Ok upping the ante hehe 🙂 Thank you!

Your songs are:
– Bring Me to Life
– Captain America
– Presidente
– If I Never See Your Face Again

——————

Captain America was a comic book legend; a super-soldier turned superhero who threw his trusty shield and always stood up for what was right. Mulan had been one of the few who hadn’t laughed when they’d been handpicked for a new elite unit. They were the best of the best; and the government hoped they’d be even better with the new experimental serum.

Mulan was the only survivor of those experiments. The serum made her stronger, and faster, and she shrugged off injuries easier. One soldier doesn’t make a unit so Mulan recruited her own, to make a team of five: Philip Prince, Ruby Lucas, Belle French and Merida Dunbroch. The President hadn’t been thrilled at the ratio of men and women, in his opinion the 4:1 should have been the other way round, but Mulan had picked the best and not even the commander in chief could argue with that.

They had laughed about being a comic book team, the super-soldier and her Howling Commandos. However truthfully Mulan hadn’t expected to have anything in common with Steve Rogers except for the serum. That was until she’d gone into the ice … and survived.

When Mulan was pulled out and revived she was cold inside. It was a chill she just couldn’t shake. People started whispering that the ice had frozen her, and Mulan wasn’t sure she disagreed. She was quieter than normal, had few smiles to share, nothing but darkness in her eyes. She trained, barely slept, ate mechanically and then trained some more. She was technically alive but she’d lost herself out there.

“That’s it!” Merida exclaimed, throwing up her hands dramatically as she strode into the training room. “You and me are out of here.”

“I have to finish training,” Mulan argued.

Merida snorted. “You’ve done enough training for a lifetime. Now, let’s go.”

Mulan felt Merida grab her arm and she tensed for half a second. People had learned not to touch her but this was Merida, and so Mulan relaxed and let herself be dragged along. She still didn’t want to go but Merida was stubborn, she’d hound her night and day until she gave in anyway. Besides it was Merida, her oldest and best friend.

“I thought we were going somewhere,” Mulan said mildly, an hour later after Merida pulled off the road into a small forest clearing.

“We are, here,” Merida answered. “Middle of nowhere. Best place.”

“For what?” Mulan said doubtfully.

“Ach I dinnae want to be overheard. You know what me brothers are like, they’d never let me hear the end of it,” Merida exclaimed. “You were gone for two years! Two!”

“Lucky it wasn’t seventy,” Mulan said dryly.

Merida gave her a dirty look. “Now’s not the time for jokes. We could have lost you! I could have lost you! When I thought I would never see your face again I knew … I knew … oh dammit it all to hell.”

The next thing Mulan knew Merida had grabbed her again, but this time it wasn’t to drag her somewhere, not unless closer together counted. Merida’s lips pressed against hers, and Mulan froze. Then a beat later her arms moved, to wrap around Merida, as she kissed her back. Merida’s hand curled round her neck, lightly scratching her nape. Mulan pulled back, taking a shuddering breath.

For the first time since the ice warmth was flooding through her. It was flowing from her lips, and her neck, and everywhere Merida had touched. Merida was almost literally bringing her back to life.

“Alright?” Merida asked awkwardly.

Mulan gave a genuine smile, another first since the ice. “Kiss me again, it’s working.”

——————

A/N: Should I be sorry for stealing the Rumbelle line? Probably. It’s just it was perfect *hides*

As promised a little ficlet 🙂 Follows on from this ficlet.

—–

They reached the stopping point, where the path ran near the tree under which they had
stretched earlier, and Mulan slowed to a walk. Another circuit of the park for
a cooldown and then they’d stretch. She glanced behind her and smiled. Merida had been forced to eat her words as Mulan had set the faster pace. However, to Mulan’s surprise Merida had kept up and was still only a few steps behind. Merida’s face was red, her curly red hair had partially escaped it’s tie and was plastered to her face. Mulan caught her eye and Merida grinned.

“Not bad,” Merida gasped, increasing her pace for a second so that they were walking side by side. “I can see you’re going to give me a run for my money.”

“I don’t usually set such a fast pace,” Mulan admitted.

She could feel the burn where she’d really pushed herself. It wasn’t something she did that often as it tended to affect the rest of her day. It was Sunday and she had a
lot of chores to do before classes started again the next day, but Merida had laid down a challenge and it had proven irresistible. Before they’d started Mulan had respected Merida’s attitude, but now she respected her a lot more. She was determined, she didn’t
give up and she didn’t complain. It might all come to nothing of course but Mulan thought random chance might have gifted her a new friend, a rather attractive new friend.

“So what do you have planned for the rest of the day?” Merida asked, the moment she got her breath back.

“Laundry, cleaning, preparing meals for the week.” Mulan shrugged. “You?”

Merida pulled a face. “Haven’t unpacked yet, I don’t know where anything is so…”

“I can show you,” Mulan offered impulsively.

“Oh yeah? That would be great.” Merida smiled. Her stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly. Merida rolled her eyes. “How about we start with somewhere for breakfast yeah?”

Mulan nodded. “Sure. There’s a nice coffee shop on campus but they aren’t open Sunday’s, and they don’t serve much in the way of breakfast. They are better for something quick at lunch time. You are welcome to come back with me.”

“Breakfast at Castle Mulan, sounds good,” Merida agreed. “One thing, do you have tea?”