Chapter Text
He was on the couch in his regular spot, it had been an hour since they started texting, but now she was replying quick. She must not have been doing anything else. It wasn’t super late, but he figured she’d go to sleep some time soon. This was going better than he expected.
“Well, how about you ask me something.” Haha, she could have asked him something but sure, he’d play this game. There was so much he wanted to know. Honestly it was hard to narrow down the questions, his mind running wild with hundreds of them. But what did he want to know first.
“What do you do for fun V?” It was gonk, but it was all he could really think of as a solid question. It would also tell him a lot more about her, she didn’t seem like the curl up with a good book type, but also not the get high and watch BD’s night after night type.
Her response was quick “Haha. Fun, don’t think about that much. I go out with friends sometimes, trying to hit all the bars in NC. I watch tv and movies sometimes. But don’t spend a lot of down time just having fun.”
So, more the latter option then, but not exactly. “Ever been to the Totentanz?” Only bar he went to, only one on their turf, and it was their turf. They controlled everything at the bar, the music was shit. The messaging was annoying. But it was a start.
“Once actually, it was not really my scene. Bit loud for my liking. Beer was cold though, that’s all you can really hope for.” She liked beer, and didn’t like the music. He had the stray thought that was compatible.
“Yeah, music’s shit there. Royce likes the band though. A beer drinker might have expected wine or something for you.” He didn’t, that wasn’t true. But he typed the teasing before he meant to.
“Back in my old days maybe, but nah. Beers better.” He liked her already but that was a good sign. Maybe one day they’d share a beer. Stupid, stupid idea. That would never happen.
Phone pinged again “How do you have fun?”
He should have expected the question to be turned back, BD’s and lace every night.
Beer or something stronger. Sometimes with the guys, usually alone. Could he just tell her that? Would that sound bad. He’d offered her lace, she knew he smoked it. But still, she’d taken a hit even. One hit to ease tension is different then going through a huffer every other day though. Plus, she knew the BD’s that were scrolled by them, maybe that would give her the wrong idea. He thought about his words carefully.
“I stay here and smoke lace, some BD’s, occasionally TV. Never was much a movie guy tho. Beer usually.” Hopefully, she wouldn’t read too much into that.
It was only a minute till she replied, but felt like longer. Maybe she’d drop him since he even mentioned BD’s knowing the shit maelstrom borgs dealt with. That was a sinking feeling, unconscious as it was, that she would stop talking to him. He didn’t want that.
Not now, maybe not ever. Maybe she fell asleep he thought right before his holo lit up again.
“That lace was nice, good edge. Both took it off and kept it on differently. Not one for often use though.” That was an unexpected reply. To focus on the S-Keef. He didn’t know how to reply.
Should he ask another question? Would she ask another question? Texting people was weird.
“Why Dum Dum? Bit of an odd name, even for a Maelstrommer” Ha. That was… a long story. Should he tell her, or just let her make up her own story.
“Invasive, I like it.” He settled with not answering, but then she doubled down.
“Not an answer, but it’s fine if you don’t want to tell me. I guess I’ll just assume the worst.” The worst assumption was probably correct.
“Long story, but really got sick of being called dumbass.” It was true, there was a lot more behind it. Been over a decade since anyone had used his real name.
“Ah, were you a dumbass?” He laughed loudly at that, almost spilling his beer and his legs propped on the “table” shifted the first two pallets. He was, most definitely.
“Yeah.” Probably could have had a better reply, but that would give enough.
“I like Dum Dum, good name.” He wanted to ask her again about her name, but that conversation was just as shut off as his was. Maybe it was also a long story, or she just hated her name. Lots of people changed every part of them in the city, names included.
She texted again “What are you up to now?”
Ah, he could play along, pretend to be interesting, but assuming she was just doing about the same.
“Sitting on my couch, texting you.” He went with the truth and laziest answer, made it seem like she was his priority at the moment.
She was of course, he could have been doing stuff, some guys were out now, most people at the bar.
What’s his face was doing inventory of the guns, hoping to sell some. He could have been helping him, or doing anything really. City was his oyster of…. Well the Northside was his oyster. Whatever that even meant.
“Ah, I’m in bed, texting you.” That was the same reply, but he got stuck on the in bed part. He tried to shake that thought from his mind, he couldn’t…shouldn’t try and encourage this…. thing.
These feelings he had about V. It was stupid. Unrealistic, he had no fucking shot with her. Why the fuck would she even want him, fuck, why was she even talking to him.
Maybe that was more stupid of her than of him. Actually, it was definitely stupider of her than him. He was dangerous, so was she, but he was very dangerous. More red flags than half the city, fuck he didn’t even have a face. She had to have been just bored.
That made sense. Maybe she was so used to her regular life that texting a maelstrom seemed like fun.
That was okay maybe, being fun for her. But fun things get dropped, one day she’d drop him. He had to know that in every part of his chrome form. That she would find something more fun, different fun, less dangerous.
Hell, she’d probably meet someone, that couldn’t be hard for her. And if she ever did, theres no fucking way they’d want her texting a maelstrom.
He hadn’t replied, just sortof let his thoughts spiral for a moment. He’d have to get used to her dropping him. They’d barely texted, and he’d only known about her for a little over a month. She didn’t even know that. He was just a person to text for her.
“You still there?” He shook out of his spiral, if she was temporary, and she was. Or he was. Then fuck it, he’d enjoy this time.
“Yeah, sorry. Got distracted.” That was true of course, he got back up to grab another beer, when he sat back down he noticed it wasn’t as comfortable as it had been.
“Oh, was it the thought of me in bed? XD” He spit out his beer. She… That, fuck. She really was having her fun with this. Blatant flirting.
She must have just been flirty, or wanted to tease him. No way that didn’t cross her mind for being dangerous. Maelstrom were often known for their violence. He had to justify it with her just being a flirty daredevil. She couldn’t have actual interest.
But what if she did. “Well shit, I didn’t mean to scare you off like that.” So she texted back quickly.
“Haha. Nah, some guys came in.” A lie of course, but easier to lie than admit she was right and he was spiraling. “You in bed doesn’t scare me off at all.”
Bold of himself he thought. It did in fact scare him, but not off. Probably nothing she did could scare him off, she’d already killed his goons. Hell he was supposed to kill her for doing so, but here he was, flirting with her instead.
“Well, now I’m blushing.” He smiled at that, to see the skin in her face warm up with something he said. She was probably joking, but the thought made his stomach feel warm, probably showing the color her human face could.
He wanted to reply something to that, that he’d love to see the red on her face. Her blush, her anything. He’d just love to see her again. In a different context. He gave up that idea, and asked another question.
“What’s your favourite color?” Dumb, dumb fucking question. Stupid. But he texted it quicker than he thought.
If she asked him back he would want to say the color of her blush, which he’d never seen, the lace probably made her face red. But the meeting room was too red to even tell if it was. Fuck, now he had to think about what his favourite color was if she did ask.
“I like pink, or yellow, like dark yellow? Mustard color.” Mustard yellow. He’d always thought that was a weird looking color. Almost like when there are dust storms, bad days for maelstrom. The dust fucked with chrome worst than rain. Pink made sense though, he didn’t take her for a super feminine girl, but her guns were pink.
“Good colours.” He was expecting the answer back, but she surprised him.
“What were you like when you were a kid Dum?” Dum, she had called him that before, just shortening his name. Lots of people did, but she’d done it without… hearing anyone else. She changed his name, that felt good.
He reread the message, and thought real hard about his response. What was he like as a kid. Not a lot he could remember actually.
Shit in school, a shithead outside of school, joined the gang young, he’d already told her he was a dumbass. But none of those answers were worthy of the tough question she was asking. She didn’t ask for those answers. She wanted to know…him.
He let the question sit for a moment. It was a couple minutes before he replied, and honestly he was expecting her to text again. Maybe say something along the lines of you don’t gotta answer. But, he wanted to. Wanted to let her know him. So what was he like as a kid.
“I was a dumb kid. Didn’t like school, I liked art and music classes though. Math was shit. History was fun, but became bummed ‘bout that real quick. I ate a lot of sandwiches, climbed a lot of dumpsters. Tagged a lot of shit. Used to draw on the walls all the time.” It was an answer, true, but closed. He didn’t remember his childhood, who does. It was so long ago. But he knew that was true of himself.
“Your parents let you draw on walls?” Ha. Ha.
“Nah, ma hated it. But she gave up on trying to stop me.” Did he need to add more?
“Gotcha. I liked those classes too, phys ed as well. But my rents had me working on maths and tech way more. Wasn’t allowed to do much more arts after like grade three.”
Strict parents.
“Sorry to hear that. Art is fun. Are you creative V?” He was pushing the thought of counting her kills as an art form. But why. It was. She absolutely had a form of art. Checks out for the phys ed kid.
“I wouldn’t say I am. Don’t do nothing creative. Can’t even dance well.” She may not have been able to dance on a floor, but her movement, her spinning. That was like dancing. He subconciously let himself replay the spin on his scroll. He’d watched it many times before but never while talking to her.
“I’m sure you can dance real good V. I’d love to see it sometime.” Not that she’d ever let him. What were they gonna do, go dancing? He didn’t dance neither, it was a vague idea, but not one he’d discount. At this point he’d allowed himself more day dreams about this woman than he had had in the past two decades probably.
He was always thinking about her, imagining. Imagining what, he couldn’t even say. Not that any of it would ever come about. But there was something that felt very human in allowing himself to daydream anyway, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“I guess you’ll have to take me dancing then.” He spit out his beer at that. It made sense as a teasing text. She’d sent several of those, but still. It surprised him. He rushed to put the beer back down on the pallets and replied.
“I guess so. When and where?” He meant it, but he didn’t mean it.
He wanted to mean it, but it depended on how she took it. He really was just following her lead with all of this, from the beginning.
That was also irregular, Dum taking orders. Obviously he took them all the time from Brick and then from Royce, but in life, in relationships not including his very specific work, almost never. But here he was, letting her lead.
“Hm… How about one of the bars city center area, say in two and a half weeks?” She texted back quickly. Specific timeline, and not taken as a joke.
Shit, maybe he was actually going to go out with this woman at some point. He didn’t let himself get all that swept up in the excitement of the idea, but he couldn’t help some.
Two and a half weeks, must be after her big gig. So that would be soon.
He typed and deleted the texts several times before settling and sending it anyway.
“Sure, can’t wait.” If she wasn’t kidding around, he actually… he would actually be seeing the merc again.
She didn’t reply immediately, and he had hit the Keef enough that his head was clouded entirely. Ended up shooting a text to Lars.
“I think we’re gonna go dancing in a couple weeks?”
Lars replied immediately. “I’d never dance with you.” Dum snorted at that. And before he could reply Lars had barged into the room, and shrugged onto couch with him. His drink in hand.
“Shit man, you got a date with the merc?”
“I don’t think it’s a date.” Dum shut off his eyes and leaned back. Waiting for her to reply.
“Why not? You said dancing. That’s date shit man.” Lars had reached over and grabbed his S-Keef out of Dum’s hand and took a hit.
“I highly doubt she wants to go on a date with me man.” It was easy to let down his guard and express any negative thoughts with Lars, and only Lars. But he stopped himself from saying the rest of his thoughts. Self depreicating as they were.
He wasn’t sure he could allow those thoughts out of his head. Why the fuck would she even want to see him, a date? She was gorgeous, if she was a chrome chaser, wouldn’t they have seen her before.
Maybe the guys were right though, that she just chased that higher end tech chrome and Dum was just the fun fuck around flavor of the week.
“Why not? You’re a good looking dude, for someone without a face.” Dum laughed at that.
“You’re one to talk.” Dum didn’t have the top half, that was certain, but he definitely had a more human looking lower half of his face than half the guys. Lars had a giant part of his face just protruding, his optics and upper lip all one big connected piece. He certainly looked less…. human than Dum did. More machine. Even though with the rest of their chrome, they were pretty evenly matched.
“Well, you kept that pretty face of yours for a reason, didn’t ya? Why’s it so hard to believe she might like it?”
Dum fought the urge to loudly sigh. He did keep his faceplate mostly intact. He had his optics sure, but they definitely looked… well different from the other guys.
He was one of the few that did. He didn’t know exactly the reason he chose to keep his looks relatively the same as before he went through initiation. Most chose their chrome, or just ended up with it after injuries.
It was all required, for initiation and the whole ritual and rites. But he definitely made the conscious decision to keep himself… like himself. Probably the same reason he got and kept a memory implant. To not lose himself entirely.
V texted back. “It’s a date then.” Dum laughed at that and showed it to Lars.
“Fucking told you man. You got a date with the hot merc.” Lars was horizontal on the couch and kicked Dums leg for emphasis. “She likes you dude.” Dum smirked, he didn’t want to let himself really allow all the thoughts to go wild, but he couldn’t help but feel the excitement creeping up.