Beyond Cigarettes (for Wild)

"Oh yeah sure you are." he said, covering the distance between them. He wasn't going to let her back out of this. "Well fine then! You get back to me when you're on your deathbed and they still haven't given you what they've promised you." He was getting frustrated with the naivety of this girl. "Do you understand what I'm saying? Or are you just too caught up in your own little world where Argona isn't an evil bitch who double-crosses everyone at every chance?" He was using his height as an advantage with this girl since very obviously she was going to play everything off as a minor threat. If that was her play to get him angry, then it worked. But she wouldn't like the outcome of that.

Ed kept coming closer and Ava was beginning to feel cornered. Why was this so difficult? They'd only met each other a few times, but this was like ripping a Band-aid off a child who kept screaming. Angry tears stung the corners of her eyes and she tried desperately to ignore them, knowing if she started crying, she would break down and tell him everything, and she didn't want to.

"They haven't promised me anything," she hissed, her voice dangerously low. "If you'd been listening, you would know that, but you don't listen, do you? You didn't listen when I tried telling you not to take that drug. Why should you listen now? And for your information, I'm well aware of how Argona works, I've been doing this long enough. But it's too late. I can't do anything to stop this and neither can you, so stop being such a selfish prick!"

He was done. Done with this girl. "You know what? Fine! Run off into the middle of chaos and expect good things! Whatever they've threatened you with will remain to be threatened over your head for the rest of your life, whether you die on a mission or die trying to get whatever they took from you back! I'm done trying! You can leave any fucking time you want! Good bye and good fucking riddance!" he screamed at her. "And you know what? You can go fuck yourself if you don't think you're being selfish right now!" He didn't mean that, but he said it because he was angry. Angrier than he had ever been in a long time.

It felt like a bolt of electricity had gone through her. Ava froze, inhaling sharply as she prepared to make a comeback, but when no words came out, she took a shuddering breath, finally unable to keep the tears from filling her eyes. Looking at Ed, she could see how angry he was and she knew he wasn't to blame for what he said. But it hurt. She wasn't being selfish, she was trying to protect him, trying to save him from this downward spiral she was only at the top of. With her chest feeling tight, she finally allowed herself to be small and nonthreatening, folding her arms across her chest and hunching her shoulders, feeling like she was nothing.

Sucking in a shaky breath, Ava stared at the floor, refusing to let the tears fall down her cheeks, even as one fell, bouncing off her cheek and down to the concrete.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," the girl said, the edge gone from her voice. It was a tone that said she had nothing left. "But I'm doing this to protect you and to protect my-- to protect innocent lives. And if you can't understand that, then I don't want you around anymore anyway." With the last sentence, she tried to get back some of her dignity, tried to retrieve her lost ground, but it was gone. She hastily wiped her eyes and cheeks dry.

Edward softened. He hated seeing anyone cry. "You should know that there's no protecting me. If Argona truly wanted me dead, I'd already be dead. I can only run for so long before she catches up with me. Whether I'm helping you get whatever she took from you or I'm just plain rushing head on into danger to smash some heads, I'm going to rush into battle against those bastards." The Winter took a few steps away from the girl. He was mentally kicking himself for what he said. He let his anger get the best of him, something that hasn't happened in years. "But if you really need to go this alone, fine. I'm just one call away if you're in some kind of trouble."

Her breathing was shallow as she tried to regain control of her emotions. It took several quiet moments and four deep breaths for her to feel stable enough to speak again. As she did, Ava looked up at Ed, still wary of him after the yelling. She felt relieved when he stepped back, giving her more space and allowing her to not feel so cornered.

"I hope she never catches up with you, kid," she said, the left side of her mouth tugging up slightly. It was sweet of him to offer help, but she had come here to tell him she didn't need or want help. She was sure it could only make things worse for her and for him. Ed was safe at the school for now. The heated argument seemingly cooled off, Ava took a couple of tiny steps closer to him, no longer trying to appear intimidating. "If I get in a really sticky spot, I'll call you."

Edward nodded. "Thank you. That's all I want. To know you're safe. I don't like losing people." he told her. Even people that he grew close to in Argona's Force eventually were killed. He refused to lose anyone else he cared about to that evil bitch. Nobody was going to get in his way protecting people he cared about. Never again.

It was overwhelming for her to know that there was someone who cared so much about her safety. Ava gave him a sincere smile and closed the small gap between them. Distractedly, she adjusted the front of his shirt with her hands, giving her an excuse to touch him. It reminded her that he was real.
"Don't be a stranger, kid," she said softly, looking into his eyes. Stretching up, she gave him a short, sweet kiss on the lips before bouncing back onto the flats of her feet. As she turned to walk away, her fingers trailed down his front and finally fell to her side once more. It took all of her self-control not to look back as she exited the alleyway, leaving Ed by himself.