A/N: not my ocs, danny, maxxie and natalia belong to Char-exists , but char's the only person reading this so they already know that. also i am not canadian so i googled "canadian supermarkets" and the store maxi came up, i kept it for irony reasons

Maxxie inspected the cereal options at their local grocery store (also called Maxi, which Natalia always thought was funny) and was in the middle of having a minor crisis over how everything was getting so expensive, when a blonde caught their eye.

Now, blondes weren't really Maxxie's type, but it wasn't the hair that caught her eye. Their face was familiar, someone void had known from long ago. They were practically unrecognisable, seven years older and without their distinctive blue hair.

God- it couldn't be. It wasn't, right? There was no logical reason for Danny to be in Canada. Sure, they used to talk about how they'd move to Canada together and live a quiet life, but they were fourteen.

Maybe Maxxie was losing it's mind. Maybe Danny's reappearance was phantom pain, a healed trauma from their disappearance. Or maybe, just maybe, Danny Ivanova was standing at the end of a cereal aisle, holding a Cherry Coke and the local newspaper, next to a tall man, who was carrying a few cans of soup, a packet of pasta and bottled water in a basket. Now, Maxxie was never really the type to be speechless or starstruck, but all it could do at the moment was standing there, frozen in place.

It wanted to call out to Danny more than anything, but just couldn't find the words.

Danny was talking to the mystery man, quietly arguing in a foreign language. She kept her distance from him, but they were close enough that their whispers were just that, whispers. If Maxxie didn't know better, they would've thought they were a couple.

Maxxie was just a fly on the wall to them, a spectator, watching a show featuring their long-lost love.

Maxxie dropped her box of Lucky Charms, but couldn't tear her eyes away from Danny for long enough to pick it up. Danny's reflexes took over and they turned their head to look at Maxxie. Her eyes lingered and the Russian's expression was near-unreadable, but if anyone knew what she was thinking, it would be Maxxie. And if Maxxie has to take a guess, Danny was somewhere between dazed recognition, guilt and regret. For a second, the world seemed to stop.

If Maxxie could've worked up the courage to move from their spot, void would've kissed Danny, hugged them, or even just holding their hand. Maxxie wanted nothing more than to show the world that Danny was theirs and they were Danny's.

Sadly, the world doesn't work like that, and Maxxie tended to surround herself with people who were more familiar with that reality than most.

Danny quickly turned away, shame building in her chest. They readjusted their long hair, which was bleached blonde in a motel bathroom, so Maxxie could no longer see their face. "What the fuck was that?" Her assigned partner whispered in Russian. "None of your fucking business, Igor. Now, do we have a mission or not?" Igor gave her a death glare. "I'm just saying, you're supposed to be the slipperiest spy in the world. We can't have you getting distracted by a girl." Danny rolled her eyes. "I'm telling you, she won't stop me from killing our target. She doesn't even know him."
"Okay, ghost girl. If you're sure."

Danny fought hard against the urge to have one last glimpse of Maxxie. But it wasn't safe, not for either of them. And if Danny couldn't keep herself safe, she was sure as hell going to keep Maxxie safe.