33 CH-33: A Future Steal

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Felicia and I remained on the ground, our knuckles pressed against it, as sweat trickled down our faces.

The atmosphere grew tense as a newspaper landed beside me, its headline boldly proclaiming, 'Thieves Stopped by Captain Britain' accompanied by a photo of me engaged in combat with the towering figure from the helicopter.

"What were you thinking?" Fox's voice rumbled, his attempt to maintain composure evident in his grip on the tea cup.

"We didn't plan-" I began, but he swiftly cut me off.

"Not you!" He snapped. "Felicia, speak."

"I-I just thought..." Felicia stammered, clearly taken aback by his rage and disappointment.

"What?!" He yelled, leaping to his feet in a fit of anger. "That I would be proud or feel corrected?"

"No! This is exactly why I said you weren't ready, and you just proved it!" He slammed his hand on the table, causing tea to spill onto the floor.

"Hey, it's not that-" I attempted to interject once more, only to be interrupted again.

"Shut up!" He yelled, placing the cup forcefully on the table before turning back to face us. "You'll have your turn."

He took a deep breath, his anger still palpable, but I also detected a hint of worry and concern in his demeanor.

Fox strode across the lawn, hands clasped tightly behind his back, his eyes fixated on us with an intense glare.

"You're reckless." He muttered, directing his words at Felicia.

"Do you understand that if you had been caught, you would have spent the rest of your life in a dark cell, growing old with no one to talk to, never seeing the light of day again?"

Felicia remained silent, unable to find the words to respond.

"This is not a game, Felicia." He sighed, shaking his head in sorrow. "You could die in this line of work."

"Hey, ease up on her." I finally interjected, breaking my silence for the first time since the conversation began.

"Ha." Fox scoffed, his head snapping towards me, his eyes burning with disappointment.

"You." He growled. "Don't even get me started on you."

"Then don't."

"You knew how dangerous this job was, you knew the magnitude of trouble you would both be in if you were caught, and yet, you let her do it." He shook his head, a disbelieving smile playing on his lips. "But the worst part is, you went along with her."

"And that's precisely why we're here instead of being bundled into a black car with our heads covered, on our way to some dungeon." I reasoned.

"None of this would have happened if you had just stopped her in the first place."

"We all have to start somewhere in this line of work. Our choices don't define our path." I raised my head and met his gaze with determination. "Your words, not mine."

"Both you and I know that's not what I meant." He spat out in fury, matching my intense glare. "What if she hadn't made it back?"

"Why do you think I went with her?" I raised an eyebrow.

Fox stared at me, his face cycling through a rapid range of emotions.

"Get out of my sight." He muttered. "Both of you."

I shook my head, straightened my posture, and wiped the sweat off my face as I made my way to the table. Meanwhile, Felicia hesitated, torn between apologizing or remaining silent.

I could understand both perspectives. Felicia was just a kid, thinking this was all a game, while Fox was genuinely concerned for her safety. I couldn't blame either of them, but I believed my decision had led to the best possible outcome, and I wasn't going to apologize for it.

In the end, Felicia chose to stay quiet and retreated back to the house.

After some time, I finished clearing out half of the items in the kitchen and started heading back to my room. Along the way, I spotted Felicia sitting on the lawn, her legs curled up in the snow.

[She looks sad and weak]

"Most kids do after being yelled at by their favorite uncle." I sighed and walked calmly towards her.

"Hey." I called out. She flinched as I sat down next to her.

"Hey." She replied, sounding like a saddened puppy.

"Normally, I'd ask if you're okay, but I'm pretty sure you're not. So, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say." I honestly revealed.

She chuckled softly, then shook her head with a long, tired sigh.

We both gazed at the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The snow had cleared somewhat, and the sky was bright. The chilly wind swayed the frozen branches in a rhythmic manner.

"The things from yesterday keep flashing in my mind." She confessed, her shoulders slumping wearily.

"But it wasn't even your fault." I reassured her, offering a smile as she slowly tilted her head, her snow-white hair falling over her face.

"But I came up with the plan, I forced you into it." She argued.

I smiled, gently placing my hand on her shoulder and giving her a slight shake.

"You didn't force me, Felicia. I joined because I wanted to." I assured her.

"Liar." She countered.

"No." I shook my head. "It's true that I couldn't let you go alone, I was worried but I also came with you because..."

I locked eyes with her, waiting for her to listen.

"I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't slacking off."

Felicia narrowed her eyes, disbelief evident, before bursting into laughter.

"Slacking off? You? Ha!" She laughed, clutching her stomach as if she had heard a great joke. I, however, felt confused.

"I don't know if you've heard, but 11-year-old boys slack off on homework, not spend their nights studying history, improving their linguistics skills or put their bodies through grueling workouts." She snorted, giving a judgmental look at my chiseled body.

"First, I'm 12, not 11. And second, they have their struggles, I have mine." I huffed, crossing my arms defensively.

"Sure." She rolled her eyes before falling silent.

"You know." I broke the silence after a moment, earning her attention. "I won't say what you did was wrong because I was a part of it too. But I'm sure you've learned from your mistake, and Fox was just worried about you. that old man might look all tough on the outside but he is a marshmallow in heart."

"Yeah." She nodded, a newfound joy in her tone.

Shortly after, she stood up with clenched fists and determined eyes. I smirked as I followed her toward the garden.

Fox sat peacefully, sipping his tea, seemingly oblivious to Felicia's approach.

"Fox." Felicia called out, her head slightly lowered.

Fox calmly placed the cup of tea on the table, turned to face her, and maintained a stern gaze that had slightly softened.

"I... I'm sorry." She said, taking a deep breath before locking eyes with him. "I'm sorry for not considering all the potential risks and putting myself in danger. I just wanted to be like my dad, to follow in his footsteps."

Fox rubbed his eyes and massaged his temples before slowly standing up and walking toward Felicia.

He paused near her, gazing down, and sighed, gently placing his hand on her head and ruffling her hair.

"Your father didn't become who he was by making careless decisions, kiddo." Fox smiled, and Felicia contemplated his words.

"I know." She nodded, a newfound joy evident in her voice.

"If you truly mean what you say." Fox continued, "if you genuinely want to follow in your father's footsteps, maybe it's time you joined us in a real heist."

"What?" She asked, doubt in her voice.

"Yeah." He said, pointing first at himself, then Felicia, and finally me.

"We're going on a real heist."

Felicia stared at him in shock before leaping forward and embracing him in a hug, burying her face in his suit and whispering a series of thank-yous.

"But no funny business this time, kids." He warned sternly, patting her shoulder.

"Yeah, got it." Felicia chimed in with a smile.

They both turned their attention toward me.

"I'm not making any promises." I shrugged.

They shook their heads, and I turned away, heading back into the mansion.

For now, I had a lot on my mind. The first thing being finding a buyer for the vibranium ax head.