ANCHOR｡ DIEGO HARGREEVES

00.

She felt the grip on her waist tense a little, followed by the clanging of metal as the gun fell to the ground. The man's breathing grew heavier and he released her, staring at the ground in horror. He rushed to pick up the weapon and held it in front of him, his hands trembling. 

"Oh, snakes," she hummed, following his gaze to see a saw-scaled viper moving towards them from the other end of the room. The woman crossed her arms and smiled down at the animal, tilting her head a little. "Hey there, little guy. You don't seem like one of the deadliest creatures in the world to me."

The man behind her yelped in fear. Sabrina glanced back and quirked an eyebrow. She reached forward and picked the snake up, walking towards the man, who was backed up against a Picasso piece, as if it weren't worth millions of dollars. He was trying to decide whether he should shoot the snake or her. "Get that thing away from me you crazy bitch!"

"You really shouldn't speak to women like that," Sabrina responded, allowing the snake to slither across her shoulders and rest its head on her hand. "You don't know what we're capable of."

The man whimpered as she drew closer, her eyes not moving from his face. God, it was so satisfying to watch sometimes. Assholes like him deserved to feel fear rather than inflict it. 

"So, does the nightmare get worse?" She continued to walk towards him, her steps small and dainty, yet calculated and menacing. "Does the snake attack you? Do you try to shoot and the gun doesn't work?"

The man pulled the trigger. 

"Ah, yes. The gun not working happens more often than you'd think," Sabrina answered her own question, nodding knowingly. "You're left defenceless, in the company of a saw-scaled viper. I read somewhere that their venom can take between fifteen minutes and an hour to kill someone?"

The snake hissed as if on command, before recoiling and striking at the man, who screamed. Just in time too, as the security team burst into the room with guns held high. "Stand down or we'll shoot!"

"I'm dying, I'm dying!" the man cried out, waving his arms about like a lunatic. Sabrina rushed towards the guards and found cover behind them, before trying to hide a smile as she watched the man flail about. "The snake! Get it off!"

"What the hell are you playing at?!" one of the men shouted, and the man froze, opening his eyes a fraction and glancing down to see nothing but air. But it had felt so real, where had it gone? Perhaps it wasn't there in the first place.

"She-" he pointed blindly towards Sabrina, who pretended to act frightened. "But, the snake-"

"Stop bullshitting and get your hands up!" the guard yelled once more, and the man inhaled sharply, before falling to his knees and obliging. Sabrina cleared her throat and rushed off towards the lobby of the museum, trying to control her trembling hands. She was fine, she was fine.

"Oh my god, Brie!" one of her coworkers, Lucy, ran forward and pulled her behind the front desk. The dark haired woman embraced Sabrina, small sobs escaping her body. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," Sabrina breathed out in response, trying to force a smile. "Shit happens, I guess."

Lucy smacked her arm in response. 

★☆

"Why is it always you that gets into these situations?" A deep voice made Sabrina jump as she was finally cleared from the museum. A gasp left her lips and she instinctively threw a solid punch, hitting whoever had spoken to her square in the face. "Are you kidding me?!"

Sabrina stumbled a little as the man fell out of the shadows, clutching his nose. Her eyes widened and she began fumbling in her bag for a tissue. "I'm sorry! You shouldn't have scared me like that!"

"I was trying to be broody," he groaned in response, taking the tissue and pressing it to his bleeding nostrils. Sabrina had met him on more than one occasion, yet she had never learnt his name. All she ever saw was the ridiculous outfit he wore, paired with a black mask that covered his eyes. He carried a silly amount of knives and had a pale scar running across the side of his head, but from what she knew, he meant well. 

"Maybe brood another time," she retorted, adjusting her backpack over her shoulder and pursing her lips. "The police called me a taxi, I can't talk now."

"What did you tell them?" the man pressed on, taking a step forward. Sabrina responded by taking a step back. 

"Last I checked, you were a vigilante, not a cop," she said, quirking an eyebrow and watching as he frowned. "I'm really sorry about your nose."

"I've been through worse," he muttered. "Did the guy hurt you?"

"You know, hearing you care about me would mean a lot more if I knew who you really were," Sabrina avoided his questions by doing some snooping of her own. She knew the guy hated when she asked about his identity. This time, however, he smirked, as if he had expected it. "Besides, I can take care of myself."

"Clearly," he replied quickly, pointing to his nose. Sabrina scoffed, before her ears perked at the sound of a car horn. The man, still holding the bloody tissue, nodded once at her. "Well, I guess we're both gonna be disappointed tonight, then."

"I guess we are," she shot back, looking over her shoulder and seeing her taxi at the curb. Her eyes flickered back to the masked man and she smiled slightly awkwardly, not sure what to do with her hands. Did she wave? Did she give him a peace sign? Maybe she should just...not. "Until next time, superhero."

★☆