Biker Mice From Mars - Somewhere I Belong

Frozen Inside

As all color drained from her face, Pux slapped a hand across her mouth, though it might be said it was a little too late for that.
The damage had already been done, and the already very loaded tension now peaked to an astonishing level, sucking all the oxygen out of the room.
Whilst O'Neill buried his face in his hands, softly muttering something about teenagers and their non-existent ability to restrain themselves, Throttle and Modo stared at the blonde girl with their lower jaws practically resting on the greasy floor.
But they weren't the ones Pux was looking at with her blue eyes wide open and her hand still covering her mouth.
No, she had only eyes for Vinnie.
The white-furred Martian was standing with his back toward her, as he had been planning on putting his helmet on the seat of his bike after removing it from his head, but then there was Pux all of a sudden, dropping this news on him like a goddamn missile and thereby rocking his foundation with devastating power.

The shock that went through his imposing body was big enough to see with the naked eye, and his tail flicked with such speed that it became nothing but a white blur as his helmet slipped through his furry fingers.
The red and silver object fell on the floor with a dull thud, although it sounded more like a gunshot, and Pux flinched while her breathing accelerated almost to the point of hyperventilation due to this peculiar mix of regret and sheer dread that was suddenly squeezing her throat quite ruthlessly.
Fuck, how could she have been so stupid?
So goddamn foolish.
If only she could take it back, preferably before Vinnie would turn around.
She didn't want him to turn around.
She didn't want to look him in the eye and see what her words did to him, simply because it wasn't her place to witness that moment, just like it hadn't been her place to tell him Charley's secret.
At least, not like this.
Sure, her so-called rational inner voice kept telling her that the whole kidnap situation didn't leave her much of a choice, and maybe that stupid voice was right, but still.
A little subtlety never hurt anyone.

For a brief moment, there was just silence.
Just plain silence, and yet it was so significant.
Eerie, too.
Never had she known that silence could be so goddamn scary, but she knew now.
What she didn't know was how to deal with this smothering tension, and before she even knew it, her blue eyes flashed toward Throttle, if only for a few seconds.
She wasn't sure why, maybe she was searching for some backup, or maybe she just wanted him to tell her that everything was going to be okay.
That this, all this, wasn't her fault, although she had no idea why she was seeking refuge in the tan-furred Martian all of a sudden, for he had been anything but kind to her.
But she had seen the way he was with Charley, and she knew that under that cold and authoritative mask of his, there was a whole other side of him.
Kind, reassuring, comforting... lovingly, even.
In all fairness, all she needed right now was that smile he always gave Charley.
The one that literally screamed 'it's okay and if it's not, it will be'.

But, much to her disappointment, that particular smile wasn't there.
Not even so much as a curled-up corner of his mouth.
No, there was only shock along with something that seemed to be a hint of anger written upon the tan-furred mouse' face while he softly gnashed his teeth, as though he was trying very hard to keep himself under control.
The silver lining was that his eyes were no longer focused on her but on Vinnie, making breathing a little less difficult now she knew that his inner turmoil wasn't directed at her.
As her eyes darted back to Vinnie, Pux caught a glimpse of Modo's face, only to see him looking at his young bro as well, but unlike Throttle, he didn't look angry.
Shocked, yes, though to a lesser extent and then there was a certain... sympathy?
Or maybe even concern, as if he wasn't entirely sure how Vinnie was going to take this.
Yeah, well, welcome to the club.
By the looks of things, everyone was dying to find out what his response was going to be, though the signs he gave away were anything but promising.
As he kept clenching and unclenching his fists, Vinnie slowly turned around with his back as straight as an arrow, and the moment the blonde girl caught sight of his face, a soft squeak tried to make it out of her mouth but got stuck in her throat instead as she fought the rather convincing urge to just run away and never look back.
In response, Vinnie's left ear twitched, and so did a teeny-tiny muscle close to his nose as his flaming eyes locked with blue ones.