#bullet train lemon

[pretty-little-mind33]

my fav siblings 😔🫶

credit : @ mossidreams

[sebsbarnes]

co-workers || tangerine

tangerine x female reader (assassin)

summary: "if it took you getting shot for you two to finally, maybe, realize you like each other i would've used you as target practice a long time ago."

warnings: language, violence, fighting, injuries, blood, weapons

word count: 3.4k ; angst, fluff

tangerine masterlist

rocking back and forth on your heels you patiently wait for the bullet train to zip into the shinagawa station. the platform was moderately busy, people dressed for various occasions. some in sophisticated work uniforms, kids bopping along with their school bags, and some dressed for a night out. you, however, were not.

sporting a black jacket, long sleeve turtleneck, leggings, sneakers, and a black bag you could've faded into the growing dark sky but here you are illuminated by the neon lights of the platform begrudgingly watching the bullet train's head lights fly past as it rolled into the station.

you were ordered to be here by your employer at the request of the white death. something about his son and a briefcase of money that needed some extra eyes watching over. apparently, the white death had some gut intuition about the two unnamed men he had hired for the job and wanted your skills onboard. your employer gave you very little detail about what to expect, no description of the briefcase, a grainy photo sent via email of the white death's son who had horrid face tattoos in your personal opinion, and when asked about the men already tasked to the mission your employer replied, 'eh two guys both kind of weird' and left it at that.

you boarded the train and stood near the doors, tight lipped smiling at those who walked by, waiting for the entryway to be clear. kneeling you pulled a small revolver out of a false bottom in the bag and slipped it into an inside pocket of your jacket, next pulling extra rounds and stuffing them into the other available pocket. you fumbled with a small piece of crumbled paper telling you to go to car three and a seat number that the son should be at.

quietly making your way to car three you re-patted your now stuffed pockets, adjusting your jacket and hair to relieve any sort of budding nerves. that is until you noticed the two kind of weird guys your employer told you about.

"well, can spot that fitted suit from a fuckin' city away" the two men stood in front of you who were deep in conversation snapped their necks towards you.

"well darling, and i'd spot that shit box dyed hair from the other side of the fuckin' earth" you couldn't help your arm raising to touch your long, and well dyed hair, at tangerine's rebuttal.

you tried to hide the laugh that threatened to break through as the three of you stood quiet for a few seconds following his comment. lemon broke first pushing past his brother to embrace you in a hug, "haven't see you in a minute, was beginning to get worried."

the three of you knew each other quite well, hell, the three of you lived together for a while. you had been under tangerine and lemon's employer for a long time but shit happens and it was best you found a new employer. lemon was more talkative and affectionate of the two, constantly talking your ear off and giving you hugs whenever he saw you, strictly friends though. tangerine, well, not affectionate and not talkative. it took a while for tangerine to mutter more than five words to you for the longest time. being outright friendly just isn't his nature and you can't fault him for that. the twins cared about you deeply, you knew lemon did within a week. tangerine took more time. it wasn't at the flip of a switch, it was gradual, perhaps may be even more natural.

it was a culmination of things that made you realize the rough man cared and appreciated you. like how after a job the three of you would go eat, you would jokingly (but also quite seriously) say how you were still starving. tangerine would slip you some of his food, 'not that hungry' he'd shrug. or how on missions he unconsciously used himself as a shield for your protection. or when he would come back from being out, holding a plastic bag in hand. 'saw these figured you might need 'em' plopping the bag in front of your seated position at the kitchen table and continued walking before you could comment on the new clothes that replaced the ones recently destroyed on a job.

or how days before you left the previous employer, you, tangerine, lemon, and an additional guy were assigned to a job that did not go so smoothly. it really was no one's fault, no one could've predicted how many men were hiding in the warehouse. each of you sported numerous injuries and lost many weapons but still completed the job. you and the other assassin were alone sitting on the floor when he suddenly started berating you. saying how shit you were as an assassin, spewing hatred and profanities amongst other vile things. you had no energy to fight back, 'maybe you're right' is all you could muster before getting up and searching for a secluded place to sleep for the night. you had awoken from your sleep hours later to the sound of a gunshot, wandering until you found someone.

'tangerine, what was that? i heard a gunshot' you asked the man who was promptly walking away from scaffolding towers.

he looked at you quizzically wiping his hands on his trousers, 'i think you might have been dreaming darlin'' all you could do was rub your head in confusion, 'let's get you back to bed, love.' the next morning only three of you returned from the mission.

"i've missed you, lemon," you smiled pulling away, holding his shoulders to look at him.

you and tangerine exchanged small nods, a hint of a smile ghosting his lips. you turned towards the figure seated beside the men stepping to stand in front of who you assume to be the white death's son. to say something seemed off was an understatement. you gently grabbed the ends of his open jacket bobbing his head back.

"what the fuck?!" you jerked back dropping your grip as his body slumped forward. an older woman a few seats up shushed you.

"what the fuck?!" you whispered harshly at the twins, bug-eyed gesturing rapidly at the dead body in front of you.

"ask fuckin' percy over here," tangerine pointed to lemon.

"i'm not percy?! okay yeah i lost the case but i didn't kill the kid."

"well lemon, if you didn't have the brilliant fucking idea to stash the case, we would've been sat our squeaky fuckin' asses down in the seat not havin' to get up. young. sweet. not all there." tangerine hissed back, poking at lemon's forehead to emphasize.

mildly entertained by the twins infamous banter you sat down watching the two go back and forth before tangerine swiveled towards you both hands flat, palms up, pointing at you, "and no disrespect love, but why the hell are you here?"

"to babysit essentially. i'm here to make sure you two do your job and by the looks of it you done fucked that up. what an honor it will be to be ripped limb by limb by the white death with you idiots."

the three of you sat deliberating what the hell to do next and tried figuring out who else is on this train taking interest in the briefcase and the son. tangerine cleaned up the boy's face with his handkerchief and adorned his face with momonga glasses to hide the fact that he's well...dead.

the twins decided it would be effective splitting up and checking the train cars for the briefcase.

"ill stay here," you spoke as the two men grabbed their things to investigate the train.

"what?" tangerine asked eyebrows knotting together.

"i'll stay here. i'll see if anyone comes back for him," gesturing towards the limp body, "besides, my mission is a bit different. i'm not supposed to be seeking danger. if it comes my way then i can step in."

tangerine smooth out his moustache inhaling deeply seeming to oppose you being here by yourself.

"okay well, right then." lemon nodded stalking off down the train.

tangerine hesitated looking down at you in the seat.

"i'll be okay."

that is until ten minutes later a man sat across from you, "hi. there's a gun under this table."

"shhh," you hissed, "this is the quiet car babes."

the man in the hat and glasses took a moment to look over your shoulder at the sign, you took this opportunity to grab his hand, that held no gun, underneath the table yanking his body forward, table smashing into his shoulder.

"who the hell are you." you questioned, still holding onto his hand.

"ladybug. johannesburg, remember? your buddy shot me after you baited me to the parking garage?"

"so you're after the twins?" you asked ignoring what he said.

"the twins have a briefcase i need. i'm really not looking for trouble here miss, i just want to get the hell off this train and go meditate." he sighed taking his free hand through his longer hair.

"so you took the damn briefcase." you released his hand and brought your foot up to kick him in the groin. while he was hunched over in pain you stood up launching towards him to put him in a headlock, "where's the case."

"look lady," he sputtered, "i really don't want to hurt you."

ladybug punched your forearms to loosen your grip and when you didn't budge, he turned his head to bite your wrist.

"what the fuck!" you yelped springing back. he took this moment to sweep your legs out from underneath you. you hit the floor with a loud thud, the ache in your shoulder radiating down your arm. he leaned over your body giving you a weak smile and in return you kicked him in the face, blood instantly pouring out of his nose.

"shit balls!" he exclaimed. you clamored to your feet and started running throughout the bullet train. ladybug's steps got closer and closer and that's when you felt a burning hot sensation on the back of your shoulder. your movement immediately stopped, groaning as you reached for the knife in your back pulling it out.

"prick." you hissed turning around to face the man. your arm swiped in front of his face, the blade making a whooshing noise in the air. you managed to clip the side of his cheek.

thankfully the car the two of you were now fighting in was not occupied. he gripped your arm throwing you against the wall and stalked towards you. you stashed the blade in your pocket, shrugging your jacket to the ground, opting to fight him with your fists. you dodged the first hit and returned him a hit in the jaw. he staggered and taking advantage of his lower stance punched you in the stomach.

"i don't like hurting women." ladybug exasperated as the two of you continued fighting, punches being thrown, skin being split, bodies flying across the car.

"seems like you're in the wrong line of work, dumbass," you gripped the back of his head slamming his face into the top of one of the seats. the crack you heard made you wince. ladybug's forehead was split, blood running down his face into his eye.

it was obvious his physical state was weakening. he swallowed deeply, eyes flickering to a spot beyond you. before you realized what was happening, ladybug was running towards your jacket where the knife was. he managed to grab it and came barreling towards you. once again the battle was back on. the knife dancing between you two as its ownership changed frequently. you and ladybug were a panting mess with new cuts decorating your bodies. this old piece of shit wouldn't let up. you were becoming exhausted and you needed this to end somehow. the two of you were both on the floor, the blade in your hand. you knew you didn't have enough stamina for another round of fighting, the cuts scattering your body were aching, the large stab wound to your shoulder was now numb. instead, you sliced the closest things to you that would cause the most damage.

his achilles.

ladybug screamed out in pain, shaking hands wrapping themselves around his ankles in some attempt to soothe the sheering pain. you stood, looking over the man, the blood from the knife dripping onto your shoe. you stepped around his cradled body, making your way up the train. tangerine hasn't come past yet meaning he is still ahead. the door swished open but you'd only make it one step in before crumbling to the ground.

immediately you started hyperventilating from the intense pain that seemed to hit every nerve in your body. blinking rapidly as you scooted yourself against the wall. then you felt it. a warm sensation running down your skin, your clothes feeling wet. blood. your body was shaking, open lips huffed out puffs of breath. slowly and carefully, you looked back at ladybug.

your gun in his hands.

he must have grabbed it when he retrieved the knife in your abandoned jacket. fucking stupid.

ahead in the train tangerine heard a faint noise, but nonetheless he knew it was a gunshot. he slicked back his hair and removed his gun from his waistband. he carefully entered each train car, observing anything out of the ordinary. the door in front of him opened and his step faltered when he saw a black sneaker, and then a leg, and then the body as his eyes raked up the slumped figure.

he dropped to his knees, gun now on the floor, "hey tan," you croaked.

"bloody hell," he sighed, his eyes darting across your entire body.

"stop checking me out i don't look my best," you tried joking. tangerine didn't seem amused as he noticed your torn clothes, bloody face, your hair matted with blood.

"that old bag of bones can really fight. but he took a cheap shot when my back was to him," you finally answered. you lifted the hem of your shirt to show tangerine the bullet hole in your lower stomach above your hip.

"jesus," he muttered swallowing thickly. he seemed stunned to see you in this condition. he also seemed lost on what to do. his eyes wouldn't stop looking you over, his hands unconsciously went to your face brushing your hair out of your eyes.

"tangerine stop fucking staring at her we need to help her," lemon had found the two of you. his voice booming causing tangerine to snap out of his daze.

lemon pushed him to the side, immediately coming to your aid. he worked with what he could find. your shallow cuts weren't important. the wound to your shoulder would need stitches later on. the entrance and exit wound of the bullet was causing the biggest issue as you had lost a decent amount of blood from it. lemon continued to do his best as you sat there eyelids half open.

tangerine was silent, more silent than ever before, as if he were stuck in a trance. you slowly moved your fingers towards his hand that was resting on the floor. two of your fingers wrapped around his pinky jerking him out of his trance. this somehow sparked something in him as he shot up from the floor, grabbing his gun making sure it was loaded and set off on a mission you could only assume to be to find ladybug.

your lips pulled down in a frown as he left. you wanted him here. his presence, his touch, his whatever. any semblance of that cocky man you wanted next to you for comfort. you knew you were going to be okay, you were weak right now but the thought of him beside you somehow made you believe you would feel stronger.

lemon let out a soft chuckle as he finished securing cloth to your wound, "if it took you getting shot for you two to finally, maybe, realize you like each other i would've used you as target practice a long time ago."

you slapped his arm, "fuck off."

lemon and you agreed you need to rest, he helped you to sit in an empty seat, propping you against the window.

"alright, now, if anything serious happens i will text you alright. in the meantime, sit here and wait till we come get you, you hear me?" lemon demanded.

sometime had passed and you noticed less and less people on the platforms boarding the train. it was too quiet. your stomach was telling you something was off. you winced in pain as you gripped the armrest to stand up. a bit wobbly but you managed to put one foot in front of the other. as you continued you heard voices close by. the doors to one of the cars was open by bags tripping the sensors. you saw a young girl in pink standing looking scared and him. the greasy haired prick who shot you. he still had your gun in his hand pointed at someone.

tangerine.

"fuck." thankfully you held onto the knife and before he could notice you moving towards their train car you brought your arm over your head, swinging forward, releasing the knife. it lodged itself below ladybug's collarbone. he yelped out in pain stumbling a bit and that's when his finger hit the trigger.

"you bastard," tangerine hissed as the bullet hit his leg.

you took this opportunity while the men were distracted and ran towards ladybug. you propelled yourself onto him, spinning and wrapping your legs around his neck, you removed the blade from his chest and stuck it in the base of his neck.

"you don't touch him," you spit at the man as he crumbled to the ground.

the girl was long gone. now facing tangerine you noticed all the bruises and blood on him, drenched in sweat. his curly hair now laying across his forehead. his jacket long gone leaving him in a white button down that was criminally low on his chest and a vest. you couldn't help but check him out.

he started to say your name but you cut him off, hugging him tightly around his neck, knocking the wind out of him. he hesitated a moment before firming wrapping his arms around your waist, tucking his head into your hair. after a few minutes he pulled back, sliding his hands to your waist to look at you. you held onto tangerine's elbows as his eyes wandered your face.

"darlin'," he started, "i'm- i'm sorry i didn't do anything when i found ya."

you chuckled through your nose, "tan. i'm fine."

"you're injured n' i didn't do anything except fuckin' look at you." he shook his head in disgust.

"tangerine," you said firmly placing your hands on his chest, "stop. i am fine. i am okay. we all react differently to seeing our friends hurt."

"friends, " he half laughed, "you realize i don't see you as a friend."

you paused, hands loosening their grip on his arms. god, you were dumb to think you were even friends. you're coworkers, hell at this point maybe even acquaintances, its been five months since you lived with them. all you could mutter was a shaky 'oh.'

tangerine laughed, "you know love, you can really be dense sometimes."

your mouth formed an 'o' trying to figure out what to say next, "dense?"

"love, i've wanted you the moment you almost sniped my head off in vienna." tangerine chuckled, moving hair out of your face. you couldn't look at him instead you toyed with his open shirt, fingers brushing against his hot skin.

"i guess i am kinda dumb right? should've put the pieces together when you killed anyone who was mean to me." you smiled.

he leaned down gently placing a kiss on your lips. you immediately kissed back, tasting the metallic flavor of the blood that was on his lower lip. your nails ran across his scalp sending a shiver down his spine. tangerine gripped your lower back harder, minding the wound, to bring you in as close as physically possible.

tangerine pulled away from the kiss, bringing his mouth to your ear, "by the way darlin', you spinning around on his neck and what you said was really hot."

"then i suggest we get the fuck off this train soon and i'll show you the move personally."

[eternalslover]

Bullet train incorrect quotes:

Lemon: It’s times like this that I wish I listened to Tangerine

Y/N: Why? What’d he say?

Lemon: I don’t know, I wasn’t listening

[cloowwwwn]

I was supposed to make a joke about Ladybug and Cat Noir. 💔

[lithiumseven]

Bullet Train as incorrect quotes

[msmk11]

Heyyy, I just saw that you were taking requests for Tangerine x Readers, and I was wondering if you could write something like Tangerine and reader being fwb before the whole bullet train thingy, and she catches feelings but he's super distant (bro has serious attachment issues) so he pushes her away and is a bitchy manchild about it (LOTS AND LOTS OF ANGST but it has a fluffy ending) (smutty too if ur comfortable with it) ofc u can ignore this request if u don't want to, and I'd write it myself but I have zero motivation rn and I js wanna cry and then giggle😭🫶

And I Have To Live With It, For the Rest of My Life

Tangerine x fem!reader

WC: 3.4k

CW: HEAVY ANGST; slut shaming; booze/being drunk; fighting; cursing; lack of aftercare; mentions of sex; Tangerine is a HUGE asshole. Tiny fluff ending.

A/n: Hi love! Thanks for requesting! Sorry this took so long I just needed to find inspo. I’m also sorry for the lack of smut (and fluff tbh,) I just don’t take smut requests. As for fluff, I did want a “happy ending” but it felt cheap to try and go from ANGST to “everything is perfect again” in such few words. Maybe I’m just traumatized, but I have a hard time forgiving quickly lol and I think that shows here.

Everything was really, really good.

So of course you had to go and ruin it.

People say you can’t control matters of the heart and you think that it’s a load of bullcrap. Why not? Why couldn’t you have control over your heart?

And why did you have to catch feelings for Tangerine?

It isn’t part of the deal. Tangerine is a business partner. An acquaintance. A friend. A friend you occasionally fuck.

Your relationship with Tangerine was always supposed to be casual. No strings attached- business was simply business and fucking simply fucking. But then your heart got involved.

What’s one supposed to do?

Certainly not keep going back to the captor of one’s heart.

So of course that’s exactly what you do.

You’re laying in your hotel bed, completely naked, covers pooled around your waist. You and Tangerine just finished having sex and he’s already up and moving about, throwing on his clothes that had been discarded on the floor somewhere in your flurry of lust. Instead of saying anything, you just watch him in all his glory. You admire his tousled post-sex hair, curls askew, the way his back muscles ripple as he bends down to sweep his shirt up off the ground, and the way his fingers deftly button up his shirt.

“Got a meeting to head off to?” You ask casually.

Translation: Please don’t run off so soon if you don’t have to. Stay.

Tangerine’s eyes flit to yours briefly before he bends down to tie his shoes, “something like that.”

“Mhmm.”

You pull the covers up to your neck, suddenly feeling very vulnerable so bare and exposed to Tangerine who’s nearly fully dressed.

“You got a comb?” the brunette asks you gruffly as he straightens his suit jacket.

You nod towards the bathroom, “yeah, in there.”

He gives you no reply, only walking into the bathroom and shutting the door with a resounding thud.

Your stomach clenches painfully and your heart aches. The indifference with which Tangerine treats you hurts so badly. You’d rather him hate you then act like this. At least you’d know that he felt something, anything.

Is it too early for a drink?

The bathroom door opens again and Tangerine walks out, looking as though nothing ever happened. To him, nothing probably has. Nothing of consequence, at least.

“Well, I’m heading out. See you for our debrief tonight at nine.”

Tangerine begins to walk towards the door.

“Wait!” you call out.

You stop him just in time, his hand frozen on the handle. You swear he visibly tenses at your words, “what?”

“Could- could you at least get me a towel? Please?”

He doesn’t even look at you before nodding, “Yeah.”

He disappears into the bathroom for a moment before reappearing with a towel in hand. Tangerine, it seems, doesn’t even have the decency to walk the towel over to you. Instead, he tosses it across the room, almost hitting you in the face.

“Thanks.”

Shame pools in your stomach and you keep your gaze on the towel in your hands.

Tangerine grumbles a reply and then makes for the door so quickly that there’s no chance for you to say anything more.

Your heart sinks at the possibility that Tangerine might know you have feelings for him.

*****

You’ve already found a secluded spot in the hotel lounge and have a drink in hand when the twins appear downstairs. They take a seat across from you wordlessly and Tangerine lifts his hand in the air gracefully, motioning for a cocktail waitress to come take his order. Lemon and him order their drinks, and you ask for a second. It bothers you severely when you catch Tangerine winking at the waitress out of the corner of your eye.

You down the rest of your drink in one gulp and ignore how it burns your throat.

“Right, so the job’s done. When are we getting out of here?” Lemon asks tiredly.

“We,” Tangerine says, pointing between him and his brother, “are out of here first thing in the morning, “I’ve booked our tickets for a 5 am flight.”

“And her?” Lemon responds, pointing to you.

Tangerine barely glances at you, but you can see his jaw tense, “the job’s done. Figured she’s a fucking big girl who can handle getting herself home. Isn’t that right, love?”

Condescension drips from Tangerine’s words and it makes your stomach drop. You refrain from saying what you really want to and instead assume a relaxed persona, “mhmm, always right you are. I arranged for my travel last night.”

You, luckily, weren’t lying, though you had ordered a car big enough for three. More room for you, you guess.

The waitress comes back with your drinks and you eagerly take yours. When she asks if you need anything else, you can tell that she’s really only talking to Tangerine. Still, you tell her yes, asking for a third drink.

Lemon eyes you, “you haven’t even touched your second drink and now you’re ordering a third?”

You shrug your shoulders nonchalantly and lean back in your chair, “I’ve got the money to spend on it now that we each just made what, nearly 12,000 pounds?”

Lemon smirks in celebration and holds out his drink to you, “cheers.”

You clink glasses but Tangerine doesn’t join in, a perpetual frown gracing his face.

“Ya really wanna get fucking sloshed before ya travel tomorrow?” the brunette suddenly chimes in- rather judgmentally, you might add.

“Who said anything about sloshed, Tangerine? I can hold more than you think.”

While your answer is confident, even combative, on the inside, your heart leaps into your throat and pounds desperately. You think you might explode.

“Still, ya certainly don’t have any self-control. Not over ya drinks, your mouth, and most importantly….” Tangerine’s eyes narrow at you, “not over ya emotions.”

Your heart sinks in your chest.

So Tangerine did know about your feelings. Worse? He’s being a right fucking prick about it too. There’s no emotional sensitivity, no respect for privacy, nothing. Serves you right for fucking a cold-blooded assassin.

Unfortunately for you, tears spring to your eyes despite the fury boiling in your stomach, “you wanna talk about control, Tangerine? Let’s talk about how you have so little control over your own feelings that you lash out at others and make them feel like shit, even your own brother, so that you feel better. Let’s talk about how you can’t keep your dick in your pants because you’d rather fuck anything that looks at you than deal with anything real. Let’s talk about how what’s happened between us has made you feel so out of control that you’re willing to go low enough to hash this out in fucking public. You’re a walking disaster, Tangerine, and I feel right fucking sorry for you, I really do.”

You stand up harshly and purposely knock his drink onto his expensive suit. You start to walk away and then turn back, batting your eyelashes innocently, “oh wait, should I get you a fucking towel to clean up? Or would you rather beg me for it?”

You don’t wait for a response and grab a dry towel off a random cleaning rack, throwing it right in his fucking face.

*****

Tangerine glares after you as you storm off.

“What the bloody fuck was that all about?” Lemon protests.

Tangerine ignores Lemon and instead curses loudly before chasing after you. He could not let you have the last fucking word. He catches you right in time, hand stopping the doors of the elevator you’re in.

You look up at him startled, and your shocked expression is quickly replaced with an angry one.

“What the fuck, Tangerine? Get out of here!”

“Ya don’t get to fucking talk to me like that and spill my drink all over me and then just walk away.”

“Why not,” you scoff, “you ran away as soon as you were done using me to jack off. It only seems fair.”

The elevator doors slide shut and the car begins to move upwards slowly.

“Yeah, well that’s usually what happens when ya casually fuck someone. But I don’t think ya have a casual bone in your body- always stomping around being a dramatic attention-whore.”

Tangerine watches your eyes narrow and jaw harden, “there’s a difference between being causal and being a huge dick, Tangerine. I should’ve known you’d be the latter.”

“And I should’ve known not to mess around with a fucking slut like you.”

Your eyes widen in shock and even Tangerine knows that he’s taken things a little too far. While your effort to fight back your tears is valiant, it’s fruitless, and they begin to stream down your face.

“Fuck you, Tangerine. You know, I never expected you to return my feelings, and I’m sorry I crossed a line by falling for you. Swear to fucking god I wish I didn’t. But you- you’ve just crossed an unforgivable line, and I never want to see you again. Have a fucking nice life.”

The elevator doors slide open and you scurry out. This time, Tangerine doesn’t follow you.

*****

After everything that happened with Tangerine on your last mission, you decided to take an indefinite hiatus from work and just focus on yourself.

One of your goals? Fuck your feelings for Tangerine out of you. So of course, you’d been spending a lot of nights out at the bars, seducing all the eligible bachelors of the city into your bed.

You hope that it’s working.

Tonight is no different from the rest- you dressed up in one of your sexy outfits sitting at the bar of some new local pub. You’ve already eyed a muscular blonde about your age from across the bar and motion for him to come over.

He complies and makes his way to you, a cocky smirk on his face.

“Hey gorgeous,” you tease, looking him up and down.

The man takes a seat next to you, “Hullo, love. What’s a pretty girl like you doing sitting at the bar all by herself?”

You shrug nonchalantly, “looking for a handsome man. Like you, I suppose.”

He cocks his eyebrow at you, “you suppose?”

“Always hard to tell in this type of lighting.”

The blonde bites his lip and eyes you, “I can promise you I’m handsome.”

“We’ll see.”

“I’m Matt,” he says, extending his hand.

You respond with your name and grasp his hand. You’re expecting a handshake, but instead he brings your knuckles to his lips and kisses them softly.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

Damn this man is smooth.

“Really, the pleasure is all mine, Matt,” you respond, trying not to appear too flustered.

“Can I get you a drink?”

“Yeah, sure. Surprise me though.”

Matt orders the two of you drinks and you take the time to ogle him. He’s perfect.

But not as per-

Nope.

No, you don’t have time to think about him.

Matt hands you the mysterious concoction and you eye him, “what is it?”

“Just drink,” he nods, “promise it’s good.”

You take a small sip and it’s sweet. It’s yummy, and you take another, larger sip.

“Oh shit, this is good.”

“Told you.”

“Can I know what it is now?”

“No way. Need to hold this above you so you keep coming back to me to ask for another.”

You chuckle and look down, “okay Mr. Smooth-Talker. That was pretty good.”

“I can do a lot more than that,” he says seductively. His hand slides out casually and finds a home on your thigh.

You inhale sharply in pleasant surprise and lean towards him, “oh really?”

Matt leans in towards you too, “yeah, like-“

Just as you’re about to kiss him you hear a loud shout.

“Hey, get your hands off her!”

You startle at the sound and turn to see who could possibly be yelling like a maniac inside this bar. You’re also curious to know who’s the one getting yelled at.

Your stomach drops when you realize that you’re the target. And the yeller?

Tangerine.

“Oh my fucking God,” you curse, resting your forehead in your hands.

Tangerine comes stalking towards you.

“Uh, who the fuck is that?” Matt asks warily.

“My ex….fuck-buddy? Friend-with-benefits? I don’t know, it was complicated. But a piece of shit- that’s what he is.”

“What the fuck are you doing, mate?” Tangerine yells at Matt when he approaches you two. His words slur together and you can tell he’s really, really drunk.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Matt says gruffly.

“I’m not the one getting handsy with someone else’s girl,” the brunette snarls.

You scoff loudly, “Your girl? That’s rich Tangerine. Last I recall I was just a slut you fucked.”

Tangerine’s expression softens just the slightest and you almost think you clock regret in his eyes.

“Look, mate, you’re drunk. So get your ass out of here before I hand it to you,” Matt threatens.

Tangerine is sent back into his rage and steps toward Matt menacingly, “you little fucking,”

“Okay,” you shout, stepping in between them and putting a hand on each of their chests, “that’s enough.”

“Tangerine, go. home,” you growl.

“Yeah fucking right I-“

“Just let me take him,” Matt interrupts.

You scan his tense body, “Look, I appreciate it, but you’re not gonna win. Tangerine here is, well, trained. And I don’t want anything to happen to your pretty face. I’ll take care of him.”

“But he’s definitely stronger than you,” Matt protests.

You side eye Tangerine, “he won’t hurt me.”

The blonde’s eyes narrow.

“Physically, at least.”

Matt finally sighs and steps back, “I’ll be waiting here for you.”

You send him a half smile and then turn to the brunette with a glare, “Let’s. Go.”

Then, you literally grab him by the ear and drag him outside the bar. Tangerine lets out a string of curses and tries to fight back a little before he finally gives up.

When you get outside you let go of his ear and shove him, “What the fuck was that, Tangerine?”

“I was trying to protect you from that git,” he slurs.

“Tangerine, you’re the git. You’re the one that hurt me. It’s you I need protection from.”

Tangerine’s tough guy facade crumbles right before your eyes into one of remorse. He suddenly looks years beyond his age and crumples down onto the sidewalk, back pressed to the wall.

You look down at him with disgust. His hair is all over the place, his clothes are a complete mess, and he reeks of booze.

“I’m calling Lemon.”

With shaky hands you dial his number.

He picks up rather quickly and you can hear the confusion in his voice when he answers, “uh, hello?”

“Lemon, come get your fucking brother.”

*****

Although Matt was everything you could’ve hoped for, your night was ruined after Tangerine left. Luckily, Matt was understanding, and you’d exchanged numbers to meet up another day.

When you’d gotten home from the bar, you’d broken down completely. All of the anger, betrayal, frustration and sadness that had been pent up within you for weeks burst forth like a raging storm. You’d sobbed and screamed and even pitched a picture frame of you, Tangerine, and Lemon across the room, shattering it. The broken glass was a problem for later-you, and you’d ended up falling asleep on your couch, still in your bar clothes.

Loud bangs are what startle you awake hours later, and you curse as you flail off the couch. You hit the floor with a thud and groan. Now, not only is your head pounding, but your back will be all beat up too.

The pounding on your door continues and you curse whoever is making a ruckus this early.

You yank the door open, “what the fuck do you want?”

The last person you expect to see is on the other side.

Tangerine.

“Fuck off,” you spit before swinging the door shut resoundly.

Except the door doesn’t close because Tangerine’s foot catches it.

“Fuck me,” he groans in pain.

The brunette shoves the door back open and you smirk, “that’s what you get for being in places you don’t belong. Now get the hell out of my apartment.”

“Wait, wait. Please, just give me a chance to talk to ya. And then, if ya want, you never have to fucking see my face again.”

You don’t reward him with a response and instead just walk away, sighing.

Tangerine takes this as an invitation and walks inside your apartment, letting the door shut gently behind him. You beeline straight to where you left off on the couch, paying him no mind.

The idiot must not be paying attention because you hear the crackle of glass beneath his shoes and a quiet curse.

Tangerine goes silent and you stiffen, listening closely. You hear the pings of shattered glass being sifted through and then his footsteps as he nears your spot on the couch.

“I forgot about this picture,” he rasps.

“Well you can fucking have it. I don’t want it anymore.”

“Can I- can I sit?”

You briefly glance over at Tangerine and look him up and down. You don’t respond, only nodding.

Though he, like you, is still in his clothes from last night, he looks ten times worse. The purple bags under his eyes are heavy and dark, his hair and mustache aren’t groomed, his button up is missing a few buttons, and his shoes are untied. Maybe it’s bad to say, but you revel in how miserable and pathetic he looks.

“You look fucking awful,” you remark, venom heavy in your tone.

“And ya look like you’ve been crying.”

“Well no shit, Tangerine. Sort of happens when someone you thought was your friend turns out to be a big fucking prick. “

He looks down at his feet and shuffles awkwardly, “I know. I’ve uh, that’s why I came here to talk to ya. To apologize.”

You scoff and look at him with disbelief, “okay now you want to apologize? Only when you’ve fucking hit rock bottom you wanna mend things?”

“Love, no I, I’ve been wanting to since that night in the fucking elevator I-“

“Don’t call me that,” you whisper angrily, lip wobbling in spite of yourself.

“I’m not your love, I’m not your friend, I’m not your anything anymore. We’re done Tangerine, this is over.”

It’s then that the boy you’ve known for almost five years does something you never would have imagined.

He grovels.

He literally gets on his knees before you and grabs your hands tightly, looking up at you with pleading eyes.

“Just listen to me for a second. Please. I want ya to know how fucking sorry I am. Not just for last night, but for everything. I’m sorry I called ya a slut. I’m sorry I was rude, and distant, and an asshole. I’m sorry for fucking you like some piece of meat and then just leaving you behind with no aftercare, no attention, nothing. I’m sorry for being a terrible friend and I’m sorry for not telling you that I love you sooner.”

Tears shine in Tangerine’s blue eyes and he chokes on his next words, “Christ, I love ya so fucking much. And I know I’ve gone and fucked things up now, and that it’s too late. And I have to accept every day for the rest of my life that it’s my fault. I have to live with that. And I will, even though it could kill me. But I don’t know what I would’ve done if I couldn’t tell ya at least once.”

Tangerine’s forehead falls to your knees and his body begins to shake in quiet sobs.

He inhales sharply through his nose, trying to hold back more tears, and looks up at you so sadly. “You’re the best girl out there, and you deserve the best. You deserve to find that with someone. Someone who isn’t me.”

Tears of your own begin to drip from your face and your heart throbs in your chest.

You reach out and cup Tangerine’s jaw so gently it’s as if he could crumble under your fingertips at any second.

“Tangerine,” you whisper.

You search his eyes for any sign of insincerity, of some sign that he’s going to break your heart again. But all you see is true, genuine adoration and vulnerability. Consciously or not, your heart returns to the hands of the one who holds and you pull him in, kissing him softly.

The kiss is sloppy, and salty and wet, but you don’t care, because every peck and sigh and bite is punctuated by what you both know- I love you. I love you. I love you.

[waiting4kraven]

Just lemon and tangerine having fun.

[sadesluvr]

Platonic! Lemon + Tangerine Headcanons (GN!)

aka the babygirlification of two assassins (i literally birthed them it’s true)

You come across the twins as a civilian - in this case you work at a coffee shop. When they walk up to the counter you’re a little shocked, not because of anything they’ve done but the fact that one of them is bleeding. 

“Woah, are you alright?” You say, gesturing to the dark-skinned man’s shirt.

“What? Oh, I’m fine. I don’t bleed.”

It’s in your better judgment not to question it. The man next to him - classically dressed and spouting a moustache - sighs before smiling at you and ordering: one black coffee, and a hot chocolate with a chocolate chip cookie to be precise.

From behind the counter you can hear the moustached man mention something about his friend ‘eating all that sugar’, whilst he brushes it off, going on about ‘rewards’ before somehow talking about Thomas the Tank Engine?

The man isn’t even halfway done with his drink when you can see his eyes brighten, snapping his fingers with every sip.

“Ah, mate…You’ve gotta try this, init? That barista makes it proper - good layer of milk and cream, the right temperature for sipping…None of that hot water shit they used to give us in school!”

You smile to yourself, and once he’s done he comes up and thanks you personally, leaving a generous tip :)

The rest is history:

Lemon is the type of guy to come back to something when he enjoys it. When the Twins are in town, he’s definitely coming to your store, and you’re the only one who can make his hot chocolate. No exceptions.

From there you actually learn their names - Lemon and Tangerine. Tan is cordial enough, but you definitely click with Lemon the most

They ask you about your day, if you’ve been busy, all of that. It’s nice to have a familiar face in their line of work

Sometimes they stay until closing time, and if you’re shutting up they ALWAYS walk you home

Thomas the Tank Engine initiation rituals…The engine Lemon decides to give you is forever stuck onto your uniform as a badge of honour

Making fun of Tangerine for being grumpy and only liking black coffee… He orders a muffin just to shut you all up

“Would you two grow up, would ya? Can’t beat a classic Victoria sponge anyway.”

The one time you offer them to have a meal at your house it’s the sweetest thing ever: takeout or home cooked, they lap it up whilst they tell you crazy stories about their travels

They would LOVE home baked/cooked goods in particular though, it makes them feel 'normal' and like a family

They'll always bring you gifts from the different places they’ve been!! Ex. A Momomon from Japan or a snowglobe from Switzerland

I feel like Tan gets comically angry if he opens your fridge and sees that you only have oat/almond milk…He can’t get over the fact that it’s a ‘fucking NUT, it’s not proper milk’

Lemon using you as a parent, telling on Tangerine for everything- "I'm telling them that you stole from that vendor. You said you were trying to kick that habit, mate."

You figuring out that ‘outside contractors’ means something shady, but you don’t care bc they’re your friends

Tangerine is better with pets than Lemon, who isn’t really fond of them. Your animal will either love Tan or hate him, and there’s no in between

Being worried when they disappear for long periods of time :(

They're not the best at comfort (Tangerine in particular) but they try. Lemon suggests a relevant Thomas episode to help you get through it

Your watchlist is filled with animated/children's films

If there’s a stray/abused animal they find on a mission, they’re bringing it back to you. Surprise, you have a pet!

Them having your back. Tangerine is definitely beating up someone for you, and they’ll give you a bit of cash if you’re ever running behind on rent.

Them having a tiny photo of you in their jacket/wallet to look at and remember the good times missions <3

[sugarpenchant]

[tangybug]

bullet train + text posts (18/?)

[discodiscodemon]

oh yeah!

[pretty-little-mind33]

Tangerine x fem!reader / bonus: platonic!Lemon x fem!reader

Summary: Tangerine and Lemon care for the kidnapped girl they were paid a lot of money to save.

Genre: Fluff, hurt & comfort

Warnings: kidnapping, abuse, banter, cigarette burns, trauma, swearing

next part

~ @kpopgirlbtssvt here you go, lovely 🤍 ~

TANGERINE MASTERLIST

"Remind me again why we're here?" Lemon deadpans, his clothes drenched from the rain as he stands in the middle of the abandoned building, blood splatter evident on his shirt from the men he'd already killed outside. 

Tangerine shakes his head, his hair wet from the rain as he grunts and checks his gun. "Because we're gettin' paid 300 million quid for this job," he snaps and runs a hand in his hair to tame it down, "And for once it's an easy one. Kill those fuckin' bastards, find the girl, and return 'er to whoever is paying for 'er. Easy."

"Ya, easy as pie," Lemon rolls his eyes sarcastically, "She some kinda princess or what?" he asks but he doesn't really complain about the amount of money. 

"Blood hell, I don' know, but it doesn't matter, does it? Cover me will ya," his brother retorts and lifts his gun, kicking down the door and shooting whatever scumbag appears in the dirty apartment room.

Lemon covers him as he shouts curses. It's a bloody mess by the end and both of them are drenched in blood. 

"Shit," Lemon curses again as he walks by a broken mirror in the hall, "Tis bad luck, mate."

"Can ya shut your mouth for once, Lemon?" Tangerine snaps as walks by, unamused by the comment. He looks purposeful as he walks to the closed room he assumes you're held in. He opens the door slowly, afraid to scare you, and his breath abruptly leaves him. 

Lemon stands behind him, looking past him and his eyes widen. "Tan," he whispers as if his brother hasn't already seen you.

You look so fragile, so scared, and so alone. You're pressed against the wall near the broken bed frame, the dirty mattress caved in and blood-stained, and you're trembling harshly.

Your arms and legs are covered in bruises, bleeding cuts, and cigarette burns. Tangerine and Lemon's hearts mutually shatter. 

You let out a whimper once they walk closer and Lemon instantly grabs Tangerine's shoulder. "She's terrified," he whispers, holding his brother back so he doesn't rush towards you too quickly.

Tangerine's shoulders tense as you continue to stare at them, tears and mascara stains running down your cheek. "I know," he answers and asks Lemon, "What do we do?"

Lemon thinks for a moment. "Show 'er we aren't a threat to ´er," he says and crouches down, putting his gun on the floor as he raises his hands in surrender. Tangerine copies his brother and he even removes his gold knuckle brace, putting it in his suit pants pocket without hesitation. 

You don't move, too afraid to stand or attempt to run from them. Your body feels so weak and beaten down. Lemon and Tangerine crouch down near you and you just continue to stare at them.

You look terrified.  

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Lemon asks calmly. When he doesn't get an answer he sighs and puts his palm on his chest, "I'm Lemon, and this is my brother Tangerine."

Your eyes drift from Lemon to Tangerine but you still don't move or speak. Tangerine nods his head as if to say "hello" and he keeps his eyes focused on yours. 

You shift away from them, exposing more of the bruises that litter your arm. Tangerine grimaces. "Do those hurt?" he asks, his voice low and hoarse. 

You nod and his heart swells when you answer him. Tangerine looks at Lemon, who sighs and tilts his head towards you. "I promise we mean you no harm. Can ya come with us? Can ya walk?"

You blink, breathing harshly, but you nod again. Lemon stands and allows Tangerine to be the one to extend his hand to you. He does and you stare at his hand for a moment. You look up and Tangerine's chest tightens again.

You look so damn scared of him.

He shakes his hand, "Don' worry, I gotcha, luv," he says in a whisper and then he holds his breath when you eventually take his hand. 

He helps you up, resisting the instinct to steady you with his arm around your waist as you stumble a little. He has a feeling you wouldn't welcome his touch right now. Still, you clutch onto Tangerine's hand, moving closer to him and flinching when Lemon wraps a blanket around your shoulders. 

"There, there ya go," Tangerine's words of encouragement swirl around as you focus on breathing and walking in a straight line.

The Twins bring you to their car and help you into the backseat. You still have aven't spoken a word as you fumble with your hands and pick at your nails.

* * *

A few hours pass and Tangerine is really starting to become impatient. He's leaning against the hood of his car, trying for the seventh time to light the lighter he presses against his cigarette—but once more nothing but sparks come out. 

Lemon stands next to him, wearing an annoyed expression as his arms are crossed. "What time did those fuckers say they'd pick 'er up and pay us?"

Tangerine glances at his watch and then mumbles around his cigarette, "Three fuckin' hours ago, mate," he finishes and with an angry huff, chucks his lighter to the side.

"And why're we still here?" Lemon deadpans. Tangerine turns to look inside the car and his eyes land on you.

You're sleeping in the backseat. Lemon follows his gaze and rubs his temples, understanding a little better now. "What are we supposed to do with ´er now?" he asks his brother softly. 

"I don't know."

"Should we bring her to the coppers?"

"Absolutely not!" Tangerine glares at his brother, "I mean—doesn't this all feel a little fishy to ya? A promise of 300 million, with a 200 thousand advancement, all for nothing because the bastards don't even show up?" 

"It's bullocks is what—"

"No, you don't understand," Tangerine continues, his stare hardening, "What if they want us to abandon her? Or bring her to the police? What if that was their plan all along?"

Lemon raises his eyebrows and crosses his arms, "Since when are ya into conspiracies, bruv, this doesn't sound like ya—"

"Are ya saying we just leave her?!" Tangerine snaps. 

Lemon instantly frowns, "That is not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying? We don't know who she is, why she was taken, and now we don't know where to bring 'er," Tangerine rambles, his eyes a little wild. Lemon pauses and examines him. He seems weirdly worried for this girl. 

"So, you want us to take 'er in," Lemon deadpans, reading his brother's body language. 

Tangerine's cheeks turn a little pink, "No—that isn't what—"

Lemon interrupts him and looks at you in the back of their car. "I think we should. I mean, look at 'er! She's harmless and she's hurt and we'd really would be fuckin' arseholes not to help 'er!"

Tangerine rubs his jaw, "Yeah, such fuckin' pricks."

Lemon nods in agreement "The biggest fuckin' arseholes." 

So that's what they do, they bring you to their house; a mostly hidden mansion on the outskirts of the city. You stay quiet and meek as they show you to your room.

Hours pass and you still haven't spoken a word to either of them and as much as it does annoys the hell out of him, Tangerine understands.

"Do ya want some tea, darlin'?" he asks from behind the door to their guest room. 

No answer. 

Tangerine squeezes his eyes shut and curses himself. He opens the door a little and peeks in. He needs to make sure you're okay. Sure, Lemon has been the one to clean up your wound and give you some clean clothes—but that wasn't because Tangerine didn't care. 

Instead, it was because he couldn't stomach seeing how badly you'd been hurt. It makes him want to puke (and he's usually good with things like that).

"Hey're ya alright?" he asks, seeing you sitting on the bed. Stupid, stupid question. Your eyes are bloodshot and you're clutching the covers over you, silent tears rolling down your cheeks. 

Fuck, Tangerine doesn't know how to deal with this. Should he get Lemon? Lemon could probably turn your tears into laughter. 

You look up and quickly wipe at your tears, staring at Tangerine as you nod an answer. His heart breaks and he clears his throat, weirdly timid as he rubs his nape. "Y'know, ya don't have to be okay. What happened to you was traumatizing and fucked up. It's okay to not be okay, luv."

You blink at him and then you nod again. Tangerine's shoulders relax. It's a start. 

"Do you wanna call anyone for ya?"

You shift and pick at your nails again. Tangerine wonders if you even have anyone to call and he sighs. Why can't he be better at conversations?

Suddenly, the door opens again, and this time Lemon walks inside with an all too familiar sticker book in his hand that makes Tangerine groan. Lemon sticks out his hand and shushes him. 

"I'm helpin' 'er talk," Lemon says and sits at the end of your bed. 

You look at him, obviously concerned but Tangerine sees you shift closer and peek at the sticker book. "Have'ya seen Thomas the Tank Engine?" 

Tangerine opens his mouth to protest. 

You nod.

"See, this is how I read people," Lemon starts and shows you the sticker book. He unsticks one of them and just as Tangerine walks closer and sits next to him, Lemon smacks his hand on his brother's forehead and leaves behind a sticker, "See, my brother here is a Gordan. He's the fastest, the most important, but he doesn't always listen to people," 

Tangerine looks downright offended. 

"He can, in other words, be an arrogant prick."

 You turn to look at Tangerine, your glossy eyes taking him in, and Tangeirne's stomach sinks so far he's afraid he'll drown. For some reason, he doesn't want you to think of him like that. A blush creeps on his cheeks. He pulls off the sticker immediately.

"Obviously, I'm Thomas," Lemon boasts and sticks the Thomas sticker on his own forehead, which ears a grunt from Tangerine, "Because main character energy, hello?" 

Both men swear they hear a small, almost non-existent, chuckle from your lips. 

Lemon unsticks another sticker, not wanting to make a fuss over one almost-chuckle. He turns to you and raises his arm. You look at the sticker, understanding what he wants to do, and hesitantly, you lean forward to give him permission. 

He gently sticks the sticker on your forehead. "And you, you're an Edward. You're kind, gentle, and smart. I can just tell."

For once, Tangerine agrees with Lemon's stupid Thomas the Tank Engine analysis. 

"Ignore Lemon, he still plays with toys as if he isn't a grown man," Tangerine interrupts, his tone playful as he sends Lemon a glare and then turns to send a small smile your way. He almost chokes on his saliva when he sees that you're also smiling as your fingers delicately probe the sticker on your skin. 

When Lemon nudges his side Tangerine wants to tell him to shut up but he's too immersed in your beauty. 

"I always thought I was more of Percy," you whisper and look up at them. Both men look completely star-struck and it takes Lemon less than a millisecond to make a joke (much to Tangerine's horror).

"Ah, so she does speak," he cracks a grin, which you return and unstick the sticker from your forehead. 

"Lemon," Tangerine hisses and looks at you, his concern obvious, "How're ya feeling, darlin'?"

Lemon rolls his eyes. "Smooth, bruv," he chuckles and then tilts his head and makes another joke, this time intending to make you laugh fully, "Ignore my brother, he has a permanent stick in his ass. He's fuckin' allergic to fun and laughs, apparently, the poor doctors couldn't find a cure." Tangerine's eyes widen so wide at this and he looks embarrassed. "Ya don't have to answer him right away, sweetheart. Breathe."

You look between the brothers as they argue. 

"I am not allergic to fun!" Tangerine hisses. 

"So you admit ya do have a stick up your ass?" Lemon chuckles and it takes all of Tangerine's restraint not to smack him. 

"I'm gonna kill ya," he whispers harshly and Lemon pretends to gasp but his expression remains blank.

"How gentlemanly, threatening me in front of a lady."

"You prick—"

Your laughter cuts the tension and both of them shut their mouths. They look at you again and when they see that your shoulders look less tense and you're laughing now, your breathing calm and your tears dried, their bickering ceases. 

Lemon looks at his brother and when he sees the look in Tangerine's eyes, he knows. He's done for, Lemon thinks with a smirk. 

Tangerine watches the way you move as you laugh and as the sound dies down all he wants is to hear it again.

However, the sound of your voice will have to do for the moment because you look at them timidly and say, "My name is Y/n." You sound almost embarrassed by your own name. 

Tangerine's heart swells and he swears Lemon might have to pry him away from you at some point because he's never voluntarily leaving your side again.

He grins wide and he's sure he looks like a smitten fool, which to Tangerine's dismay is confirmed when Lemon opens his mouth to make another joke.

[eefos]

Friendlyreminder: DAY 783 of asking for a Lemon & Tangerine spinoff

[eternalslover]

Bullet train incorrect quotes:

Y/N: I made you a bracelet

Tangerine: You know, I'm not really a jewelry person

Y/N: Well, you don't have to wear it-

Tangerine: No, I'm gonna wear it forever. Back off.

[cloowwwwn]

Вот би хотя бы один арт-маркет посетить

Translate:

TELL ME QUICKLY WHAT KIND OF TANK ENGINE YOU ARE FROM THOMAS & FRIENDS

[oh-starstarstar]

Look After You; 2 | tangerine x reader

WARNING: Slight allusions to assault but no descriptions, mentally and physically wounded reader.

Proceed at your own discretion. No violence but potentially triggering content.

Tangerine caring for the girl Lemon and him saved.

Plot credit: @pretty-little-mind33

1 | 2 |

As her eyes fluttered open, the room came into view. The ceiling looked brighter than before and the pain had subsided—but it could very easily be numbness. She could just be numb to the pain, unfeeling. 

That meant things would be easier now, right?

Her head throbbed with immense pain, the horrid recollections of the past day—thankfully—blurred by now. She wasn’t sure just how conscious she was yet. The drugs were probably still in her system judging by how her head throbbed and her surroundings seemed more comfortable. 

Upon shifting the slightest bit, she felt her skin grazed by the soft touch of something—gentler than any of them could ever possibly be, and warmer than this chilly room could ever get. 

It was a blanket.

She was draped in a blanket. The mattress was now a full bed, as she looked to the side. She was on a bed, in a blanket, at a different place.

She jolted awake, though the notion comforted her. 

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. You’re safe now, darling.” a gentle voice claimed, sitting up on the couch. He stood up, standing at a comfortable distance from her, his face looking almost scared, too. He looked like he was walking on eggshells.

Safe.

She stumbled back. Really, just how well could he be trusted? What were the chances that this was real, and not another dream her mind splayed to her as a way to cope?

She wanted to believe it, she really did. But if she gave in to her mind now, the mental torture would only go on to become worse, would it not? Would she not think of this, the next time they were here?

It was so real that she felt the bed sink beneath her as another man sat down with a mug in his hand. He didn’t look as hesitant or scared or careful as the other man did, offering an almost smug look as he motioned for her to take it. 

“S’not poisoned. Promise.” he smirked. 

“Hey! don’t be daft,” the other guy in the suit frowned.

The clock ticked and the smoke erupted from the tea. The two people breathed just as she did and the blanket really touched her skin.

It was real. 

The bed was as real as the wounds. The tea was as real as her exhausted limbs. She was here—she was away from it all. It was the blanket and not the filthy hands that touched her now, and as she looked at the men in front of her, she felt relieved to see them not trying to move towards her.

Yes, once she realized it was real, she did flinch away from the man with the mug. But he remained there, mug extended towards her, waiting patiently.

“Where am I?” the words scraped by her throat, part out of the still-instilled fear and part out of the incessant need to go home.

“Our house. Oh, I’m Lemon, by the way. And that’s my best mate, my brother, Tangerine.” smiled the guy with the mug.

She still didn’t take the mug. She was still contemplating just how safe she was here, really. “H... Home,” she mumbled, her throat sore from yelling since the past few days.

Lemon and Tangerine shared a look. “Yes, darlin’, we’ll take you home. Jus’ relax for now, at least, yeah?”

She shook her head harshly. Of course it was happening—men weren’t to trust. She swung her hand, hitting the mug in Lemon’s hand, spilling it all over him. 

“Bloody hell!” he yelled out, stumbling back and off of the bed. 

“No, no,” she spoke in a low tone as she carefully got off the bed, inching away from them. Her limps ached bad, she realized as she set her foot atop the ground, serving as a reminder to her wounds. “Stay away from me.”

“Okay, no—” Tangerine heaved a sigh as Lemon walked out of the room in frustration. “I’m here, okay? Right here. Not movin’ at all.” he held up his hands in surrender, cornering himself. “You’re safe here, love. I promise.” he coaxed. 

“Then let me go!” she bellowed, stumbling back slightly as she moved away from him. 

“Yes, o’course y’can go, love, just—”

“No, no, no. Now,” she shifted the slightest bit, grabbing the lamp off of the table. “Stop playing the good cop, let me fucking go—!”

“Hey! Stop it.” he shouted, his patience giving away. She flinched, eyes widened in fear, just as he’d seen her in the warehouse.

He made her flinch.

“I— I didn’t mean t—” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m here t’help you, okay? Coulda’ left you there, all alone. But no, I brought you here. And I’ll send you back. I jus’ needa make sure nobody’s out there looking for you again. Can’t keep savin’ you again and again, can I?”

Silence graced the room for a few seconds.

She stood there, lamp still encaged within terrified fingers and eyes comtemplating (though still the slightest bit dazed), just as he stood there, waiting. Waiting for her to react, to breathe, to say something. He was getting impatient with every passing second, but dared not to move. 

He wouldn’t ever have her flinching again. Especially because of him.

She lowered the lamp, slowly, pained sigh tearing through her. She felt the side of her stomach ache as she let out a breath, her insides straining. She’d sob, but everything just hurt so much that she resorted to coping with the physical pain first before she let out what was inside.

Tangerine did not know what to do. He did not know whether to go over to her or stay where he was as he watched her clutch herself in pain.

Lemon walked through the door. He did look rather frustrated, still, as he closed the door behind him, but he knew better than to say anything to her about it. “Okay there?” he asked her as she closed in on herself, wincing. 

It took embarrassingly long for Tangerine to realize he should probably help. 

“D’you… D’you want me to patch ‘em over?” he motioned in her general direction, hesitant. She looked apprehensive at first, almost as if she would deny. But as the pain pierced her insides, she nodded.

He walked over to scoop her into his arms like he did. But she denied, getting up with whatever little strength she had left, hands grabbing onto everything around her.

“Hey, let me help y’up,” he insisted, hand held forward.

“I can walk.” she said, bluntly, limping over with him to the other side of the room, body still bent forward in pain.

Stubborn little thing, she was.

She had showered, finally. She felt clean after a long time, though to feel so she had scraped her hands over her skin God knows how many times. Over, and over, and over again until she felt mentally and physically that their touch just wasn't there.

But it was impossible to feel so. She broke down in the shower itself, hands so harsh on herself that she even brushed over her own wounds multiple times.

Outside, Lemon and Tangerine were barely able to speak or move as they heard her cries.

It was perhaps the most agonizing cry they had heard.

When she got out—body and eyes a similar shade of red—Tangerine took her to patch her wounds over.

Her legs were dangling off the table-top, body stooped in the agony that tore through her. She felt that she could sink into the counter-top as her body felt so many sensations; her head felt lighter in a good way, completely relaxed from the shower and the break down, her body, though, in piercing agony.

Between her legs Tangerine stood, gently cleaning dried blood off her stomach with hot water. She repeatedly winced at the minor pressure it took to remove the dried blood off the skin around her wound, Tangerine’s hands shaking in an attempt to be more gentle than he’d ever been. 

And beside the bloody wound sat a huge bruise—all black and blue and ugly, the sight of it enough to tell him how much it hurt. 

He grimaced at the bruise. “S’it still hurtin’?”

Stupid question. 

She nooded slowly, face scrunched up and hand flying to his when his finger gently brushed over it.

“Sorry, love.”

Oddly enough, he found himself wanting to speak to her. To interact with her. She didn’t respond, of course, and it was driving him crazy. Maybe it was his yearning to know what exactly he should do with her now. 

In the moment, of course, keeping her with him seemed simple enough. He’d keep watch for a month, let her stay in the guest room, and let her go when the coast was clear. Not that anybody would look out for her any longer, right? Unless—

“Hey, is there somethin’ you happen to know?” he squinted his eyes at her.

“Huh?” she frowned, looking at him strangely.

Well, that was vague. He’d just posed a very vague, out-of-the blue question. What was he doing? 

“I meant—” he sighed at himself, “—d’ya happen to know anythin’ about those men? Y’know, to get an idea of why those fuckers kidnapped ya?”

She shook her head. Nothing, again. Not even a proper, verbal ‘no’.

He lifted his chin in acknowledgement, going back to cleaning and patching up her wounds. His gentle fingers brushed against the skin on her stomach as he held up her—his—t-shirt for her as he bandadged the wound. He moved up to her arms, the washcloth soothingly warming her up.

Tangerine was no stranger to ugly wounds and blood—blood-shed, even. But looking at something so innocent as her littered with bruises and cuts and body stained in blood, there was a strange sense of fury in him.

Kill, hurt, and torture assholes as much as you want. 

But he never understood and never will understand people who dare to lay their hands on women, especially somebody like her, without any remorse. He’d always held anger in his veins but it doubled whenever he’d see cases like this. 

But ugly business, uglier sightings. 

The ointment he rubbed onto her skin was one that burnt. She flinched, hands flying up to his as she hissed in pain. He continued, his other hand making his hold softer as a form of offering comfort. Her face was twisted up in pain.

“Breathe, darling. You're all done,” he smiled, barely. “Let’s get you somethin’ warm, yeah? To drink and to wear.”

He extended his hand forward to help her down, but even in her wounded state she hopped off the table, body still slightly bent in agony.

“I… I know you don’ need my help, but ‘m sure it’d be better than straining yourself, yeah?”

“I can walk.”

It was infuriating him how stubborn she was being. He really wanted to help, and there she was, pushing him away. But he understood—he knew she was more bruised mentally than physically, so he held back.

So he did the least he could do—brought her some tea, covered her up in his jumper, and led her to the room arranged for her.

“Sleep well, yeah?” he smiled.

She nodded, looking all warm and cozy sitting in his jumper, enclosed by the duvet covers. Tangerine somehow found himself feeling warm at the sight of her so comfortable, a smile creeping up his lips as he looked at her.

it'll get wayyy more fluffy, dw :)