Archive of Our Own ^beta

Sapphire’s pulse thrummed in her temple as her eyes grew ultramarine. She focused all of her energy on the one spot in the darkened corridor, willing time to march backwards. She just needed to turn back three minutes, maybe four...As she concentrated, she felt, rather than saw, the shadows receding. 

As the inky blackness crossed the threshold out of the door, Silver solidified in the space, blinking rapidly as if awakening from a deep sleep. “What happened?”

Sapphire ignored his question, ignored the pressure building in her head, ignored the evil force pushing back against her power, and told herself to keep going. She had to get to Steel. And, suddenly, there he was in the room, collapsing ungracefully on the floor. Her eyes resumed their normal colour, and she graced both her colleagues with a taut smile.

Steel clambered to his feet and brushed off his suit. “Did you take back time?” he demanded more sharply than the situation required.

She stiffened, and her hands folded in front of her as if in supplication. “You and Silver were both gone. I didn’t have a choice.”

The steeliness in his gaze softened as much as was possible. He had earned his moniker for a reason, after all. “Good thinking.” He gave her arm a squeeze, and she flushed with pride.

Silver’s jovial face beamed at her. “Sapphire, you’re magnificent! I might just kiss you.”

Sapphire beamed back at her companion, while Steel scowled. “Shouldn’t we leave this room before the exact same fate befalls us?” he asked pointedly.

Sapphire noticed the darkness had started to creep into the room again. “Don’t let the shadow touch you, or you’ll disappear.” She motioned to the exit on the opposite side of the room, and the two men followed her out.

“We need to find somewhere safe to work where we can devise a plan to eliminate this anomaly once and for all,” said Steel.

“Most of the first floor is already overrun with shadows,” Sapphire informed him.

“What about the upper floor?”

She squinted as she worked out the calculations in her head. “At the current rate the darkness is moving, it will be on the upper floor in 22 point 3 minutes.”

“That doesn’t give us much time.” Silver’s cheerful tone belied the urgency of the situation.

Steel cast a withering glare in Silver’s direction, and Sapphire jumped in before he could make a snarky comment. “Besides, the staircase to the second storey has already been consumed,” she added. “We need to find an alternate path upstairs.”

Silver flexed his fingers. “Leave it to me. I’ll make us a portal to the top floor in no time.” He surveyed the detritus scattered around the room and plucked a few metallic items. He placed his free hand on the doorknob to the adjoining room. “Sapphire?”

“The next two rooms are safe,” she confirmed. Humming, he sauntered off.

As soon as Silver was gone, Steel’s frown intensified. “He certainly is not a man of his word.” 

Sapphire was not following his train of thought. “Who?”

“Your boy Silver.”

She tried to remain composed; it would do no good to encourage Steel’s ire. “He’s not my boy.”

“You’re right,” Steel goodnaturedly agreed. “He’s your boy, and Copper’s boy, and anyone else’s he’s happened to charm.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it? I feel Silver himself would find that description remarkably accurate.” He knew he had crossed a line. He could tell by Sapphire’s inscrutable gaze. Which was why he was surprised when she grasped his hand. 

Noting his look of confusion, Sapphire nodded at the encroaching darkness behind his shoulder. “Time to move.” She tugged him into the adjacent room that Silver had entered moments before. 

Silver was rummaging through a drawer. He didn’t even glance up at their arrival. “I need one more thing,” he muttered. He stomped off into the final room.

“Well, hurry it up!” Steel called after him.

Deep in thought, Sapphire crossed her arms. “What promise did Silver break?” 

Befuddled, Steel quirked an eyebrow. “Eh?”

“You said he wasn’t a man of his word.”

Steel’s face resumed its normal placid expression. “He said he just might kiss you. But he didn’t go through with it.”

Sapphire’s laugh tinkled like myriad of crystalline bells. “It’s not that simple--”

“Why not? Isn’t he a man of action?” He was in her personal space, standing toe to toe, his steely grey eyes penetrating her being. “If I were him, I wouldn’t even waste time on words. I would just do it.”

She swallowed. “Do what?”

He leaned forward and grazed her mouth with his. The kiss was soft and gentle, as if her lips were delicate petals that would break with any pressure. Steel had kissed her before, but always on the cheek and in the spur of the moment after she had done something particularly clever. A sort of “Atta girl.” This was...different.

Sapphire’s mind opened to his. Steel…

Yes?  

“All done!” Silver crowed, as he scurried back into the room. 

Sapphire and Steel slowly moved apart, unconcerned that their companion had caught them in an intimate moment. Silver tossed his contraption into the air, and a portal burst open, shimmering in the empty space.

“Oh, Silver it’s brilliant!” she exclaimed. “I could just--”

“--Kiss him?” Steel sardonically finished.

Sapphire shook her head. “I am a woman of action. Why simply say it, when I can do it?” she teased. And I don't feel like kissing him, her mind whispered to his. She clasped Steel’s hand again and gently nudged him towards the portal. “Come along.”

With a ghost of a smile, Steel hopped into the portal with his partner.