Chapter Text
I
“There she is.” A man with a camera slung across his shoulder hides in the bushes next to a cute cafe in London. There he spots Lara Croft sitting at a table waiting for someone. Verdant leaves shuffle as he leans further out. He zooms in on his camera.
“One earl grey tea for you, coffee for muah.” Sam says as she sits down across from Lara. Sam’s gaze travels to her best friend. She bursts into giggles.
“What. Do I have something on my face?” Lara brings the back of her hand to her lips.
“No. I was just thinking about the masquerade ball. You may be perfect in most things, but when it comes to wooing, it’s adorable how you try.”
Lara crosses her arms. “I can…woo.”
Sam chuckles. “That sounded real convincing.”
“Well—I—“ Lara’s eyes flick to the small smirk growing on Sam’s lips.
“You came on too strong.”
“What.” Sam snickers.
Lara shrugs. “I got my glove print. I didn’t need a god to get it for me.” Lara lifts a single brow, lips mirroring Sam’s.
“Yeah yeah, you had Jonah play interference though.”
Lara’s playful smirk breaks into a bright smile as she meets Sam’s dark brown eyes. Both women let out mirthful chuckles. It’s been a while since they could sit like this, enjoying each other's company without the thought of impending doom hovering in the back of their minds.
“Do you think we’ll ever see Eshu again?” Sam asks.
“I don’t know.” Lara takes a sip of her tea, eyes crinkling as the warm fluid warms her belly. “He might, just to wind us up.”
“You know it’s funny, he was so irritating to me when we first met him. Don’t get me wrong he’s still irritating but he kinda grew on me towards the end there.” Sam wraps her fingers around her coffee mug, happily sighing as it warms up her cold hands. “I’m going to miss him.”
She looks up at Lara’s unreadable expression.
“Yes?”
“Uh nothing.”
Sam’s lips curve up softly. She lightly kicks Lara’s shin underneath the table.
“Come on, tell me.”
Lara looks away uncomfortably for a moment. “Do you um—fancy him?”
Sam immediately busts out laughing. She has to put her mug down before she spills coffee all over herself.
“No. Not like that.” Sam wipes tears out of her eyes, a couple residual bubbles escaping her. “He’s like a big kid! I honestly felt like you and I were co-parenting him at times.”
The relief in Lara’s eyes doesn’t go unnoticed by Sam.
“So, now that we are done saving the world, what’s next for us?” Sam tilts her head to the side cutely, tapping her fingernails on her mug.
A slow pleased smile parts Lara’s face. “Like I said, I would like to stay here for a bit, I think.”
The corner of Sam’s lip curls. “I’ll give you two weeks tops. You’ll be itching to get back out there again.”
Lara bubbles into laughter. Sam softly smiles.
“Maybe so. Did you have any immediate plans?”
“No I don’t. I figured I’d just hang out with you until you whisk me away on another adventure. I’ll be around you so much you’ll get sick of me.” Sam teases.
Lara gives Sam this soft look, like she is her whole world. Sam can do nothing to stop the light blush that arises upon her porcelain cheeks.
Flash!
Sam whips her head around when she spots light from the corner of her eye. Her brows furrow together when the man in the bushes takes one last photo and books it. The chime of the cafe rings as Lara races out the door.
“Lara!”
Sam leaves the coffee behind, lukewarm and unfinished.
“LARA!”
Lara hot on the perps heels stares straight ahead, eyes locked on her target. He takes a sharp turn down an alleyway, the metal fence quakes and scrapes as he scampers over it. Lara slides to a halt and watches as he takes another left turn. Her gaze darts to the rooftop. She leaps, digging her fingers into a crevice before launching herself onto the opposing wall. She quickly wall jumps to the top, pulling herself up and over.
“Oh my—Lara!” Sam yells as she spots Lara’s boots slide onto the roof above her. Sam groans in exasperation before speeding off back the way she came.
The shadows of the clouds shroud Lara in darkness as she flips and leaps across the rooftops. She somersaults upon the ledge, one arm on her leg as she peers down onto the busy streets below. Only a quiet breeze ruffles through her bangs all the way up here. Her sharp focus immediately scans the area, easily pinpointing her target. He rests his hand against a lamppost catching his breath before continuing to run down the sidewalk. She has him right where she wants him.
She vaults over the ledge, wind rushing past her as she deftly lands on a canopy. Her boots slide forward. She front flips, grunting as her hands grasp onto a nearby lamppost and drops herself right in front of the perp. He skids to a halt, nearly bumping into her when she grabs him by the collar and slams him against a brick wall. Patrons nearby whisper nervously.
“Talk. Now.” Lara says, her eyes boring holes through his skull. The man gulps, eyes wide.
“You are one scary lady.” He barely breathes out. Suddenly a hand plops down on Lara’s shoulder.
“What are you doing Lara? People are staring.” Sam quietly sing songs while smiling and nodding to people that walk past.
“I don’t know why this man is following us. I will get an answer out of him.” Lara’s grip tightens, he cowers back in fear. Sam nervously chuckles saying hi to a few more cautious onlookers before snapping her attention to Lara.
“He has a Canon EOS-1D X Mark III with a 400mm telephoto lens. This guy is most likely a pap.”
“Hm.” Lara narrows her eyes at him before dropping him to the ground. He breathes a huge sigh of relief shyly looking up at Sam in thanks.
“What’s your name?” Sam asks.
“Uh Jerry.”
“Well hi Jerry.” Sam’s smile is sickeningly sweet. “Now kindly, get the fuck out of here.”
He scrambles to his feet and bolts. Sam throws her arm around Lara’s shoulders, watching as the man disappears around the corner. She sighs. “Let’s head back to your place. I’m sleeping over.”
Lara chuckles, wrapping an arm around Sam’s waist as they walk back to the manor.
Headlines the next morning: “IS LADY CROFT DOWN BAD FOR BESTIE?”