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venushasvixens · 2 years ago

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Chapter 23. Always Something There to Remind Me - Life is but a Dream ( Spike Spiegel x Reader)

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: none

[A/N] enjoy!

Jo sat out in the dead bar, twirling her last drink for the night.

This wasn’t for courage or to soften the blow of the news. Yeah, she did loved the kid at one point. But sometimes you have to learn the consequences of your actions. Not only was it for the syndicate, but for herself. Leaving the system still alive was most frowned upon. The correct way to go out was death, honorable or not.

She still didn’t understand why she had to go.

She had everything here. She thought of (Y/n) as her own daughter. Teaching her the things she wished she was taught. Jo had never seen any patience or care in herself until she met the girl. Living her life in the fast lane, expanding her branches out to where she needed to plant herself. She built herself up, nurtured her business. One by one, her crew grew bigger.

Her cover as a bounty hunter came to a head, with a sought after criminal that was prowling in Yun. She needed something to eat before she did anything else. Someone told her a restaurant called “Lou’s Diner” had a good breakfast. Looking inside through the windows, she hissed. Never mind about having a break when this amount of bozos were in town.

Then she saw that little kid outside the diner, her eyes closed. She could see that ache on the girl’s face, the gaunt cheeks and tired eyes. Jo saw much of herself in the kid. It was almost like looking into the past. So she repeated a little tactic she tried on herself those many years before, when she looked the same.

Just observe. Take it all in. The possibilities of life were endless.

She swallowed, taking another sip to drink the memory down. That little girl was gone, and so was all care and love for (Y/n). Her abandonment was not forgivable in any means. It served as a lesson to all, to her own syndicate and others alike. Crossing their path had its consequences. Those may test their assumptions, but at a cost. Even if it was to pay with their life.

She heard the front door that was under constant watch swing open. Her second in command walked in, with their head down.

“Doll, is it done?” Jo raised her eyebrow. Her worries were so close to being gone, a thorn out of her side.

She looked up at Jo, and backed down. “Something happened.”

Jo immediately stood up, her body temperature rising in degrees. She shook her head, disappointed and furious, all waving together in a storm of emotions. Despite how she was feeling, Jo just smiled, her eyes blank. The poor girl just watched and shut her eyes, only imagining what was going to happen next.

“What did she do?”

The last few days, you have been giving it some thought. Laying awake next to Spike, you began to ponder the possible outcomes after the most recent events. No matter what you did, you kept telling Spike you were sorry. He would kiss you or squeeze your hand lovingly.

Although you knew that you were forgiven, you still felt off. The guilt still eventually took you over, and you started to let your mind wander, which wasn’t all too good.

“Can I ask what all led up to you…storming the Red Dragon syndicate?” You asked one day as you and Spike sat on the deck. You both had been talking about it on and off at that point, and it just culminated in this question.

“I lost people who were very important to me. From what I understand, they put out an order that anyone that left or attempted to leave the syndicate was to be put to death. It was new management, of course.” He gave out a soft scoff. “Overall, my friends lost their lives. Someone that I lived for died in my arms. I honestly thought that was going to be it.”

“What was going to be it?”

“This life. It was like I woke up all of a sudden, which is why I did what I did.”

You nodded, resting your chin on his chest, observing Spike. “Did you feel better after you did?”

“At the time, no. But the more I look back at it, (y/n)…” He gazed down at you, then smiled. “Hell yeah.”

You gave a soft chuckle, kissing his cheek.

It gave you a bunch of ideas, unfortunately. One that involves what the syndicate was doing now. Probably looking for you. They wouldn’t waste too much time though, as a growing syndicate needed to keep on top of their game in the business world. Stupid as it sounded, but collecting taxes and making business deals seemed to be a new battlefield for Jo. You rolled your eyes and wanted to laugh at the thought.

But that would mean they would be distracted. Kinda.

Jet did tell you to brainstorm for evidence like any other case, and a backup plan as well. Hmm.

“Don’t tell me.” Spike said as you proposed your grand idea.

“Listen. It would make me feel a whole lot better now to see exactly how much they have amassed in their numbers just in case something happens.”

“Something is telling me that Jet has some part in this.” He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

“It was sound advice, I may have taken some of it.”

“Some of it.” He repeated. “But tell me why do you want to do this?”

You sat next to Spike and gathered your words carefully. “I need to see what I’m up against. I want to make sure Lou is safe. That they won’t come after her or hurt her in any way. She’s all the family I really had from my past.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” He asked. “You do know that if you’re caught, there’s a possibility that the Bebop could not help you without going down with the ship.”

“You’re acting like you’re not the master of disguise, Spike.” Faye mumbled from the doorway. “I agree with (y/n). Sorta.”

“If I needed your input, I’d squeeze it out of you.” Spike shot out, much to Faye’s audible protest. “Is that why you asked me about the syndicate earlier?”

“No, now see, that was just me being curious.” You said, shrugging. “But…it’s a thought.”

“A crazy thought.” Faye pointed her spoon over to you. “But hey, if it brings you some clarity, by all means.”

“So what is it that we are going to do?” Spike said. He raised his eyebrows as he awaited your response. Maybe if you came up with a plausible reason and plan, it would make sense to him. It had to.

“Disguise ourselves, head to Yun and check it out.” You kept it sweet and simple. “We get in, and we get out. When we get back to the ship, we log in what we need in case of an attack and go from there.”

“Better to be safe than sorry.” Spike ended it off, closing his eyes. He gave a giant sigh, fluffing his hair and opening his eyes. “Alright. If that is the case, then we are going to have to go further to make ourselves more hidden.”

“You’re not going to get those fake glasses and mustaches from the costume store are you?” Faye laughed, twirling her spoon in her mug. “Imagine that. It would be worse if you really did get caught.”

In a fucked up way, you tried not to laugh as you saw the annoyed expression on Spike’s face. Unfortunately there was no wood in the Bebop that you could knock on, so you quieted yourself down.

“We’re taking your ship.” A smile planted itself on Spike’s face. You knew this one well, it was the one he used to tease and bother. The idea that he was about to piss on someone’s good day was the reason behind it, and it always got you. But the wrath of Faye was something you were not too keen on seeing.

“What?!” She yelled, throwing her hands on the kitchen table. “You’re joking me, there is no way you are taking my baby!”

“Oh, but I am.” Spike replied slyly, chuckling. “You need to realize something. From what we understand, the syndicate is not aware of the infamous Faye Valentine on Bebop, only the other three. Your ship doesn’t exist. You don’t matter to them in the slightest, and that’s not meant to be a insult. Consider it a blessing.”

Still on her rant, Faye’s anger slowly began to seep back, and a bothersome annoyance returned. She upturned her nose, and pursed her lips. “And what do I get out of it?”

“Your life.”

“I’ll see if I can find something good for you to eat.” You replied, trying to play the peacemaker. “I’m going to see Lou. She’s going to want to spoil me, I know that.”

Faye peeked at you, twisting her head to the side. “Since you offered…I’ll accept. But if anything happens to my ship, I’m coming after both of you.”

“You can try.” Spike muttered.

“Understandable.” You smiled. It was settled. You were going home.

But it wasn’t exactly the homecoming you really hoped for.

You used to roam these streets. The light fixtures were still the same, the light bulbs a different color. The brick on the sidewalk hadn’t changed, but there were more trees, and more housing. Buildings scraped the dome of the settlement, a new one popped up on every corner. There were still the same characters that hung around, although a bit busier than they had been before. You did have to observe that there was an increase of people, very similar to that of Earth, but definitely not on the level of peace.

You honestly thought that was good, having more people in this town, since there was no one there when you were a kid. Maybe this place will pop up like all the other settlements on Mars did. Better opportunities for kids, for this community, without syndicate rule.

When you were a child, you swore that all life was brighter, more vivid. And now you understood just how dull some things came out to be.

“Anything pop out to you?” Spike asked. Wearing a trenchcoat and Jet’s fedora (Spike really didn’t want to wear it, but like Jet said, it “completed the disguise”), he sure blended in very well. Planted on his nose was his glasses, the little wiring around the ridges moving so often. You, on the other hand, wore one of Faye’s jackets and sunglasses, clad all in dark colors.

“Its bigger from what I remember.” You said, looking around. “A lot more stuff.”

“Just more for the syndicate to raid.” Spike added. “You think you’ll be okay?”

You reached out for his hand, grasping it. “Of course.” He gave a small squeeze, looking around the streets as you began your hunt.

“Sure you can see out of those things?”

“Wanna put them on and find out?”

This wasn’t like back on Earth, an easy walk in the park. No, this was enemy territory. Flashbacks of sneaking out and finding a good place to sleep and hide just to escape the chaos of the orphanage came running back to you. They weren't exactly the best, but the relief of being away felt so good.

You tried to snap out of it, reminiscing. “From what I see, we’re about to enter the main territory of the syndicate. Most days, you would see patrols. Complete bullshit, it was a level up from cleaners.”

“Geez, I remember those.” Spike added. “What made it worse was the enforcers just stayed on scene to tell us how much of a shit job we did and we’ll never amount to nothing. Crazy that the Red Dragon got done with anything with how much they bullshited us.”

“Not ours, they had to evacuate as soon as possible. Town was too small, so of course people were going to investigate.” You scoffed. “Nosy little bitches.”

You definitely weren't going to talk about the time you and your partner did have to “take care” of a nosy neighbor who just wouldn’t stop pestering about the loud bang that she heard. You had to let the cleaners know that there were two “situations” that had to be taken care of.

You and Spike walked in silence as he hummed softly. “Can I ask you something else?”

“Yeah?” You said, raising your eyebrows.

“How far were you up there?”

You already had something of this conversation with him, but it was kind of avoided. You both acknowledged that it was there, what your place was and what you did. But you were so afraid to say it again, like there was a knife to your throat.

“I skimmed the atmosphere.” You breathed. “Not to brag, but I was the best. I was the one that they asked for and I was the answer. Took me a minute to get where I was. Wasn’t easy.”

“And what did that take?” Spike said.

“My smile and good looks.” You smiled sadly. “In terms of the syndicate, hard work and dedication did the trick. All of my charms came after, I happened to be a good girl.”

“With how cute you are, its easy to see that.” Spike took his hand and snaked it through the back of your hair, setting off your senses. He gave a small tug and returned his hand into his pocket. “Being good entailed hits and money?”

“Ding ding ding.” You said softly, eyeing Spike knowingly. He nodded at you. “My goodness, you know a lot about the syndicate. Makes me think you were almost in it.”

He hummed. “Did you catch them by surprise when you left?” Spike asked.

“Who wouldn’t be? I did let her know how I felt and I got a fistful of why I should be grateful.” You rubbed your cheek, remembering the sting against your cheekbone.

“I see.” He replied. He trailed his hand along that same cheek, your shoulders dropping slightly. The small touches that Spike gave you almost convinced you to turn right back around to the Bebop and forget this whole thing.

“It was something.” You finally said, wanting to hold his hand. “If we weren’t undercover, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of you right now.”

“What do you think this was for?” His hand traced your shoulder, and down your arm. Even though he was a distance from you, his constant contact calmed you down more than anything.

As much as you wanted him to touch you even more, you couldn’t help but notice the group that were walking in your direction. Even in the dim lighting, you could see those familiar pins on their lapel, laughing and carrying themselves with confidence. You knew that walk, the high they were coming off of. One of them looked from each other and towards you and Spike.

Spike noticed, and took a sharp turn down an alley. He grabbed your shoulder, twisted you into his arm. “Oh, darling.” His voice echoed in the alley, deep and sultry.

“Yes, honey pie?” You said aloud, putting on an accent only heard in westerns. How quickly you adapted to what Spike was doing. An unspoken rule, a script to go along with. You walked along the pieces he was putting down.

“You just look so good, so gorgeous. It seems I can’t help myself but just..” Spike turned to you, leaning his head down. He took off his hat, tipping it in a way that obstructed the view of the passing syndicate girls. Although it was to save yourselves, the kiss given to you by Spike felt real.

His lips moved onto yours with intent, smiling slightly. You returned the favor, your hand placed softly onto his chest, feeling his heartbeat under your fingertips. He pulled back from you, his eyes soft as he took in your rosy cheeks and sappy grin.

“Hey there.”

“Hi.” That eased some tension.

He took down his hat and looked around the alleyway. You looked out from the alleyway, and could see the girls all the way down the sidewalk, far from where you and Spike were headed. You looked at him and gestured him out of the alleyway.

After a comfortable silence, you and Spike were back out into the streets of Yun. You did look over your shoulder every minute though, the feeling of being followed and watched prevalent as you both traveled. For a split second, you felt your body fall back into a forgotten routine.

Those same steps replicated the present, and a confidence you killed so long ago was threatening to return. “This was my sector.” You whispered to Spike.

“You seem like you got a pep in your step.”

The more you traveled into the city, the darker it got. There was a sense of high danger. The buildings became taller, the streetlights unkept and beaming a sickly green light down onto the sidewalks. The night sky began to disappear as you looked up, seeing more carriers and commercial ships pass above your head.

Only a few minutes passed before you saw a familiar building. Tapping Spike on his shoulder and hiding behind a nearby corner, you gestured to the building.

“There it is.” You both looked up, an average building. The only notable feature of it was rounded wide doorways, and nothing more. It was just…a building.

“That's it?” He said. “I’m not one for looks, but I expected something else.”

“Wait.” You said, pulling Spike closer to you. “Just wait.”

Soon enough, you saw a black car pull up, with a pair stepping out. Their steps were light, graceful, bits of their soft voices could be heard from you and Spike were over the noise of passing cars and the night coming to life. You would’ve thought they were on a date, coming back home from an evening of drinks and conversation.

That was, until you saw the passenger side open, and a man in black stepped out as well. Gun on his hip and looking at his surroundings, he quickly ushered in the couple, the girl quickly pushing herself away from the man. Looking at her in disbelief, he threw down his hand and walked ahead of her into a nearby alleyway next to the building.

“What does that even mean?” Spike whispered.

“Scouting out.” You replied. “Night on the town, in disguise, just like us. Only they go in the front, to make it look more authentic. They go through the back, it raises eyebrows for the police.”

“All about appearance.” Spike concluded. “But that doesn’t show us much.”

“Well it does show that nothing has changed with how things are done.” You responded. “Same ol’ system. On the other side in that alley is their entrance. Only one for members, the one in the front is for business.”

“I remember you telling me.” Spike said. “Is there any other place you want to hit?”

You thought to yourself. “No, that’s all.”

Spike pushed back from the wall, nodding. “Well, we did our best.”

You sarcastically chuckled, tipping his hand further down and taking one look back at the building. Memories, good and bad, were from that place. But so much confusion and hurt still hung around. A familiar face popped out of the alley. Walking out with no care in the world, he quickly jumped into the car that was in the front and left.

“There’s somewhere else.”

You looked back at Spike, who had a blank expression telling you everything you needed to know.

“I’m right behind you.” He said.

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