Guns and Roses

Chapter 3

Michael stirred, not sure of when he fell asleep. As he gradually left sleep's embraces, he found himself wrapped in a thick blanket and his wrists uncuffed. He silently thanked the soul that showed him this compassion and snuggled up tighter in its warmth. Just then, the door banged open and he jumped in terror as the Blue Gangster and the men from last night stood at the entrance.

"Get over here." Her voice was as cold as the room and filled him with the same dread as a child about to get beaten by their parent.

Hesitantly, he wrapped the blanket around himself and set his feet on the icy ground.

"Leave it."

His eyes resembled those of a beaten puppy as he silently pleaded with her to keep the blanket since he had only his boxers that did little to chase away the chill. But her cold eyes remained impassive as he reluctantly unwrapped the blanket from himself and followed her out of the room, fearful for what may happen to him now.

He was led out of what he figured to be the basement and up to the main level which was covered in white tile. But before he could inspect it any further, he was led down a hallway and shoved into a massive room.

Light beige carpet covered the entire floor, including the three steps that led down to it. A large bed and closet laid on the right side of the room while a bathroom lay on the left. The Blue Gangster sat on the bed and tossed him a towel.

"Hurry up, we don't have all day."

Michael hurried into the bathroom and shut the door. Hesitantly, he stepped out of his boxers, turned on the showerhead, and let his tears run freely. He wished he never even stepped foot out of his house that night. After taking the quickest shower of his life, he swiftly stepped into his boxers, not wanting to anger the Blue Gangster. Cracking open the door, he peeked his head out to see her sitting on the bed with an impassive face.

"Um...I...I don't have...a shirt...or–"

"Quit wasting my time and get over here."

Michael flinched at her tone but wrapped the towel around himself before stepping out back into the room. She studied his figure with a predatory gaze while all he could do was look down in shame as disgust with himself settled.

"As you probably have guessed by now, this will be your room. Since you don't have any clothes, we'll take you tomorrow to get some. Until then, you can borrow Archer's."

A belt that he didn't notice in her hands was wrapped around his neck and yanked him closer to face her.

"And if you try to escape between now and then, you'll only be wishing you were dead."

She traced a finger slowly down his face before getting up and leaving the room. Rogue, Dom, and Blade followed her out as Archer stayed behind.

"I didn't really know your size so I had to guess. But here are some pants and shirts."

He laid out three full outfits on the bed and turned away to give him some privacy. As Michael decided on a pair of black slacks and a dark emerald green shirt, Archer spoke again.

"She's not entirely like that you know."

Michael began fastening the belt around the pants when he turned to Archer confused. "What?"

"The Blue Gangster. She's usually not all tough and cold. You should give her a chance."

Michael scoffed as he finished putting on the outfit, the shirt and pants lightly hanging off his small frame. "I think she's made it very clear she doesn't want anything to do with me."

Archer turned back around to face him. "Initial impressions aren't always definitive."

Michael seemed to ponder over this, but his mind wasn't convinced. After choosing out a pair of shoes, the two walked out of the room.

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"If I may suggest M–Blue, maybe you should attempt to be nicer to–"

"Oh not this again!" Makhal threw her hand up in exasperation. As soon as the four of them made it into the living room, Dom initiated the same conversation again.

"He's right." Rogue interjected. "You are planning on using him as your escort. If you want people to believe this act, you'll not only need to appear interested in him but also know him on a personal level."

"Yeah, and the gathering is two weeks from now, which doesn't give us much time." Blade pointed out.

She stood there pissed off because she knew those three were right. But she wasn't sure if she'd be willing to truly let him into her heart. For surface level appearances, she was willing to put up a façade for the public but nothing beyond that. But that would still require her to take their advice and get to know him better.

Archer was spotted coming into the room and the other three silently urged her to take their advice and put it into action. When Michael came, she fixed her sharp gaze on him until she remembered what they said and softened it a bit. Clasping her hands behind her back, she fumbled with her fingers.

"We need to make lunch...So...what do you want?"

Makhal could practically hear the four of them facepalm themselves and she too couldn't help but cringe a little. Michael, on the other hand, looked startled by her question as if he wasn't expecting it.

"Uh...I...Umm...Anything...is fine...with me."

"Really? You can'–" She began to scold him as she was used to but saw Archer out of the corner of her eyes giving some sort of weird subtle signal. But it did the trick as she slowed down and took a deep breath to rephrase. "Surely there must be something you want to have for lunch Michael."

At first she thought he was still in shock that she was attempting to be nice to him until he mentioned Chinese was good with him. She prompted one of the four to tell the chef and immediately all of them left, leaving Makhal and Michael alone together. After some pause, she cleared her throat and addressed him.

"Since we'll be getting you new clothes tomorrow, I expect you to pretend like you're dating me as we'll be in public. From now on, I expect you to call me Blue when we're not in public. When we are, stick to one of those cringey couple nicknames for now. Understand?"

Michael nodded timidly. She smirked and made her way over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "Since we're supposed to pretend like we're a couple, we might as well start now."

Michael didn't know what to do with himself as he just stood there. Makhal pretend pouted at him. "Well aren't you gonna kiss me back like a good boyfriend?"

Michael appeared as if he was in physical pain at her request. Bracing himself, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek, resisting the temptation to wipe his lip after the contact.

"Hmm. Could have been better. But the food is ready now. Let's go."

Much to his relief she began walking to the kitchen without him, allowing him to distance himself from her as much as possible. But even during lunch, she kept trying to link their hands together or snake hers up his leg. He felt utterly powerless as there was nothing he could do to stop her. So, he continued eating the best dish he's ever had while wishing those four had just killed him that night.