"Because you said that you didn't think we should split up last time! God, Abel!" She threw up her hands in disgust. "We keep having to have this conversation! I'm not fragile! I am just as capable as you are!"
He clenched his fists, watching her. "You aren't coming with me, O. This is going to be more planned than the factory trip. It's going to involve more effort and resources than ever before."
She raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. "What, are you going to stop me because you have this weird-ass hero complex?" she shot back bitterly. "Because you need to be the one to save the day? This isn't a glorious fight, Abel. This is *squee!*ty and awful, but we do it because it's the right thing to do."
"Why do you even want to get involved?" he asked. "You know, you could have avoided all of these problems had you just left the country from the start. You wouldn't have had to deal with, well.. this!" he said angrily, gesturing the mostly empty house, as well as himself.
Her brow screwed up and she gestured around angrily. "What the hell are you talking about, Abel?" she replied sharply. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"
This irritated him, and he crossed his arms. "No, I'm just saying you wouldn't have been traumatized by my psychotic sister or my violent tendencies."
"There you go again," she replied sharply. "I'm not traumatized, Abel. I'm not nearly as helpless as you think I am. When we ran into Eve the other night, you got attacked because you didn't think I could handle myself, and it's *squee!*ing exhausting."
He raised his hands suddenly, his voice getting a bit louder as well. "You're afraid of me! You shouldn't have to be afraid of me!"
She blinked and went incredibly still, her hands folded into fists at her side. "I'm not going to let you yell at me," she said slowly, her voice low and quiet. "I'm not going to let you bully me because you have some unresolved *squee!* going on. I am going with you when you go, and unless you plan to restrain me, you need to get used to that."
She frowned at him, folding her arms protectively as she took a step back from him. "You're trying to get me to believe that I'm not just as capable as you are," she replied sharply. "I don't know if you remember, Abel, but back when you were trying to hunt me down, I had to take mercy on you. You fell and I didn't. I helped you up because I knew that you would hurt yourself if you tried to follow me. I knew that you couldn't do what I can do. I knew it then, and I still know it now, despite the fact that you seem determined to dissuade me."
He looked a little hurt by her accusation, but his face quickly hardened. "I never tried to get you to believe you were weaker than I me. I am well aware you're better at a lot of things. I know that you're capable."
"Really, Abel?" she replied, her anger pushing her words forward. "Really? What about the first time we were in the warehouse, when you gave me the lockpick instead of picking it yourself? You don't think I caught that? You don't think I knew what that meant? What about the fights upon fights where you tried to stop me from going in by myself? What about the encounter less than 24 *squee!*ing hours ago, where you got tazed and you beat up two guys until your knuckles were bleeding because you didn't trust me enough to know how to handle myself?" She shook her head, a fire in her eyes as she considered him. "You have an inability to accept that I am able to fend for myself and as a result, you jeopardize me, yourself, and this mission."
He faltered a little, saying nothing as he self consciously brushed his thumb over his knuckles. It seemed a didn't know how to respond, and avoided her gaze.
She fell silent too and looked down at the ground, her lower lip trembling as she folded her arms tightly. "You think about how it feels to be on the other end of that, Abel," she said after a moment. "You think about how it feels to have to watch the person you love being attacked and electrocuted, and know that..." She stumbled over her words a little, not meeting his gaze. "...know that the only reason that they're suffering is that when push comes to shove, they don't think that you're good enough. That's it. That's the bottom line. You don't think I'm good enough."
She shook her head, turning away from him. "No, you don't," she replied quietly. "We wouldn't be arguing like this if you did." She put her hand on the doorframe and paused before looking back at him. "I know you're smarter than me, Abel," she said lowly. "I know that you're smarter and you see things clearer than I do. I know you know more about this than I do. I know you've worked at this longer than I have, and that you're a better planner than I am. But I've lived my whole life hearing people tell me that I'm not capable. I have been underestimated my entire life." She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "I just... I guess I thought you were different." Her voice was sharp, but there was a heaviness borne of fatigue and irritation and sadness, and she left the room, going to go change into some running clothes.
