I N P U L S A (Loba/You)

• C H A P T E R T H R E E •

"Not too bad for your debut." There was a warming smile on Anita's features and if I was being honest, it was a rare sight to see. Therefore, my own lips turned upwards to mirror hers. 

"I mean, I don't know what to feel better for. Winning or actually thankful that I didn't die." I couldn't help the small chuckle rise to the back of my throat. In my line of sight, I noticed how Loba swayed her way passed Anita and I, her hand going up to her braids, as if they needed sorting out and put back into their rightful place. Honestly, she didn't have to do anything. There was a dull mumble that reached my ears and I knew Anita was speaking to me but I just couldn't draw myself out of this trance that Loba had managed to succumb me to. 

A snap of Anita's fingers were what managed to snap me out of it, if you pardon the pun. Her own gaze followed my own, noticing the Portuguese woman in my line of sight and to say that Anita looked concerned, in fact almost like she was warning me, it didn't ease me at all. "You need to keep your guard up with that one. She...can't be trusted." 

I didn't know if that was because of her background. Her being a thief and Anita and I being ones of a militant background, it was definite that Loba and I wouldn't be friends. My brows furrowed and the woman's concern. "I'm sure she's fine Anita. In fact, she fought well today." I could feel my eyes drift back towards Loba, only to be met with her own intense gaze. It was almost as if she knew we were talking about her.

Taking in her smirk, I could feel my heart beat race as she turned hot on her heels as she swayed her hips, walking out of the room. Just the simple move made me hot under the collar. 'What on earth is happening to me? Come on, get a grip (Y/L/N)...' I scolded myself as I forced my eyes back to the now, arms folded in front of her chest with an unimpressed look on her face, Anita Williams.

"I'm being serious (Y/N). She's...up to something..." I knew that look on her face; brows furrowed, her eyes consumed with anxiety and worry whilst they flickered to the vast space in the room before returning back to me. There was no lying that she was truly worried and that she had her suspicions about the thief but I had no bad blood with the woman.

A sigh couldn't help but leave my lips. "Fine. I'll be careful around her." There was a wave of relief that seemed to wash over Anita after hearing my words. Loba obviously bothered the woman something chronic. 

"Thank you (Y/N)." There was a sincere smile on her lips as her eyes were filled with warmth, her appreciation shinning through. I couldn't help but return with a small smile of my own.

'I wonder why she's so concerned...'

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"(Y/N)! (Y/N)! Over here!" The flash of the cameras were certainly overwhelming with only a stream of questions from the reporters only enhancing this experience. To say I wasn't happy about this public event was an understatement. After my win, the organisers of the games thought it would have been a great idea for what was like a red carpet event. 

Just do your thing and answer some questions. Their words, not mine. 

Clad in a white t-shirt, black leather jacket and black ripped jeans, I certainly wanted to be comfortable for this whole thing. I would have rather had a much quieter public event but I guess you can't get all the nice things. The small jingle of my dog tags around my neck were the only thing that seemed to calm me down but seeing the other legends act so calmly just made me feel slightly out of place. Trying my best to shake the feeling off, I made my way up to a short brunette who seemed to of been asking for my attention.

"(Y/N), that was a pretty close call to the end of your match!" She seemed so bubbly, making me smile at her worried tone that shook in her voice.

"It was but thanks to Loba and Revenant, they cleared up that final squad." I tried my best to keep myself calm, making sure to take deep breaths before answering the questions the woman had for me. The last thing I wanted was for me to turn out into a stuttering mess. 

"It says that you were apart of the military, do you know Bangalore by any chance?" Just the simple question about our relation made my smile widen. However, the military would always be a touchy subject.

'I'm not asking you to (Y/N)...'

Even during the day, it still haunts me...

"I do, we in fact trained together when we were just cadets. It just so happened that I was picked to be apart of the special forces and that's where we spilt." The answer seemed to please the small reporter, a gleaming smile on her lips before she thanked me for my time. 'That seemed not too bad...' My thoughts trailed off as I made my way over to another reporter, pleasant at my first interview experience. 

Let's just hope that this stays like this for the rest of the night.

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A sigh left my lips as I felt my body flop down onto the sofa, my eyes already closing. There was a few chuckles from the legends at my action but I couldn't help it. Those interviews were exhausting. Physically and mentally. 

"You did great amigo! If anything, you had more patience than me, I was so bored..." I could hear Octavio's whine, a collection of laughter from the other legends following closely behind. I could feel the sofa dip slightly, making me open my eyes again to only connect with a certain Portuguese woman's gaze. 

"You certainly had the reporters hanging off every word you said." To her soft tone to her quiet volume she was speaking at, my heart simply warmed at the young woman. A sincere smile appeared on my lips as I couldn't help but feel myself get lost in those honey coloured eyes. 

"She has a point (Y/N). Who knew Inpulsa was so composed and regale." Tearing my gaze away from Loba, my eyes shifted to Elliot who had a smirk plastered on his features. Just seeing that made me scoff at the holographic trickster, shaking my head as if to say that he had his people mixed up. "If anything, you reminded me of Crypto once you arrived here...so quite...mysterious...a secret identity that you're possibly  hiding." My brows furrowed at this comment. 

"Shut it, Witt..." The low grumble from the Korean man was what sparked a small chuckle from my throat, it vibrating in my chest. I could feel a burning gaze to the side of my face and I immediately knew who it was; Loba. 

As I turned back towards her, I noticed the slight smile that seemed to consume her features. It seemed to accompany the warming gaze she was looking at me with. Just the sheer sight of it made my heart stop, making every single thought come to a halt.

"I just knew if I came out being a stuttering mess, I'd regret it..." With my chuckle reverberating around the room, my eyes couldn't seem to pull away from the Portuguese woman's own. It was like she had compelled me and in all honesty, I wasn't complaining at all. 

However, what pulled me back was Elliot's words. It was true, I was hiding something. Something in past that had seemed to keep crawling its way back into my head and if it was the last thing I do, 

I wasn't going to let it slip...