Chapter Text
Grey is not gentle, Addison learns. She does not play it safe - all she wants is to rile Addison up and utterly ruin her. It's how she finds herself in their current predicament, having sex in the showers of the gym, Addison uncontrollably lighting up only to be extinguished before she can truly burst aflame and cause real harm. She's propped against the wall, Grey's mouth pressed into the base of her neck, teeth harshly baring into her skin and fingers between her legs. She feels the heat simmering through her body, the water from the shower head hissing as it makes contact with her skin, steam near blinding her.
"Grey." She moans.
She either ignores or doesn't hear Addison, as her mouth begins to wander further down.
Her head is swimming, "Grey, I'm getting-"
Grey's tongue gently traces itself around a nipple. The steam is deafening.
"Grey, I-"
Grey's fingers curl.
She ignites as she climaxes - the water extinguishing her just a second later as Grey recoils to the other side of the shower. Grey's lips are bright pink, her gaze flicks down to her fingers in the same - arguably worse - state. Addison's pleasure quickly replaces itself with fear - had she hurt her? Did she screw it up? This is why she never had sex with normies - her last boyfriend had water powers to avoid this exact problem (although he was way too into ferry boats).
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I really didn't-"
Grey experimentally moves her fingers together and apart, "How bad? In your... professional opinion?"
She tilts her head, clinically examining her fingers, occasionally looking to the crook of her own elbow and thighs to compare burns, "Maybe first degree? You should ice it."
Grey's eyes - still mask-clad - darken as she steps forward, invading Addison's personal space, "Don't worry about it."
"But-"
"I'm serious. Don't worry about it." She whispers.
Grey kisses her again - firmly, roughly - moving Addison's hands to either side of her waist and guiding her fingers to dig into the skin. Addison presses her against the wall, frantically moving her knee between Grey's legs. She feels her hands heat up, hearing a faint sizzle and Grey moaning deeper into the kiss. Addison breaks it, sucking on the nape of her neck.
She can't help but stare afterwards, when they dry off in the locker room in silence, at Grey's back: bite marks beginning to bruise overtop a small collection of scars and the imprint of Addison's hands lingering on her hips, the skin red and tender.
"Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm made of glass."
Addison huffs, fingers struggling to button back on her shirt, "I'm just making sure you're still in one piece. You know, because we need to work in two days."
Grey hops into her pants, "Well, I'm fine. I may not have powers but you won't kill me with a little post-orgasm fire."
"I never said that."
"You implied it."
"I implied nothing - you're reading between lines that aren't there."
They glare at each other, now fully dressed, eyes trailing up and down each other's figures.
Grey clears her throat, "Wear your hair down next shift, you have a hickey." She suggests, trotting away. Addison's fingers trail to a tender spot below her ear, feeling the indent of Grey's teeth. The next day is a haze - her thoughts are tormented by flashes of the night before: Grey's teeth on her neck, the flames dancing on her skin, the flames dancing on Grey's skin, the kissing, the biting, the scratching, the patch of burnt off hair on Grey's leg. She's relieved that she doesn't work that day - her head sinking into her hands as she groans, Milo eyeing her judgementally.
Grey is staring at her when she sits at her desk - her gaze is hungry.
Teddy leans over the cubicle partition, "What did you do to piss her off this time?"
She breaks eye contact, shaking her head to look at Teddy, "No idea." She lies. She hates that the lie comes so easily.
Teddy simply shrugs in response, reaching over to scratch Milo behind the ear.
The sound of heavy footsteps divert their attention, "Addison."
Teddy straightens as Addison adjusts her hair, "Richard."
"Can I steal you for a second? I wanted to have a word before your shift."
Part of her panics - does he know? The last thing she wants to do is talk to Richard (or God forbid Ben in Human Resources) about her - albeit extremely inappropriate - sex life. Then she realises that Richard is using his 'friend' tone and not his 'boss' tone.
"Yeah, sure" she squeaks.
He directs her to sit at the head of the table in the conference room - the rest of the team (sans Grey) already sitting.
"Alright, now that..." his eyes scan the room, he raises a brow, "Where's Grey Ghost?"
Glacier fiddles with her fingers, "She said she needed to go to the bathroom."
Richard sighs, "I guess we'll just-"
The door is opened abruptly, cutting him off as Grey Ghost strides in, flopping into the seat between Hard Head & Brainwave, "Sorry."
Richard waves her off, "It's alright." He clears his throat, "I just wanted to say that I am really pleased with everyone's performance last shift and as promised..." He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a bedazzled brick.
"That's the prize?" Virtue asks.
Golden Guy tilts his head, "What is that?"
"A pager?"
Richard grins, "It's not just any pager Addison, this is a sparkle pager."
"So? What's so special about it?" Phantom asks.
"It's the holy grail. For the next three months, any interesting calls across the entire branch go to this pager and you have the right to take it from the team that got it."
A small chorus - sounds of approval.
"Because you all agreed to share it as a team, I'll leave it to Addison's discretion." He announces, walking over to her side of the table and gently placing the pager in front of her.
"Good luck on your shift today." He says, walking away.
A moment of silence.
"So what? We suck up now?" Brightburn jokes.
Addison laughs, "Just - just do your jobs."
Grey glares at her neck the entire meeting.
She goes through the motions: Brightburn performs a wellness check, Glacier goes to a ribbon cutting to represent SDN, and Virtue dissolves a domestic dispute. She's grateful the calls are tame so far.
"Hey, has anybody been to The Pink Door before?" Virtue asks.
"Yeah. Great Italian, why?" Grey Ghost answers.
"I have a date."
Brainwave gasps, "Wait, seriously? Who?"
"Matthew?" Golden Guy asks.
"Yeah."
Brightburn squeals, "Finally! God, what took him so long?"
"Maybe he's gay. No straight guy waits two months to ask a girl out." Glacier laughed.
Grey scoffed, "Why would he ask her out in the first place, then?"
"Maybe he had herpes." Brainwave suggests.
Hard Head chuckles, "That wouldn't stop him from asking her out."
Phantom sighs, "He was probably just nervous. Dating is scary, especially when you're out of practice. You've just gotta relax, be mellow-"
"She knows how to date, Phantom." Brainwave chides.
Golden Guy huffs, "Do we have to talk about this now?"
"I do have to agree guys, these calls are recorded." Addison interjects.
"Seriously?" Glacier asks.
"Yeah, for training."
"Oh come on, Addison - it's not like anything fun is happening right now, anyway." Brainwave jabs.
The sparkle pager goes off twice: the first time, she sends Brainwave to disarm a bomb (Golden Guy accompanying as insurance) - the second, she sends Phantom, Hard Head & Grey Ghost to dismantle a fight club. As always, something goes wrong. She's trying to have her lunch in peace, her and Teddy seated in the break room as they pick apart their food.
Teddy becomes preoccupied, looking behind Addison to the doorway, "What happened to you?"
Addison turns around. She notices the bruising first. Grey's Jaw and cheekbone are a bright red, almost beginning to purple. It trails to the bridge of her nose, where she sees the worst of it. It's a brighter shade than the rest of her face, swelling to match. A tissue has been hastily shoved into a nostril, soaking blood. There's a small cut across the bridge.
Grey reaches into the fridge to grab a sandwich, "You should see the other guy."
Hard Head and Phantom trail in behind her, looking equally bruised but less bloody and broken; they reach for their lunches and leave the room. Grey leans against the counter, slowly unwrapping the foil.
"Your nose looks broken." Addison observes.
"First time for everything."
"You should really get someone to look at that."
"I'm fine."
Addison returns to her food in a huff, exchanging an exasperated glance with Teddy. Teddy simply shrugs. Addison hears a crunch. She whips her head around to find Grey's fingers pressing against opposite sides of the bridge of her nose.
"No!" Addison barks.
Addison strides over as Grey groans, "Relax, I'm - fuck."
She grabs her wrists, "If you're going to set it, do it right."
"Jesus, why do you care?"
"Because you injuring yourself makes my job harder."
Teddy wordlessly sets the trauma kit on the counter, leaving with her container.
Grey smirks, "So you can excuse burns?"
"That's different."
"Is it?"
"Shut up." Addison growls, opening the kit.
"Make me."
She shoves Grey's sandwich into her mouth.
A huff. She removes the tissue in silence, crouching slightly to look into the nostril with a flashlight.
A swallow, "What are you doing?"
"We're not in a hospital, I have to improvise."
The internal bones look fine, nothing she needs to directly interfere with. She reaches for the tape.
"I had a dream we were having sex last night. We were airborne, I think."
Addison rips off a strip of tape, "How was I?"
"I didn't finish."
"Not what I asked. We're talking about me."
Grey smiled, only to wince a second later.
"Hold still, I need to make sure you can't mess this up again."
She complies. Addison finishes applying the splint in silence.
Addison carefully packs the bleeding part with gauze, "What did I tell you about getting into fights you can't win?"
"You said knife fight, actually. I didn't get into any of those."
Addison huffs, "You seriously need to be more careful Grey. You're not immortal."
Immortal comes out sharper than she intends, Grey's gaze hardens.
"Whatever." She growls, stuffing the sandwich into her mouth and storming out.
Grey seems hellbent on pushing her buttons for the rest of the shift. She volunteers for the riskier, more confrontational calls. Addison ignores the requests.
"I really don't want you fighting with your nose the way it is."
"It's really not that bad."
"Well, I don't want to deal with you choking on your own blood mid-fight, Grey."
"Come on, put her in, coach." Hard Head goads.
"She fights better than half of us." Brightburn chimes.
"Isn't it like, discrimination to bench her because she doesn't have powers?" Brainwave teases.
"I'm not discriminating, she's injured."
"Hard Head & I got hurt too, you're not benching us." Phantom observes.
"Did you guys break anything?"
"...No..."
"Exactly."
She's grateful when her shift ends, the afterglow of the sunset illuminating the office. She throws off her headset in a huff, leaning back in her chair.
Teddy looks over the partition, "Rough shift?"
"Grey is... Grey."
She nods, "You wanna grab a drink?"
"Absolutely."
Teddy takes her to a hero bar named Joe's. It's surprisingly close to the SDN building.
"What are you drinking?"
"Gin martini."
Teddy nods, scurrying away from their corner table over to the bar. Addison lets her eyes wander, taking in her surroundings. She settles at the bar, Teddy picking up their drinks with a smile. Her breath hitches when Grey Ghost scowls at her. Brightburn is sitting next to her, happily chatting away and occasionally diverting Grey's attention. Phantom appears from nowhere in the stool beside Brightburn, joining in the conversation. She catches a smile on Grey's face. Her heart is in her throat.
"Hello? Earth to Addison?"
She whips around to Teddy, now standing over her, drinks in hand.
"Hey, don't let her get you down. She'll come around."
"I wasn't."
Teddy sits down, her tone is teasing, "Right."
"I'm serious."
Teddy chuckles, shaking her head, "Alright. How're you feeling though, really? Getting used to it all?"
She stares over Teddy's shoulder at the commotion in the other corner of the bar - Hard Head & Brainwave are in an argument of some kind, Glacier & Virtue are standing between them.
"I think so."
Teddy grins, "Great! I'm so glad."
"You're more glad than I am."
Teddy scrunches her mouth, "Well, my girlfriend and I may or may not have... Bet on it."
She raises a brow, "You're seeing someone?"
"Yeah. Cris- Brainwave & I are..." Teddy looks back over her shoulder to Brainwave, doing shots with Grey, she smiles.
A quiver in her throat, she smiles, "I didn't know that was-"
"Allowed?"
"Well, yeah."
"I'm not her dispatcher so there's no real conflict of interest. Besides, we cleared it with HR and we keep it out of the office."
"And if you were?"
Teddy laughs, "It'd be a HR nightmare."
Addison purses her lips together in a tight-lipped smile, forming a straight line.
She drinks more than she probably should. Teddy leaves later, half-carrying a horribly drunk Brainwave.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, Teddy. I'm fine."
"You're sure? I can come get you after I drop her off, maybe call you a cab?"
"It's okay, Teddy, really."
Teddy sighs, "Okay, just... Call me if anything changes, okay?"
"I will."
She moves to the bar - it's faster to get her drinks that way. Her head starts spinning. She feels... lighter. Her internal monologue fades into gibberish. Her peace is short-lived.
"Two tequilas."
She turns - Grey is sitting next to her, the splint around her nose is unchanged and the bruising is morphing into a bluer colouration.
The bartender wordlessly hands them to her.
Addison clears her throat, "I thought you were getting free drinks."
Grey downs the first shot, "I am. It's on Jac- Golden Guy's tab."
She swallows the quiver in her throat, "Where is everybody, then?"
"They went home. Where's Teddy?"
"She went home. Why are you still here?"
She downs the second shot, turning to face her (She never realised just how piercing her eyes are), "I don't know. Why're you?"
A familiar heat - she's scared she's going to light the stool ablaze, "I don't know."
Grey's pupils dilate ever so slightly.
Addison takes a deep breathe, "Your place or mine?"
"I have roommates."
"Mine it is."
She's grateful she owns fireproof sheets. She can't think much else as Grey is on top of her, grinding on Addison's thigh as her knee presses between Addison's legs. The sheet acts as a kind of barrier between them, Addison using any and all concentration to not ignite.
Grey kisses her again - firmly, with intent, "Stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Holding back."
Her head swims, "I don't want to hurt you." She breathes.
She nips her neck with her teeth, "You won't."
Addison flips her.
They lie next to each other in the afterglow, their breaths overlapping like countermelodies. She turns her head to look at Grey, the faint pink shadow of Addison's hands over her chest, her collarbone bruised.
Grey huffs, "I'm fine."
"I didn't say anything."
She turns to face Addison, laying on her side, "You didn't have to."
She had taken the mask off - for such a small change it feels so different. Somehow her eyes felt more vivid that way. Like deep blue pools Addison had to resist drowning in.
Addison turns fully, "I just don't-"
"Want to hurt me? You said that already."
Addison rolls onto her back, presses her palms into her eyes and sighs.
"Look, do you want a safe word or something?"
"This isn't going to happen again."
"We both know that's not true."
The silence is deafening.
"...Rocket."
"What?"
"The safe word."
She clicks her tongue, "Rocket it is."
Grey doesn't stay the night.
It becomes routine: they go to work, they fight, Grey runs headfirst into danger, Addison patches her up, they fight, they have horrendously inappropriate sex (usually at Addison's, occasionally in the office), they fight. The safe word is used four times, always by Addison. The first time, she's kissing Grey's neck as she digs into Addison's back with her nails, her head steaming in response. The second time, Grey's head is between her legs as Addison grips into her hair, her face burning. The third, Grey is whispering into her ear everything she's going to do to her as her fingers are wedged between Addison's legs, the sheets beginning to smoke. The fourth results in the two migrating from the bed to the shower.
She makes the mistake of not paying close attention to her reflection one morning, walking to her desk and setting Milo down, sinking into her chair with a groan.
Teddy turns to her, "Rough night?"
"Something like that." Addison sighs, leaning further back into her chair, swiveling slightly.
Teddy's eyes flicked to her collar, "Looks at it was a pretty good time, at least."
"Sorry?"
"You have a uh-" Teddy gestures around her collarbone, "A hickey."
She checks herself with her phone, frantically buttoning her shirt higher, "Shit. Thanks."
"No problem."
Here it comes.
Teddy rolls her chair closer to Addison's, "So, how long has that been going on?" She whispers conspiratorially.
"Teddy-"
"What? I'm trying to be supportive! I'm happy you're getting some."
Addison fiddles with her fingers, "It's complicated."
Teddy nods, "Complicated can be good. Great sex comes from complicated."
If only she knew.
"Look, we can talk about it later, okay? This isn't exactly a... safe for work conversation."
Teddy chuckles, pretending to zip her lips.