Off to a Great Start (Adventures!AU Book 1)

Chapter 16: Trouble with a Capital T

Cross be mad lol

Content Warning: Mention of kink

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Mad.

No, not mad.

That didn't begin to cover it.

Furious .

That's what he was.

Not only for allowing himself to feel even an ounce of respect for the brat, but for allowing Hunter to catch it.

He was better than that!

How had that woman, that infuriating woman, gotten under his skin so fast like some sort of karking parasite? He'd been certain, so certain , that they were dealing with another skittish, easily frightened coward like usual. Her first instinct had been to run like hells from them.

But then she stood up to Hunter, looked him in the eyes, and refused to help. There were times even he wouldn't want to incur that stern glare his older brother was so good at. And he knew Hunter. Knew he was safe from his brother's wrath. Knew too that his bark was worse than his bite.

The woman knew of them, sure, but if anything, that should mean she should be more scared of them than someone who didn't know them. She should know not to run from them, a squad that never failed. Know it was better to cooperate with them. Know that they would catch her eventually.

Yet it had taken them an embarrassing amount of time to corner her. She'd, admittedly, done well to use the environment to her advantage. She knew the layout of that maze of bookshelves, knew how to free run and use what should be obstacles to her benefit. Not to mention they gave her an unlimited amount of projectiles to use at a moments notice. She knew there was a low tunnel that led to that strange structure in the middle of the building, a structure she knew the fast route through. A structure that would take her up and to an escape to the outside, stalling them as they tried to catch up. She knew they would have a rough time following her through that weird mound and had headed straight for it. Not weighed down by armor, she could dart in and out of tunnels, squeeze through the tighter spaces with ease, and could clear much greater distances with every jump. Not to mention she knew the ins and outs of that place.

So, she was quick and knew how to use the environment to her advantage. So what? She was small after all. Smaller people tended to be faster. That's how Four Eyes was. Small and quick. After grappling with her, however, he understood she didn't just rely on speed. She was strong , especially those kicks. They'd taken both him and Hunter down. Not to mention she lifted him clear off the floor of the Marauder . In hand to hand, he'd struggled to keep a grip on her, resorting to using his greater size to attempt to pin her.

Not that it had worked. She didn't fight fair, or normal, and predicting her moves were next to impossible other than it'd probably hurt if the strike landed. Her ability to think on her feet and alter her style to combat each of them specifically hadn't helped matters at all.

Then there was her sharp tongue. He prided himself for his insults and sarcasm, but she matched him blow for blow. Insult for insult. No hesitation, no remorse. That cactus comment still left him stunned. She took no shit from anyone, especially him.

Crosshair was impressed, and he was mad about it.

But what really... astonished him was her attacking James for calling them meat droid and lab rats. People didn't defend clones like that, and certainly not them like that.