam, now standing side by side, "I just wanted to understand the two of you."

"Well, here's a crazy idea, you ask!" you incredulously remark.

"The Power Broker had it right then. About the two of you," Karli gestures between the two of you. "You're not romantic-"

"Gross," you and Sam simultaneously respond.

"But you're more than friends," Karli continues. "The Power Broker's file was right about a lot of it, now that I think about it. It's why you're all here. Together."

"Does everyone have files on us? Is that a thing now? Are we allowed to see these files?" you rhetorically ask.

"End this. Now," Sam demands.

"I don't want to hurt you," Karli offers. "You're just a tool in the regimes I'm looking to destroy. You're not hiding behind a shield. If I were to kill you, it'd be meaningless. I was going to ask you to join me. Or do the world a favor and let me go."

"I will teach you," you blurt.

Karli's eyes snap over to you, clearly taken aback by your offer. "What?"

"This is not the plan," Sam hisses under his breath. "I repeat, not the plan."

"You haven't been able to figure it all out, right? I'll teach you," you offer once more. You slowly pad to the bottom of the staircase that Karli stands atop of. "I'll teach you, but you can't hurt anyone anymore."

Her eyes narrow at you, cynicism laced in each of her words, "And what's in it for you?"

"No one else gets hurt. This war, it ends. Now."

"Have you always been such a pacifist?" she poses.

"If you don't hurt anymore people, I will go with you. Everything I know, you'll know. I'll be your Prometheus."

Karli's glare softens incrementally, and for a moment you're certain you're getting through to her again. When out of nowhere, Sam's eyes snap to you from the small screen on his wrist, "It's Walker."

When you look back to the top of the stairs where Karli stood seconds ago, she's gone. Already running to her next location. "You know for a kid, she's really fast."

"I'll send you the location. Go!" Sam sharply instructs, taking off through the open rooftop.

"I'll follow Sam," you call after Bucky.

"How are gonna-"

But before he can finish his question, you reach out to the brick and mortar pillar in front of your. And with a slight rumble, footholds appear along the bricked pattern. Bucky looks on in complete wonderment as you scale to the top of the awning in no time at all. You reach out for the awning, lurching forward and hauling yourself up along the rooftop. To follow Sam, just like you said.

With his neck craned up, he watches your skilled movements get you up onto the roof in no time at all. He stares up in awe with an uncharacteristically proud smile on his face, he quietly marvels, "Wow."