𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐱 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫

❝ 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 ❞

✈ ✈ ✈

DRINKS WERE ON HANGMAN.

The man had fallen flat on his face when he'd given Rooster a smile before running ahead of him on the way to the Hard Deck. Amidst his cockiness, Jake failed to notice the flip-flop in his path, too busy giving Rooster a smirk. Then he fell. Right on his face. Faith could only wish someone was recording their race, just to see him fall flat on his, as he so proudly calls it, 'money-maker'.

Coyote, Jake, Bob and Phoenix had engaged in a game of pool, as Fanboy, Payback and Archer played the darts, not caring about their throws and just talking and speaking any topic out before the others are joining in.

"Oh, Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' has a beautiful guitar solo!" Currently, they were talking about the best songs which ever came out. Faith groans, throwing her head back, nodding as she looks at the ceiling, agreeing with Fanboy's declaration. Metallica really did have the best solos.

And then, Fanboy's meeting Faith's eyes with his own widened gaze, pointing his finger at her. Faith raises her brows and her eyes narrow at his finger. Then, the man blurts out, "Don't you have a guitar? Play us a song!"

Her eyes widen furthermore, feeling the gazes of her friends by the pool table, who look up at Fanboy's words and follow his gaze, before they're making their way to her, completely disregarding their ongoing game, and smiling at Faith as they point at her.

Natasha looks at Faith with a large grin, and then she's cheering for her best friend, calling out her callsign. Everyone around them joins in the cheers, too drunk to care about being too loud. Then, the entire bar seems to be jumping to cheer, huddling to the corner of the bar.

Faith shakes her head, eyes widened, as she waves her hand by her neck, a silent request for them to cut their shit out. But no one was listening, instead cheering on louder. The woman throws her head back, bringing her hand to her forehead as she rubs her fingers against it. Then she sighs with a hint of a smile, shaking her head at her friends' antics, before she nods. Once again, everyone cheers.

"Alright, let me go and get it.". She grabs her car keys, running out the bar to her car to grab her guitar.

When she returns, everyone whistles and whoops, making way for her to move through the crowd. Hangman grabs her free hand, pulling her to the counter of the bar. Faith takes a seat on top of the counter, her legs down as she pulls out her guitar and checks the strings.

As she's done setting her guitar up, she looks up to the crowd. "Any suggestions?" Faith asks with raised brows. Not a second later, everyone's yelling out their recommendations, and she winces, trying to choose one of the songs. She laughs when she hears Natasha and Jake bicker over which Taylor Swift song she should play.

If they wanted Taylor Swift, she'd happily give them Taylor Swift.

She strums her guitar once, and it's good enough for everyone to be quiet around the room. She plays a few more notes, humming as she begins to sing.

"Clear blue water..." Faith hears some people gasp and cheer at the choice of her song, smiling to herself.

"High tide came, and brought you in..." She closes her eyes, feeling the song vibrate out of her throat as she runs her fingers down the guitar to play the next notes.

"And I could go, on and on, on and on, and I will..." She senses someone's burning gaze on her, but she chooses to ignore it, no matter how much it blazed, continuing with her eyes still closed.

"Skies grew darker, currents swept you out again," Some moments from years ago return in her closed eyes. The thundering black clouds the day he'd left her standing, it had felt like someone pulled the rug out from below her steady feet, sending her into a vigorous current of salty and bitter ocean water, the very waters both of them had loved to watch crash against the sand, lit up by the sun or by the moon.

"And you were just gone and gone, gone and gone," Standing underneath the cold rain, there she was, frozen, and unable to do anything besides just watch him leave.

"In silent screams, in wildest dreams," All these days she'd spent grieving the absence of him in her life. All those dreams she saw with him, ones he showed her. All those hallucinations which felt so real, and held such vivid spots in her heart and mind.

"I never dreamed of this..." She'd spent the years, months, weeks, days counting since the last time she'd seen him. She never considered that someday the universe would throw him back into her life, running in like a tornado and making a mess of everything she'd spent years carving out, her life, her feelings, her mind.

Faith opens her eyes, as she keeps singing, meeting his hazel green eyes. He was standing not five feet from her, hands around Coyote and Bob's shoulders, wearing that signature Hawaiian shirt and his jeans shorts from before, aviators hung in the v of his white tank under his father's choice. There was a crinkle in the corner of his lips, his head tilted, as he took in her appearance and her voice.

"This love is good, this love is bad..." It was beautiful, whatever she felt for him, that was a fact that Faith knew. Even though it had been years, and never said, it was real, and it made her feel like she was on top of the world. Right now, she could only assume it was love in his eyes as he kept his eyes in hers'.

"This love is alive back from the dead," Was it? Was this it? This fuzziness in her heart? This flutter in her stomach? This look she caught herself giving him, the one of dazed, and deep care, was that it? This look he was giving her right this second, the same emotion in his eyes from eight years ago.

"These hands had to let it go free," It was true. She did have to let his hand go. But she never let him disappear from her heart, nor her mind, nor her surroundings.

"This love came back to me...." Had it? All this time, he'd probably spent resenting her. Did he still feel the same? Because she knew, right here and right now, that she still did. That it never left. That it always lingered.

"Tossing, turning...." Those sleepless night she'd spent crying, or looking through their photos. Lying in her bed with nothing but tears on her face as she looked at her phone's lock screen. Or those photos from the carnival.

Her eyes are still in his, and she could see in his eyes, that whatever walls he'd tried so desperately to put up before her, they were crumbling. Slowly, but steadily, they were falling.

"Struggled through the night with someone new," She did try to move on. It was a phase of anger. Resentment, at him, because she didn't understand why he couldn't understand that she had to stay. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't hold anyone else's hand like that, couldn't call herself anyone else's. Her heart was his. For him.

Another strum of her guitar, another few lyrics, "And I could go on and on, on and on," A deep breath, a look down, "Lantern, burning, flickered in the night, only you,"

And then she's looking back into his eyes.

"But you were still gone, gone, gone," All those days she spent waiting, all those nights too, where she stood up, waiting for him to ring the bell, waiting for him to let her apologize and for him to understand, then pull her into his arms and call her honey.

"In losing grip, on sinking ships," When he told her to stay away from him, when she felt her heart sink.

"You showed up just in time," He did. Not, right in time, but at a time she found herself reaching out to their memories together in the city, in the workplace they first met. And right this very moment, it was the place they'd first kissed.

"This love is good, this love is bad," Maybe it was good. Maybe they should give it a chance after talking things out. Or maybe, it wasn't right.

"This love is alive back from the dead.." Was it back? Had it left? Had it been here the entire time?

Her eyes question his. There was underlying hope, below the broken walls of her heart she'd put on show in her emerald greens. Her eyes questioned him, waited for him to answer. And she was sure he answered back. Maybe he didn't, but it was that look she always found him giving her eight years ago. And then his eyes confirm, the walls break.

Yes.

"These hands had to let it go free, and, this love came back to me," Yes, they both let it go free as they let each other go. And now they were back here, just not in each other's arm, but they were still here. Maybe it did come back to them.

"This love left a permanent mark, this love is glowing in the dark," There was no doubt that he had left her standing with the promise of permanent heartbreak with her, but there was no doubt that what they had, what they felt, it was unique. Rare. Something built for only them to understand, even after all these years.

"These hands had to let it go free, and, this love came back to me," And he'd answered it before, but his eyes keep blazing in hers' as the answer continues to make it's presence known, yes.

Yes, it did make it's way back somehow.

The song nears it's end, but the conversation held by their eyes doesn't. Everything else is hazy, blurry, except the two of them for each other. For them, the other is clear as a crystal, a vivid connection between them.

"Your kiss, my cheek, I watched you leave," That she did. That was something else as clear as a crystal, her mind plays it back. The rain, cold against her skin. The sight of him leaving without another look to her, cold against her heart.

"Your smile, my ghost, I fell to my knees," Bradley undoubtedly remembers when he'd fallen for her, and it was when he saw her smile, that day at that carnival. He also reminisces when he'd fallen to his knees the second she'd held him in her hands, and let him grieve the loss of his mother, whispering sweet nothings in his ears, and making the promise of never leaving.

"When you're young, you just run, but you come back to what you need," Yes, they ran in opposite directions. Yes, they tried forgetting the other. No, they weren't successful at either of those attempts. They'd tried to live without each other. But we always go back to that we need, because it's something that keeps us alive.

There's silence in the bar, when she stops singing for a brief second. She stops singing, but she's still holding his gaze and remains unable to pull away from their eyes' conversation, and neither can he. Because they know in their hearts what is right, and that was each other.

Faith strums her guitar slow, singing again, "This love is good, this love is bad, this love is alive, back from the dead," She had her confirmation. Yes, it was back. Yes, there was still a chance for each other.

"These hands had to let it go free, and, this love came back to me, this love left a permanent mark, this love is glowing in the dark," It was back. Every single drop, even the tiniest bit, it was all running back as waves, heavy waves that hit you out of nowhere.

"These hands had to let it go free, and," No more letting it go. No more letting it slip out of their grasps.

"This love came back to me." She stops singing, though keeps strumming the guitar, before a final note. Bradley and Faith share a smile, a dazed look as they take it in, the return, the rush, the thrill, the shivers down their spines.

And then the world around them is not hazy or blurry, but clear as day. The crowd is up in cheers within seconds of the end of the song, clapping their hands, as they cup their mouths to cheer the woman on.

Faith sees Natasha patting Bradley's shoulder and nodding her head in her direction. She turns her eyes from his, jumping down the counter top with some help from Payback so as to not fall down, as the crowd yells out her call-sign, and her squadron claps her back with huge awe-stricken smiles and faces.

Within a matter of seconds, she's placing the guitar back into it's case. And then, a tap on her shoulder.

Faith turns around, meeting Bradley's gaze once again, eyes falling to his lips when she sees them moving. But she's unable to hear him properly, just reading his lips to make out the word 'talk'.

"Let's talk outside." Faith suggests, yelling over the crowd's ruckus, and Bradley nods, looking down at his shoes. She gives the guitar case to Natasha, who places her hand over the woman's, nodding with a soft smile that said 'it's going to be alright'.

Moving back towards Bradley, they both make their way out of the bar and drown out the loud conversations taking place in the bar, walking down the steps to the bar as they walk in the sand beside each other.

When they find a spot which was far away from the bar, they sit down beside each other, leaning their thighs against each others'. It's utter silence, choking them both until the words finally fall out.

Then they're both blurting out, "I'm sorry."

They look at each other, lips crinkling up in the corner as hazel green meets emerald.

Taking the chance, Faith decides it's time to rip off the band-aid she'd kept on for what felt like decades now.

"I really like you." It's out. It wasn't like he didn't know, but there needed to be some sort of confirmation, right?

"What?" His lips crinkle down, mouth opening to say something, but she cuts him off, ripping it off completely.

"But I won't push you. And if you'll never see me the way I see you, that's okay too." She shakes her head as she tells him it all, everything she'd wanted to tell him since so very long.

"Fae-" Bradley's cut off again by her final declaration.

"You can break my heart, Bradley Bradshaw. You can break it a thousand times, it was only yours to break anyway." It's out.

Oh god, it's out. Her secret is out.

Bradley remains silent, eyes flickering between hers' as he takes in her words. And without another word, he's leaning down slowly, turning his body to her side, brushing his hand up hers' closest to him. Faith shudders, leaning forward too, eyes fluttering to his lips. Their breaths are hot against each other's skin as they keep their foreheads pressed, closing their eyes at the feeling. Their nose brush against each others'.

Faith brings her hand to cup his cheek in her hand, brows furrowing when he pushes his cheek in her hold, warm skin against warm skin. She brushes her thumb across his skin, feeling shivers run down her spine and arms as the salty wind rushes in their direction. He brings his hand up her shoulder, pushing back strands of hair off, lingering his hot touch up her collarbone and neck, stopping when he reaches her jaw.

He grazes his lips across hers', hesitance taking the best of him, and he's leaning back.

But Faith pushes her hand to the back of her neck, the other coming up to cup his cheek as she pulls him down to finally, finally, pressing her lips against his. There's a depth of the feeling, whatever it was grabbing ahold of them and drowning themselves into each other's hold, warmth. Bradley runs his tongue along her lips, giving several softer kisses.

She finds herself sinking into him as his tongue delicately slips in her mouth. He pulls away after another peck, a gentle pull of her bottom lip with his teeth dragging out, before he's pushing his forehead against hers' once again.

Faith bites her swollen lip, smiling when she meets his eyes. She pulls away slowly, smile turning into a grin when he presses his lips against her forehead. She puts her arm around his back, as he wraps an arm across her shoulder, pressing her to his side.

She tilts her head to lean onto the side of his shoulder, and Bradley leans his forehead against her head, both of them watching the sun set on the horizon, a multitude of various shades of pink, blue and purple clubbed together around the yellowish-orange sun. He looks down at her, gazing, as she watches the sky before them, and he watches her. Many things were left unsaid, many things left to discuss for the both of them. But right now, holding was enough.

✈ ✈ ✈

THEY GO HOME.

He drives her home on his bike, smile lighting up his face as she had her hands wrapped around his chest from behind, and her head leant against his shoulder.

She's getting off the bike, catching ahold of his hand he'd put out to help her. She does so, walking ahead and then skipping the steps leading up to her home. Reaching for her keys, she's pulling them out and then opening the door, pushing it all the way back. There's a burn in the back of her head, no doubt that it was Bradley watching her.

She doesn't turn back, but the door doesn't close either, and then he takes his chance.

Within seconds, he's off his bike and skipping every step leading up to the home, standing right behind her when she hears him and turns around with a grin.

He returns the grin, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her waist. She wraps her hands around his neck, both of them leaning their foreheads against each other with goofy smiles.

They spend time like that, in each other's arms. Familiarizing each other's skins and touch.

Then, a silvery grey ball of fur, now eight years older, is brushing his body across Faith's feet, drawing her attention to him. She looks down, smiling up at Bradley who smiles back, before she's picking up the cat, holding him close to her chest.

Bradley smiles at the sight, finding her eyes as she holds the cat close to her face, his soft fur brushing her cheek. He brings his hand out in front of Hulk, who sniffs, before he's pushing his face against the man's hand.

Slowly, Faith pulls away from Hulk, handing him to Bradley, who raises his brow at her, and she nods, placing Hulk in his hold. The cat freezes for a moment or two, and then he's purring against the man's chest, as Bradley scratches the bottom of his neck.

Faith takes the chance to snap a picture of the two of them, smiling down at her phone.

He's moving towards the couch to take a seat with the cat in his lap, purring and nuzzling in his hold. Eight years, and Bradley still made that face of fear with Hulk in his hold.

When she's done filling her gallery with hundreds of photos of the two, she sits down beside Bradley on the couch, her body facing the two, elbow perched against the back of it, watching the two with a smile haunted by deja vu.

Hulk is jumping off Bradley's lap, moving towards his bowl of food Faith had prepared as she took their photos. And then it's just the two of them.

Bradley mimics Faith's position, leaning against the couch with his elbow propped up on the back, gazing into her emerald eyes. There's reminiscence, in both their eyes, from eight years ago. From when they sat on the same couch, in the same positions, the same looks in both their eyes when they looked at each other.

Faith leans forward, pressing her lips against his. Bradley's lips are soft, yet the kiss is rough against her. Just a peck more, and they pull away, leaning their foreheads against each other's.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do that..." Bradley calls out in a whisper, breath hitting her lips as he speaks. Faith nuzzles her nose against his cheek, before meeting his eyes as she brings her hands to his jaw, brushing her thumb against his cheek, "Try, eight years, four months, and sixteen days." She bites her lip, eyes falling down as reality crept in.

He shakes his head in her hold, bringing his hand up her shoulder to her chin, using his fingers to lift her chin up to meet his gaze, "Eight years, four months and seventeen days." He presses his lips against hers' in a quick peck, smiling through it.

Her smile returns, pulling away and leaning forward into his hold, pressing her head against his collarbone. Bradley leans his chin on the top of her head, falling back down on the couch.

She whispers for him, cheek presses against his chest as she listens to his heartbeat, "You should get changed into something comfortable, Bradshaw." She looks up, and he looks down at her, memories flashing across both their minds as they think back to the day after their accident eight years ago.

He smiles down at her, completely dazed and deeply fallen for her bright smile, "I am comfortable. Right here." Her body shakes with a chuckle, pressing a kiss by his cheek and giggling when his moustache tickles her lips. He smiles at her laugh.

Bradley moves behind to lay on the couch, Faith follows, resting her body against his as she listens to his heart beat in a steady rhythm. His back falls flat against the soft pillow, and Faith lays against him.

One hand curls around her waist, the other lost in her hair, scratching her scalp. Faith groans at the feeling, nuzzling her cheek against his collarbone, eyes closing in bliss.

Yes, this love was finally back from the dead.