[2] instability ▷ bucky barnes

[5] ▷ cruzky's

THE second Artemis awoke, she heard immense giggling. With a groan and the roll of her blue eyes, she stood to her feet and trekked into the living area where Brexa sat upside down on the couch, holding her stomach as she laughed.

"Oh, Donkey!" She said, then burst into a fit of giggles again. Upon noticing Artemis standing in the doorway with crossed arms, Brexa sits up and points at the television, which Artemis had thought was broken beyond repair, and threw her head back.

"I just realized that Shrek and Donkey are literally you and I." Brexa said and Artemis rolled her eyes, her blue irises then gluing themselves to the disk packet lying open on the coffee table. "Where did you even get that?" "I stole it from your neighbor's kid's room." At that, Artemis' eyes widened. "You said you would behave." Artemis scolded and the light brunette rolled her eyes, patting the seat beside her.

"Just sit down and watch Shrek with me, Shrek." "Call me Shrek one more time and I'll end you." Brexa shut her mouth up at that as Artemis sat down beside her. The two girls sat and watched the child's movie all the way through, Brexa laughing obnoxiously to the stupidest things as Artemis sat and watched with an unamused face.

"Are we going to get to work now?" Artemis asked as the credits began to roll through and Brexa began to sink down into her seat comically. Artemis eyed her unamused as Brexa hid her face with her hands. "I no longer exist. I'm just a figment of your imagination. I'm not really here-" "I'm getting tired of your bullshit. If you're not going to help me, fine, go back to your shitty job. If you are going to help me, do it now, because I'm not one for patience." Artemis seethed as she now paced towards the kitchen.

Brexa sighed as she sat up correctly. "Fine. I'll tell you all the shit I know. After that, though. Can I stay here with you for a while? I don't-" "Hell fucking no." "Okay, look. This is all just an act because I like to push people over their edges. You said the old you was just like me so some form of you understands me. I'm tired of staying at the hobo houses all the time, so please. At least until I work up enough money to buy my own apartment." Brexa said helplessly.

Artemis pursed her lips as she grabbed at her temples, giving them a squeeze. She wanted to knock this girl out so bad.

"If you don't mind what you say or do from this point on, I won't hesitate to stop your heart. Got it?" At that, Brexa's eyes lightened up and she smiled happily. "Wait, that actually worked? Oh, shit. Well put a boot in my ass and call me Dandy, I guess I'll be living with you for a while, Arty!"

"I can't fucking wait." Artemis muttered sarcastically under her breath, regretting what she had just done immensely.

☆★☆

"Just please come to work with me tonight." "I'm not going out into the public." Artemis muttered as she tediously rinsed the bottle of Jack Daniels, sitting it up and letting it dry beside the others that she had collected. Brexa looked at her in disbelief from behind. "When was the last time you went grocery shopping, for God's sake?" "I've never been. Don't really have any reason to if I have no appetite." "I seriously don't understand how you even function. Where do you get your liquor from then?" Brexa asked questioningly as she swung her hand up towards Artemis' strange collection.

"Ever heard of dumpster diving?" "That's fucking disgusting." "Have to do what you have to do." Artemis shrugged, turning to face Brexa. "I suppose so," The light brunette said sarcastically. "Do you have any clothes I can change into by chance?" Brexa asked, causing the young Schmidt to look at her with slightly slanted eyes.

"Sure. If you want to wear rags to work, then sure." "I'll take them." Brexa said with a shrug and Artemis sighed. "Fine, follow me." Arty trudged into her room, grabbing a plain white t-shirt off of the floor along with a pair of ripped jeans to go with it. She handed the clothes to Brexa who took them gratefully. "Thanks, bro." Artemis grunted in response and left the room to give the girl some privacy.

Brexa pulled her shirt over her head, her eyes glossing over as she looked at her back in the dirty mirror behind her. Her two, large, tattooed wings shimmered and shined with its occasional pain and she sighed, slipping the shirt on along with the jeans. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and stepped out, taking her jacket off the back of the couch.

She looked at Artemis expectantly as she stood at the door, jacket in hand as her other gripped the doorknob. Artemis jabbed her gaze back at Brexa expectantly. "Well?" Brexa said, and Artemis shrugged. "Aren't you coming?" "I said I wasn't going." "Please? I bet you'll actually get laid and won't have this stick up your ass anymore if you-" "Excuse me?" "I said you're going." Brexa declared as Artemis was pulled from the couch with a groan and out the door, down the alleys, and into the back entrance of Cruzky's Bar.

Once Brexa and Artemis stepped into the dingy place, Brexa's entire demeanor changed and she went from 100 to 0, the light being sucked from her eyes, replaced with a dull, emotionless glare, much like what Artemis had sported for the near 2 weeks since she had been alive again.

Artemis took a seat at the farthest corner of the bar, her hood up over her head, but her eyes still peeking out to where she could observe everything, yet speak none. Brexa had come over a couple of times to give Artemis drink after never-ending drink, shots of this and shots of that. Artemis was even feeling a little woozy after she downed the 7th shot of whiskey she had received, but it quickly subsided and she sighed.

She sat the shot glass upside down beside the 6 others, lined up in perfect order. Artemis was looking deep down into her reflection in one of the glasses, her eyes watering as the occasional pain of remembering almost overcame her, but the sound of smashing a bottle over someone's head caught her off guard, her head swinging up towards the source.

"You little bitch!" She heard a man say, and she assumed it was the one holding the back of his head, glaring at the smirking Brexa before him. His friends all glared at her as well, and the man who she had hit with a glass stood to his seat, coming to stand broodingly over Brexa. At that, her eyes widened, her neck straining to look up at the man ahead of her. His friends stood up as well, all buff and brooding as poor Brexa stood under them all, sporting a face that said, "oh shit, I fucked up."

Artemis watched them, her mind rambling on and on that maybe if she let them take Brexa, she would never hear from her again. But another part of her screamed, "Dude, don't fucking watch her die! She's the only person we've found in 2 weeks that could help us, don't let her down like that!" She wanted to take her head and slam it onto the glasses ahead of her on the table.

Her mind was quickly made up as they all started to corner her in, the main man pinning Brexa to the wall, his alcohol-scented breath fanning her face, causing her to scrunch her nose up in disgust. "Damn, boy. Did you dip your toothbrush in dog shit before you brushed your teeth? 'Cause your breath is kickin-" She didn't get to finish her sentence before he slung her from the wall and towards one of the tables.

She toppled over along with the wooden tables, and at that, Artemis stood to her seat. Her fists were clenched, her eyes glowing their dangerous red as she glared daggers at the man through the top of her hood. None of the men noticed her, but Brexa did. She unnoticeably shook her head at Artemis, standing up quickly while grabbing a wooden table leg from the ground, swinging it around and knocking the man directly in his jaw.

He was down the entire fight.

Artemis only blinked as Brexa skillfully and gracefully took them all down, wiping the slight sweat off her brow and touching at her lip, winching afterwards. "Do I have a fat lip?" She asked Artemis, walking over with a sigh.

Artemis only nodded, a small smile on her face. "Nice moves, angel grace." Artemis replied sarcastically, poking fun at Brexa's alias. Brexa glared at Artemis, flaring her nostrils. "You call me that one more time and I'll strangle you with my wings." Brexa said, her eyes widening after she realized who she was talking to.

Artemis only looked at her, the smile growing unintentionally on her lips. She reached for the last little bit of beer from the cup, putting it to her lips as she said, "Well, Brexa. You've officially earned my respect."