xp_logs | Angelo and Amanda: Off-White Knight (Reply)

On Saturday evening, Angelo and Amanda go out for dinner. It... doesn't quite go to plan. Warnings for violence followed by a fade to black on other things. Blame Rossi for the log title.

Amanda shivered, pulling her jacket closer around her. It definitely wasn't summer any more, and the evenings were getting cool. Although she was still on the low energy side of things, which didn't help. She was definitely regretting walking here from the subway - it wasn't far, but it had been enough to wear her out. Sometimes she was just too bloody stubborn for her own good. She just hoped she didn't fall asleep during dinner.

Then her pocket started to shrill, and she pulled her phone out. The call display showed it was Angelo - probably calling to tell her he was running late, given he wasn't actually here yet. "Hey, love," she said, answering it.

"Hey", he said, the smile audible in his voice. "I'll be right there - I'm about four blocks away. Just wanted to let you know I didn't stand you up."

"You better bloody not have, I know assassins, remember?" she teased. "I'll meet you inside - I'll just have a smoke first."

"See you in a few, then. Love you."

"Love you too." There was the usual slightly-silly grin as she hung up and tucked the phone away. Pulling out her cigarettes, she had just finished lighting up when she noticed two men approaching. Both were fairly ordinary looking, nothing remarkable about them - she moved aside slightly to let them pass, and one of them stopped, asking her:

"Hey, miss, you got a light?"

"Yeah," she replied, looking down to fish her lighter back out of her bag. "Just a sec..."

The shove came out of the blue, and she stumbled back, instinctively striking out even as hands grabbed for her bag. She connected, and there was a muffled grunt before she was backhanded across the face. A cry escaped her, but she didn't let go of the bag, even though she felt as weak as a kitten still - New Orleans had taken a hell of a lot out of her.

Bloody hell, I'm being mugged.

"Give us the bag, bitch!" A knife appeared in the hands of one of the men, and Amanda backed up, feeling rough brick behind her back. That brought back memories - the tang of magic on her senses, the two college boys, the alley - and she started to realise she was in trouble here. But she couldn't give up the bag; it had her PDA in it, and the files on that weren't something Snow Valley could afford to lose. Normally it'd be no contest, what with the training she'd had, but she was having trouble even holding herself up, adrenaline stealing away the last of her meager resources.

Angelo had been hurrying, aware he was already late, and he was only a block and a half away now. He didn't realise right away it was Amanda being attacked, his view blocked by the men's bodies, but seeing two men obviously trying to rob or rape one woman was enough for him. He started to run.

Gotta love New York. No-one sees anything. Amanda was holding the bag like a shield in front of her, knowing there was no way she'd be fast enough to block a knife thrust if the bloke got impatient. "I can't do that," she said, hating the way her knees were shaking - fatigue looked like fear. "But if you just let me get my wallet out, I'll give you that..."

"We don't have time for this!" the non-knife man growled. "Just take the damn bag already, before someone comes!"

"You heard the man, missy. Hand it over." Knife Guy came closer, gesturing with the blade. "You don't want me to mess up that pretty face, do you?"

"Touch her an' I'll break you", came the stony voice from not far away, as Angelo slowed back to a walk. He'd seen who it was now, and his eyes were blazing. He'd have been intimidating, if he was only a little taller - he was projecting real menace, at least.

Amanda's knees went weak, this time with relief. At Angelo's voice the two had turned to watch him approach. The man without the knife hesitated - this was turning out to be more messy than they'd thought when they'd first seen the girl on her own - but his partner, a big man, confident of his own strength and armed as well, sneered. "This ain't none of your business, mutie. Get lost." And with that he made another grab for Amanda.

"It's my business when you try an' steal from my girl, an' all the more when you threaten to cut her", Angelo told him, still with nothing discernible in his voice but the rage showing in his eyes. He kept coming, watching the man's hands - especially the one with the knife.

"Your girl, huh? Is that what does it for you, bitch, muties?" This time he reached for Amanda and not her bag, grabbing her face in one large hand. "Maybe I should show you what a real man's like."

"Ray..." the other mugger began, nervously.

"God damn it Mikey, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't use my name!" 'Ray' glared at 'Mikey', before his attention switched to the advancing Angelo. "Hold it right there, pal, or your girlfriend loses an eye." And with that he set the knife point just below the corner of Amanda's eye. She froze at the contact.

"See, I don't think you want to do that", was Angelo's only response. "'Cause if you do, then you lose anythin' you've got on me, an' then you're mine. An' when I'm done with you, I'll give you to her uncle an' her boss, an' maybe her big brother too. I think they'll enjoy seein' how long they can keep you alive."

"Oh, I'm scared. See me shaking." Ray's hand tightened on Amanda's face. "I told you, hold it right there."

"Look pal, you'd better do what he says. When he gets like this... people get hurt," Mikey cut in, seeming on the edge of bolting - only his apparent fear of Ray held him to the spot. "We just wanted some money..."

Sod this. In Ray's grip, Amanda shifted slightly, biting down hard on the webbing between forefinger and thumb, until she tasted blood. Ray let out a yell, his knife hand jerking and the point nicking the skin, and she let go, an involuntary cry of pain of her own escaping her.

The knife was away from her face, and that was enough. Angelo stepped forward calmly and backhanded the larger man in the face as hard as he could - which, by this point, was pretty damn hard. "You made her bleed. I warned you."

Ray let out a bellow, slashing the knife at Angelo, Amanda forgotten. She sagged back against the wall, pressing the heel of her hand against the cut and fighting the urge to throw up at the taste in her mouth. She wasn't so distracted that she wasn't watching the fight, however, and she called out a warning to Angelo as Mikey summoned up the courage to charge at him from behind. "Ange, watch out!"

Angelo twisted away from the knife, avoiding it easily - and in the same movement reached behind him to grab Mikey by the front of his shirt and use his own momentum to drag him forward, almost throwing him at Ray.

Mikey wasn't a big man, but the impact of him colliding with Ray was enough to send the knife skittering away across the pavement. Ray shoved Mikey aside - it was enough to break the smaller man's courage and he turned and ran. Which left Ray, who wasn't going any where; he charged at Angelo, intent on beating him to a pulp.

"No weapons now", Angelo taunted, sidestepping and treating Ray to a gut punch. "Just you an' me. An' the thing is, I am a weapon. Mutie, right? Want to see what I can do?"

The air wuffed out of Ray, but he wasn't beaten yet. He aimed a blow at Angelo's face, fingers hooked to catch his eyes. "You'll need powers to get out of this one, punk," he growled. "I'm gonna to take you apart, and then I'm gonna take that little bitch of yours and--"

He was cut off by something slicing down the side of his face, cutting to the bone. "An' do that?" Angelo asked, dangerously quiet, shaking the blood off what had a moment before been a skin blade. "For starters, I'd guess. Except you're not, because I'll suffocate you right here in the street before you touch her."

Amanda's eyes went round - she hadn't known about that particular powers trick. Ray had stopped in his tracks, holding his hands over the gushing wound. Staring at Angelo with horrified eyes, his mouth worked, but no words came. Looking into Angelo's face, seeing the complete lack of mercy there, something in him broke, and he turned and ran.

Angelo could have gone after him, or tangled his feet and tripped him, and kept the punishment going. Would have, perhaps, if he'd been alone. But his eyes flicked to Amanda, and he stepped towards her. "You okay?"

"A bit shaken up," she said, pushing herself away from the wall, trembling slightly. "I'll be fine. But we'd better get out of here in case that bloke decides to tell the plods he was attacked by a mutant as he was out to get a bottle of milk."

Angelo nodded, glancing grimly the way Ray had fled. "Probably a good plan. An' I guess dinner's kind of out - you want to go home?"

"Yeah." She clutched at his hand, tugging him slightly as she began to head in the opposite direction to where Ray had gone. "I don't know what's more embarrassing: getting mugged or not being able to defend myself."

"It's only for a little bit longer", he said reassuringly, falling into step with her. "You'll be back up to strength before you know it."

"I'm just glad you came along. I've never... I've never seen you do that before." Amanda was scanning the street ahead of them, holding tightly onto Angelo's hand, still shaking a little. "Nice trick."

"What, with the... knife?" he asked, making a vaguely demonstrative gesture and looking down at her uncertainly. "Yeah, I figured that one out in Africa. Hamstrung a guy when I was only goin' to trip him, because I was angry."

"It was..." They were passing an office building, its front foyer darkened, and abruptly she stopped, half-pushing, half-falling against him as she lunged for his mouth. They fetched up with a soft bang against the glass doors and Amanda paused in her kissing him to finish the sentence: "Really fucking hot, actually."

Angelo hadn't had time to think before she pushed him up against the doors, and found that his hands were somehow under her jacket now. He blinked down at her, dazed. "It was?"

"Yep." She moved her attention to his neck, kissing and nipping with her teeth, holding herself up by the grip she had on his lapels. "The whole coming in at the nick of time, the hard man talk, beating that bastard up..." The problem with holding onto him was she couldn't use her hands, but her legs were still weak. Not breaking away from his neck, she tugged at him until their positions were reversed, her back against the door. "I want you to do me right here. Now."

"Your wish..." He kissed her hard, already moving against her, careful to hold her up with his own body. "...is my command."

***

Amanda began to loosen her grip around Angelo's neck. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright, despite the cut near her eyes and the smear of blood on her cheekbone. A soft giggle broke from her. "That was... wow. Maybe I should get mugged more often."

He laughed, not releasing his own grip on her. "I don't recommend it. There's other ways to get the same effect." He wondered, idly, if letting her watch him spar with Sarah would do it.

"'M sure we'll find something." Releasing her hold, she made to straighten her skirt, but then made a grab at him as her knees buckled underneath her and a wave of dizziness hit. "Oops."

"Whoa -" He took hold of her again, hastily. "I'm thinkin' maybe next time's not goin' to be until you're not worn out."

Resting her forehead against his shoulder, Amanda let out an agreeing noise. "I think I overdid it a bit," she admitted. "What with the walking and then the mugging and all. Cab?"

"Cab", he agreed, supporting her easily. "Bit too far to carry you, an' all that."

"Uh-huh." She managed to loop her arms around his neck again, but her legs were like limp noodles. "So, how far can you carry me?"

He looked down, and his mouth quirked wryly. "I guess we're gonna find out."