Chapter Text
1:37 PM - Tuesday
Abbie struggled for purchase in the enclosed space. Sure, she was smaller in stature. But the opening didn't take into account her hips, which were currently hanging out of said hole and Crane was refusing to do anything more than a light touch to her thighs before backing away and muttering about how indecent it was.
For crying out loud, she thought. They were well into three years of knowing each other and doing the Witness business. He should be used to having to deal with having to occasionally grope her, and vice versa. Hell, just last week they had to prove they were a couple and she had randomly snatched him into a kiss to celebrate their winning a dart tournament, which he had thankfully very eagerly returned despite later complaining that it was so scandalous.
"You should have thought about that before your skinny, light pole self refused to removed half your clothes to get in here," Abbie snarled. She felt herself starting to slip out of the tunnel. "God dammit Crane, put your hands on my ass and push!"
"Very well," he groused.
Abbie's eyes widened when firm, long fingered hands grabbed a handful a piece and pushed. Although that was the most excitement she had in that general region for a while, there was no denying that maybe she had enjoyed that just a little too much. Next he grabbed her knees and she tried not to think about his head between her legs as he gave her another push.
"Almost there," Abbie called back to him.
Next was her ankles and then she was inside the narrow tunnel, wriggling her way to the solitary beam of sunlight a few feet ahead.
"Remember to be cautious not to disturb the bloom when you cut it," Crane chimed.
Abbie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she muttered. "Just remember the agreement. You'd help me out if there was a pollen accident. And I would help you out."
"I would rather the circumstances of taking one for the team did not arise, Lieutenant," Crane replied. He said something further, but it was lost to Abbie because, one, she was in a hole; two, she was too busy rolling her eyes and mimicking him.
"I can always wiggling my way back out and you and climb in, Ichabod," Abbie said flatly. "I know you have issues with closed in spaces, but if you think you can do a better job than me, I'd be happy to oblige, Captain."
Maybe she was getting a little too annoyed with him. Then again, she was the one that was going to be caked in mud and having to deal with random bouts of dirt-in-hair for God knows how long. Not to mention she was putting her neck on the line to retrieve a "mystical flower" that they had to keep from pollinating until the right time.
Abbie started mentally cursing everything.
Stupid flower. Stupid Apocalypse. Stupid angels. Stupid witches. Stupid son-of-a-bitching demons. Stupid fellow witness.
She had half a mind to give him the biggest bear hug she could muster once she got out of the hole. Just to watch him squirm over his clothes getting covered in mud and filth. Especially since she knew he had recently gotten that damn jacket dry cleaned.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she reached the hollow where the blossom rested in a beam of sunlight filtering from a drain over head. It was a beautiful golden flower speckled with dark spots near the edges of the bloom. Bright pink stamens were curled around a bulging pocket in the middle like little neon curlicues.
"Okay, I'm at it, Crane," Abbie called, pulling a ziplock bag from her shirt. She wormed her hand into her jeans pocket, a considerable feat considering how snugly she fit in the hole, to pull out a multi-tool. She found the little scissors on the tool and carefully snipped the flower. Abbie eased it into the ziplock.
Before she could close up the bag, the pocket at the middle let out a soft puff of pink and made a deflating noise. Abbie quickly zipped it up and sneezed loudly. She froze and started mentally swearing for an entirely different reason. Of all the things that they had been warned about, getting contaminated by the pollen was the one thing that had been emphasized, by the angels that wanted it, to not allow to happen under any circumstances.
Abbie closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten. When she opened her eyes, nothing seemed different. None of the adverse affects the angels had warned against were taking place. She wasn't uncontrollably horny. She didn't want to jump Crane as soon as she got out of the hole... Well, no more than usual anyway.
"Lieutenant," Crane said, his tone full of warning.
"Captain," Abbie called back sweetly. "All is good. Now pull me out of here."
Crane grasped her ankles and Abbie soon found herself with her feet on semi-level ground, Crane pressed against her back. She turned and wrapped her arms around his waist in a crushing bear hug, making sure to squish as much mud on him as possible. She stepped back and admired her handiwork with a grin.
He looked ready to spontaneously combust, eye twitching and everything.
"One cursed flower, collected," she said, smacking Crane on the back side as she breezed past him. "Let's get this to the angels, Lady Killer. And then... we get to go explain to Reyes why I need the day off."
As they made their way out of the tunnels, she heard Crane questioningly mutter, "Lady Killer?"