Chapter Text
Jane’s POV
“Happy anniversary!” It’s Sabina: she sounds excitable, looks it too. Sabina gestures towards the wall overhead which bears a stainless-steel clock, luminescent numbers gleaming. The second hand has just struck one second after midnight …
“Did you hear that?” A masculine voice speaks up from the other side of the room. “They’re over that way!”
Jane rolls her eyes at her longtime girlfriend, by force of sheer habit. Then Jane smiles, slow and small … but definitely a smile. She can’t deny it’s a smile that she can see in the reflection of the polished stainless-steel countertop she’s taking cover behind: the Angels are in an industrial kitchen. On a mission. About to enter an impending battle. That’s why Jane rolled her eyes – it wasn’t because of Sabina’s heartwarming wish – it was because of the inappropriate timing. One does not wish their significant other – one of two – ‘happy anniversary’, when it’s not that far off a life-and-death moment, when attention is called for my far more pressing priorities. Like staying alive! Or keeping their girlfriends-and-teammates alive!
Sabina is crouching on the spotless floor, ‘across the gap’ from Jane, who is crouched in kind. Jane’s girlfriend is close enough to glare at, far enough away to be out of easy arm’s reach. Sabina is also taking cover behind a heavy-duty kitchen countertop, on the other side of the corridor that passes between twin rows of cabinets. It is only a few seconds into the Angels’ latest anniversary: by mutual agreement, the three-of-them celebrate the day that they first became an official ‘three’. Aka the day that Jane Kano had asked both Sabina Wilson and Elena Houghlin to be her girlfriend … one after the other, but not in each other’s presence.
Sabina had told Elena what Jane had asked, the second that that was possible – probably even more excitedly than she just wished Jane ‘happy anniversary’ – and minutes later, Jane had emerged from her post-mission med check with Saint (Elena had already had her med check), to ‘pop the question’ to Elena (while Sabina got her med check). Once Sabina emerged to join them, she’d excitedly announced that the Angels were ‘finally’ in a ‘triad’ and Jane had asked – grumpily – what a ‘triad’ was. Elena had looked as happy as a person could look: Jane had felt the same way, grumpy tone or no. Grumpiness was just the way she expressed herself, often even when happy. Force of habit. The Angels had group hugged their new relationship status out together; Sabina had joined in the heartfelt embrace Jane-and-Elena were already engaged in. Jane can still feel her new girlfriends’ arms around her, if only in her memory …
On that fateful ‘first anniversary’, Jane had gotten the ball rolling … since she was the one who’d slowed its roll a couple of months earlier, due to what Sabina calls ‘freaking’, Elena calls ‘timing’ and Jane herself calls ‘due diligence’. First Jane had asked Sabina to be her girlfriend: the two-of-them had been on a mission; nothing surprising there, the Angels go on a lot of missions. Second, immediately after that same mission’s conclusion, Jane had asked Elena to be her girlfriend, outside Saint’s med unit at HQ. This had started with Jane guessing – correctly – that Sabina had already filled Elena in, and Elena expressing her happiness for them both … without a hint of resentment.
Truth be told, Jane had found Elena’s warm wishes hard to believe, though she had believed it, if only because it was Elena ‘sweeter than honey’ Houghlin. Jane herself had struggled with embarrassing, hard-to-feel jealousy and ‘weird feelings’ as she’d watched Elena-and-Sabina grow closer and then closer still … even though Jane knew that they wanted to be closer with her too! (Since they’d told her to her face.) Elena didn’t seem to struggle with that kind of angst; Elena had been genuinely happy for her teammates’ happiness. Compersion had been shining out of her smile, lighting up her soft brown eyes: even ‘low EQ’ Jane could tell. Maybe Elena had never doubted that Sabina and Jane would be into her too – maybe Jane had doubted – or maybe Elena could read that they each were into Elena while also being into each other, courtesy of her high EQ. Or maybe Elena was just happy for their happiness, sweetheart that she is, regardless of what it might mean for herself. Jane doesn’t know, then or now.
Back then, Jane had made a dour remark to Elena on the topic and Elena had made a soft one back. Jane had even admitted her jealous feelings to Elena – to her own surprise – and Elena had been comforting, reassuring. Jane had told Elena – with blunt chagrin – “I don’t … get you.” Elena had said those very same words back, with so much love infusing them that Jane couldn’t not pick up on it. Couldn’t not kiss Elena, which Jane did seconds later, after asking for permission … which Elena couldn’t give fast enough. Their first kiss hadn’t been like Jane’s first kiss with Sabina … which had been a firestorm! The Angels are all different; that means their dyads express differently, within their triad: then and now.
For their first kiss, Jane-and-Elena had moved towards each other slowly, matching pace, though Jane had been leading. Likely, Elena had been following, matching Jane deliberately, Jane only realises this intel courtesy of hindsight. Their lips had met, so, so softly. They’d kissed for a long time: Jane had lost track of time. Jane had lost track of place, who she was, what was happening; Jane Kano never loses control, but maybe she’d lost … a little bit of control. Temporarily. Unexpectedly. She vaguely remembers that the kissing had gone on for a long time. Building gradually from soft to hard, gentle to urgent; relaxing back into softness, dissipating into nowhere. Culminating in a body-to-body embrace, arms tight around each other, Elena’s head resting against Jane’s chest due to their height differential.
Jane then asked Elena to be her girlfriend, dropping a kiss on Elena’s head to punctuate. Elena had asked Jane back, which was the same thing as ‘yes’ and also, mutual confirmation. Sabina’s head had popped out of the med unit – Sabina has impeccable timing of both good and bad varieties – and all but caught the two-of-them in the act. No jealousy from Sabina: just glee.
Jane had asked Sabina to be her girlfriend during the Angels’ earlier mission: that had been Jane-and-Sabina’s first kiss too. Elena had been elsewhere at the time, at the multi-storeyed gallery that had been hosting an art showing’s opening night: Elena was angling to break into the back office, cause a power outage. It hadn’t been a dangerous mission – like the one tonight – though there were similarities. Back then, Jane and Sabina were alone together in the darkened display room on the second floor: the guests had still been downstairs on the ground floor, admiring abstract paintings. Tonight’s industrial kitchen is just as dark and shadowy as the long ago display room. That art gallery had been kind of creepy, due to the ‘art’: sculpted creatures that were part-gremlin, part-raptor and part-barbie doll, peering at the Angels through fake jungle foliage. This kitchen is kind of creepy too, come to think of it, without needing special effects. Sabina had been wearing a stylish leather jacket, then and now. She’d been fingering the hilt of a long-ass combat knife on that long ago mission; that’s happening again … Jane suspects Sabina is thinking about using it …
“Don’t you dare!” Jane mouths at Sabina, being careful to make no sound, not to give away their position more than Sabina’s already let slip. It’s too bloody dangerous! Sabina needs to stay put, keep her ass behind cover! The Angels’ enemies have guns! Lethal distance weapons, which are no doubt pointed at the Angels, courtesy of Sabina giving away their location with her stupid – yet sweet – “happy anniversary” announcement …
Sabina winks at Jane: she looks like she’s enjoying herself. She kisses the knife’s blade – on its flat side – then licks it, long and leisurely. It’s a flirtatious gesture, as is the heavy eye contact Sabina makes with Jane across the way, shadows or no shadows. The sheer audacity! Jane can’t believe her eyes! Only, of course she can: Sabina is so typical. Jane is used to this kind of behaviour at this stage of their longstanding relationship, though she still finds it hard to believe. Maybe she always will. Sabina is so off-brand! That makes Jane’s girlfriend on-brand, oddly enough: Jane realises – with a shiver of fear – that Sabina ‘wildass’ Wilson is about to go offtrack, with her special brand of insanity. Risk her reckless ass for what is likely, no good reason. Or rather, not a good enough reason for Jane, who wants her girlfriends to be safe! Yes, missions are often dangerous (understatement) and sometimes risks are required (scary but true) but they should be calculated risks (according to Jane): that’s what makes strategic sense. That’s what’s justifiable, when it comes to risking life and limb towards Charlie’s noble aims …
“Hey, boys!” Sabina calls out loudly, tone as flirtatious as her loaded eye contact with Jane remains. “Are you happy to see me, or is that a bigass knife!”
In beat with her last word, Sabina leaps into action, leaping acrobatically over the countertop onehanded … a move that the Angels’ enemies do not see coming, no doubt to it being way too stupid to be believed. Sabina is completely open to being riddled with bullets. As Sabina vaults over her erstwhile cover, she whips her knife at the nearest target: Jane sees this, because she’s leaned – cautiously – around the side of her own cover, and is looking down the hall. Jane’s been forced to do this, because of what her girlfriend’s doing. She would never leave Sabina hanging! Jane has a gun in hand, a Beretta APX sidearm. She pops off a few shots at the two men still standing; Sabina’s target is draped face first over a countertop, leaking blood everywhere. No doubt that’s from Sabina’s erstwhile knife, which appeared to hit him in the heart. Nice throw. Jane is impressed even as she is annoyed even as she is pretending not to be terrified (on her girlfriend’s behalf). Jane is calm and cool! She gets on with business; she does what must be done …
Jane shoots the goon-on-the-left; he’s distracted by gaping at his dead buddy. Her bullet clips his throat: he goes down gagging. Jane shoots the goon-on-the-right: he’s distracted by gaping at Sabina, who continues to flip over kitchen furnishings, on her way towards him. Sabina knows parkour, which she’s putting to good use now. Sabina collects-and-performs acrobatic moves that are as beautiful to look at – when Jane isn’t stressed on her girlfriend’s behalf – as they are ‘unnecessarily showy’: over half of them seem to be about Sabina getting off on other people’s shocked-or-admiring attention. Or amusing herself, avoiding boredom, just having fun. Jane is almost sure about this theory; Sabina doesn’t hide her motivations or seem ashamed of them … it’s just hard for Jane to believe. Bina is that different from herself! Probably that’s a big part of why Jane fell so hard in the first place, head over heels, hand over heart, heart in her mouth, heart banging in her chest at the probable danger to Sabina Wilson now …
Jane’s bullet enters one of goon-on-the-right’s bugging eyes: he stumbles backwards, screaming. Jane is surprised he isn’t dead from that shot … likely he’ll die soon. She leaves her cover, sprinting down the corridor made by countertops and arriving by her targets at the same time as Sabina.
Goon-on-the-right is dead now; his good eye stuck on open, staring up at the ceiling. Jane swings her gun to aim at goon-on-the-left: he’s still gagging on the floor, both hands scrabbling at his throat. Jane grimaces. Shoots him in the head. His body stops jerking, goes still. Jane looks at goon-knifed-by-Sabina, the one who’s responsible for the bloody waterfall that’s dirtying the countertop he’s facedown upon. Sabina’s knife has disappeared from sight, somewhere underneath his body. He lies unmoving; he’s no threat. Jane idly wonders if he died straight away … or spasmed a little while Jane was taking care of his buddies, losing blood and the last dregs of his life, before giving out entirely. Unknown. Unimportant. Irrelevant to the mission.
“Ace shooting,” Sabina tells Jane, sounding more than approving. Sabina flutters her eyelashes Jane’s way from where she’s standing atop the countertop, next to her latest casualty. Sabina puts a hand on one hip and cocks the other hip Jane’s way: it’s a sexy-and-silly pose. Flirtily, yet with complete seriousness: “your badass is so sexy.”
“That was dangerous!” Jane reprimands Sabina, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring up at her girlfriend, gun dangling from one hand to perform this motion. “You should have waited!”
“I’m bad at waiting, baby,” Sabina all but whines, just as Elena Houghlin enters the scene. Elena trots through the entrance that’s facing them: it leads into the fancy hotel skyscraper that this kitchen is located in the basement of.
“All done,” Elena tells them, seeming subtly proud. She holds up the keycard that was her mission objective to appropriate; Jane nods approval. Sabina lets out a catcall: it’s her version of praise. Elena smiles between them shyly. Then she does a doubletake, seems to catch sight of the dead bodies that aren’t that far away. They couldn’t be more obvious. Elena’s olive skin pales, then turns faintly green. She takes a step back. Then another bigger step. She looks a little nauseous … Jane feels a twinge of concern. Is Elena about to throw up? Elena does that sometimes during mission moments that she finds stressful for whatever reason … Elena’s the soft-and-sensitive type, which is weird since they work as super-spies … and missions are stressful by definition …
“Happy anniversary, babygirl!” Sabina tells Elena, just as excitedly as she originally told Jane. Sabina doesn’t appear to notice Elena’s grossed out reaction … or maybe Sabina’s distracting Elena, by intention. Jane still finds it hard to tell: maybe she always will. “We’re five minutes into celebrating our fine selves.”
“Um,” says Elena, staring sickly at the bodies. “Uhhh. Did you two really have to…” she trails off without finishing. Jane guesses that Elena might have been about to ask if Jane-and-Sabina had to kill these goons. As opposed to neutralising their threat factor in other ways, like overpowering them, tying them up, knocking them out, chasing them off. The answer to Elena’s unasked question is ‘probably not’. At least, that used to be the answer, before Sabina’s latest stunt. Jane wasn’t taking any chances; she wasn’t risking her girlfriend’s reckless ass more than Sabina was already risking it. Though, on that note, if Sabina hadn’t hurried events along by doing what she did, maybe Sabina-and-Jane would still be crouched behind their original cover. Maybe Elena would have come through the door like she just did – maybe without checking her surroundings, as per good mission protocol – maybe Elena might have gotten hurt.
It's a lot of maybes. But it’s enough for Jane’s mood to improve, and how. At least Elena is safe. That’s the way it should be: Elena Houghlin is her team’s baby. It’s because she’s the rookie – though truth be told, she’s an experienced and skilled agent by this stage of affairs – and that’s that. Jane reaches out casually, tugs on Sabina’s ankle. It’s almost playful; it’s kind of bossy. Jane is ordering her idiot girlfriend to stop being an idiot, get down here with Jane-and-Elena. Where Sabina belongs. Sabina hops down agilely, using one hand on Jane’s shoulder along her way to help her dismount the easier. Jane sees this move coming, stands steady so it’s easier for Sabina to ‘use Jane’s (ungiven) assist’. Sabina lands, turns her head to face Jane’s way from up close and personal, smirks at Jane’s profile with a giant smirk. Jane concentrates on ignoring her smugly smirking girlfriend, and she mostly succeeds … though Jane is hyper-aware of everything about both girlfriends.
“Nice knife throw,” Jane deigns to tell Sabina, a little gruffly. It was a nice throw … a very nice throw indeed. Jane clears her throat. She side-eyes Sabina. “Happy anniversary.” Jane turns her head and addresses Elena. “You too, Lena.”
Sabina does a little dance in place; it’s cute. Jane smirks to see Sabina’s happiness: she can feel that her eyes have softened: she’s turned her head to watch Sabina’s antics. Elena is watching-and-smiling too, looking endeared.
“Happy anniversary,” Elena tells them both; she now appears to be studiously doing her utmost to not look at the bodies. “Are we done here?”
“We’re done,” says Jane, with what might be satisfaction. That was efficient. Jane likes to be efficient. It will make this mission’s score higher, when she scores it in private later on …
“We’re so done,” says Sabina, in her banter tone. “Let’s go home and celebrate!”
“We should sleep first,” Jane says, following her girlfriends as they start heading through the kitchen, enroute for its door to the outside. “We can celebrate in the morning.”
“We should have sex first,” Sabina corrects, “anniversary sex! It’s the best.”
“You like every kind of sex,” Elena tells Sabina, and it’s lovingly jokey.
“You know me so well,” says Sabina, leaning over to kiss Elena’s cheek; Elena giggles. The two-of-them are walking side by side and hand in hand; Jane is watching from behind, feeling endeared. Her girlfriends are both touchy-feely types – and Jane isn’t – which means they touch each other close to constantly.
Sabina starts to move her hips and wave her ass from side to side as she walks, it’s a little like Latin dancing, the sway is hypnotic. She’s very good at it, grifter specialist that she is; Jane’s eyes affix to Sabina’s ass, and stick.
“Janey’s ogling my ass,” Sabina tells Elena, tossing a come-hither glance Jane’s way, over Sabina’s shoulder. Jane catches this with her trained peripheral vision; her gaze stays focused on Sabina’s … performance. “That means we should have anniversary sex, yeah? Like, soon.”
“You’re making it impossible for her not to look,” Elena tells Sabina, a gentle reprimand accompanied with Elena squeezing Sabina’s hand a couple of times, what looks like hard enough to hurt. “Stop teasing her.”
“Stop teasing me,” Jane backs Elena up, though Jane can’t help but notice that her own voice doesn’t sound that sure. Jane sounds kind of out of it. Voice lowering to a grumble: “you incorrigible ass.”
Sabina laughs but she stops her seductive motions, goes back to walking normally. It’s kind of disappointing.
“We’ll have ‘anniversary sex’ in the morning, as a three,” Jane tells Sabina’s back, and Jane’s voice comes out a little throaty. “First thing.”
“Yes!” says Sabina, fist pumping the air with her free hand.
“It’ll be awesome,” Elena says with a note of promise. Then she giggles. Then she stops walking, spins around, releasing Sabina’s hand to do so and taking Sabina by the waist instead with her other arm. Sabina comes with willingly, letting out a giggle of her own. Elena smiles at Jane with warm invitation, reaches out her free arm to initiate a group hug. Jane steps forward willingly; Sabina smiles her biggest smile.
The Angels group hug now, like they did back then: anniversaries meet and merge.
Happy anniversary!