Hyde and Seek

Chapter Twelve

2:04

Two minutes.

Two minutes is nothing when it comes to waiting for a drug to kick in, you're sure.

You stare at your reflection, a bit uneasy, and you resist making a funny face or touching the mirror even when your knees basically brush up against it anyway.

3:28

A shiver goes through your body and when you look down at your hands, they're turning from red to blue, but you can hardly feel more than a chill.

Then you glance back up at your reflection.

It's smiling and you're not.

"Hiya, love."

Okay, so this is it. It's here and it sees you.

"Ya know, I can hear all those little thoughts of yours, darlin'," Your reflection smirks back at you, looking a bit too happy to be here for your taste, "Oh, but I am happy. 'm fuckin' ecstatic!" You flinch slightly and it gives you a hungry look, its grin borderline manic, "Been dyin' for a face to face with you, and can I just say? Gorgeous," It juts its chin out to you with a shit eating grin, "Like lookin' into a mirror."

You stay quiet, just waiting for the next move it's going to make, and your reflection's wild eyes never leave your face as it leans forward, unfolding its legs to sit on its knees instead, but you stay still. You need to stay calm and level.

"Everythin' you've seen? 've seen. I knew the serum was goin' to hit, love," It smirks, "And I tried to remain – what was it?" It pretends to think, "Calm and level? Yeah," It snaps its fingers, shaking its fist at you while nodding happily, "That's it – but honestly? 've been buzzin' outta my skin ever since you convinced Red to get you the drugs," It wiggles its eyebrows, "'m ready now. Lemme take over for ya, sunshine. Won't hurt a bit. Promise."

This time, you do lean forward, your eyes steady and dead set on your reflection's as you grit out angrily, "I will never give you control."

The laugh that rips out of it startles you for a second, your guard falls for half of that, and it immediately takes advantage, reaching out of the mirror to wrap its hand around your throat and yank you towards itself, smashing your head so hard against the mirror it cracks. You jerk back with the pain searing through your skull as the blood drips down your face, but it holds you there as you brace yourself with your hands on the edges of the spiderweb cracked mirror. It's breathing on your face as your breath fogs the mirror slightly with each exhale and there's a ringing in your ears as you look up to meet its eyes, blood dripping steadily from above your eyebrow. Your reflection is distorted from the break, but that doesn't take away from how smug it looks.

It shakes its head a little in amusement, "Aw, love, you say that like you have a choice."

You reach back, the arm holding you away from the mirror only enough so that it doesn't pull you in is shaking, and you take the knife strapped to your thigh with your free hand. Then you hold it up to your own neck.

"I could kill us both."

Its eyes, that have stayed on yours nearly this entire time, dart down to the blade, and you see them falter for only a second – they're scared. This is your leverage.

It presses its lips into a tight smile, turning its face slightly with an amused squint, "You won't though. There're too many players now. Brenda's still kickin', Red's talkin' to ya – which, can we just point out how pathetic you are when she does?" It smirks, "Because...girl."

Not to take away from this very dramatic turn of events, but you can't help furrowing your eyebrows at that with a confused frown because – you fumbling over yourself a few times in the presence of Natasha fucking Romanoff might've been a bit embarrassing, sure. But like. Surely not the most pathetic or embarrassing thing you've done, especially when it comes to the redhead. And it's seen and heard everything you have, so, shouldn't it mention the fanfictions?