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charmingturkeysandwich · 5 years

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I Could Use a Love Song - Ch 1: givin’ up on love, hey love’s given up on me

Summary: Emma Swan, small town orphan and up-and-coming country singer, is known for her voice, her penchant for leather, and her overall (earned) anger toward the world. She’s had a rough go of it – rough enough that every single song of hers is angry or sad – but on the road something (or someone) happens that might change her tune.

(Spoiler Alert: it’s Killian. Cue the gasps of shock.)

Also on AO3.

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The upside to a truly shitty adolescence? Lyrical inspiration.

Emma Swan grew up a little bit all over the place, but primarily in a small town that was most definitely above the Mason-Dixon line and yet half its population spoke with some kind of southern-esque drawl. Confederate flags were common on Chevy trucks. Friday nights in the Fall were dedicated to high school football and absolutely nothing else. Their town’s only radio station was country, though it played seven different church services on Sunday mornings. To say that the whole town’s dynamic read like a cliché country song… it was more obvious than Emma’s bright red leather jacket in a crowd of cotton camo.

So no one was particularly surprised when the beautiful, damaged orphan with the voice of a (really pissed off) angel hit the road with a country band.

They might not have been surprised, but oh did they talk. After her falling out with the pastor’s son and her quick escape to Pittsburgh, she was every negative stereotype of famous in a small town you could conjure. Lily, the closest thing she’d had to a friend outside of Neal, son of Pastor Gold, would keep her updated on the rumors and the hearsay. Not that she wanted to know, necessarily. She’d rather imagine that her name had simply fallen out of the collective memory of that god forsaken town. But it hadn’t. Her story was on the tongues of every bar patron, Baptist, and boy scout leader north of I-80.

It wasn’t her story, though. Not really. The tales they told of Emma Swan always somehow ended up with her as the villain and not the fairy tale princess, the lost girl with no choice but to suffer at the hands of assholes.

Her parents had been shit. Drug addicts, apparently, and she’d been taken from them. She’d been passed through the foster system from ages 3-12, the best foster parents mostly ignoring her and the worst… well, she couldn’t afford the therapy to even attempt to go there.

She’d wound up with an OK but definitely half-crazy woman by the name of Sarah just before she turned 13 and that’s where she’d stayed, that hick town that just couldn’t get enough of her little sob story. That’s where she’d met Neal, the charismatic son of one of the town’s pastors. His dad had seemed nice enough, did a lot of community work and even owned several businesses, boasting of his commitment to boosting the local economy. For once she’d thought she’d found some people who didn’t suck who might make her life at least somewhat normal.

She, as usual, was wrong. Pastor Gold was… well, off. Way too angry for a dude preaching the New Testament each week. But at least he’d never hurt her. No, that privilege was reserved for Neal, who would beat her to a bloody pulp and then tell his daddy’s flock all about saving his sweet girl from a drug deal gone wrong (poor thing ended up like her parents despite the best efforts of the system, you see).

It was pathetic. And after she went to jail for having the gall to defend her own life from that sociopath, well, that was it. She dropped out of high school during the homecoming pep rally and hopped a bus to the city.

That had been years ago now, of course, but it was her origin story, as they say, and something very important to her on-stage personality. And her internal struggle.

Life had fucked her over and she was pissed. And so for five years after leaving that sleepy, secret-filled little town, all she ever really focused on was her anger. She’d write lyrics on truck stop napkins and sit in a half-stranger’s basement strumming chords on the guitar she’d stolen from the church rectory (she wasn’t sorry). She started out performing at open mic nights and then somehow found some of Her People, those who loved country music but maybe hadn’t grown up in a Dixie Chicks song (if only she could have Goodbye Earl’ed that son of a bitch high school boyfriend of hers before he ever laid a hand on someone new…).

(At least he ended up in prison. You know, eventually.)

(And, hey, her rage got her out there and selling records. But that was on her, not him. Nobody saves me but me, she always said. And she wasn’t about to thank a monster just because she survived slaying it.)

Tonight’s show was in a dive bar in upstate New York and Emma was so damn ready for it. She and Ruby had done a few shots of tequila before slipping on their tight jeans and leather jackets, and David had just finished setting up their brand new sound system that made them sound like they could actually be on CMT and not just playing from someone’s garage. David and Mary Margaret, they were like Johnny and June with their sweetness and Emma could hardly stomach it. But they were her friends, her actual honest-to-god, wouldn’t-rat-her-out-to-the-forest-service-for-underage-drinking friends and she loved them. She loved them and Ruby and even Graham in the only way she knew how: teasing insults, cases of beer, and not running away in the middle of the night even when she was feeling like her whole world could crash town with one wrong word from herself or anyone else.

(She really did need therapy beyond the catharsis of angry singing to half-drunk strangers. Someday, maybe.)

Friend love was a strange, but manageable thing. Well, mostly. But romantic love? Absolutely fucking not. After she left Neal and that town, after she drank away the pain and the frustration, well she thought maybe she’d give romance another try. Turned out the next guy was even worse, somehow, leaving her bruised and bloody when she turned down his marriage proposal at a fancy restaurant in Cleveland (yeah, those exist). The physical pain she had been used to, but the emotional… he called her every name she didn’t deserve and a few that she probably did, and when he finished her off with a few choice comments about the baby she’d lost after Neal threw her out a moving car, well she was done. For good. Never ever would she trust a man again. Preacher’s son or furniture salesman – they were all just… evil. She couldn’t ever again take that chance.

But tonight – tonight she wasn’t thinking about romance or even the past, not beyond the bits and pieces that had made their way into her songs. She was happy, buzzed, excited. Their little tour bus (well, van) family was rising in the ranks and soon she could move far away and get her own apartment overlooking the thriving streets of Nashville. Soon she would be so busy with interviews and music video shoots that she wouldn’t have a single second to spare a thought to those who had hurt her. Soon she would be so rich she wouldn’t ever feel lonely because she’d always have male company in the form of all her Benjamins she’d backstroke through like Scrooge McDuck.

The previous night Mary Margaret had tried to set Emma up with the singer of their opening act, a guy they called August who carried a typewriter instead of a guitar (who she’d definitely seen leaving with a drunk after she’d turned him down, by the way), so Emma had already had her monthly I Don’t Want Love chat with her hopeless romantic friend. Meaning today she was free and clear to just… enjoy this new life she’d spent years building on the bones of all the good girls she could have been.

She high-fived Ruby and David kissed her on the cheek as they took the stage, starting the guitar riff as Emma sauntered out to the opening words of the song. This was one of her crowd favorites, a good one to set the tone for what kind of show to expect, and she was melting into her confident, badass, devil-may-care persona easily by the time they hit the first chorus.

I’m goin’ home, gonna load my shotgun

Wait by the door and light a cigarette

He wants a fight, well now he’s got one

And he ain’t seen me crazy yet

A few people in the front row were singing along and her heart was bursting with pride that she was on this road, that she’d turned such a goddamn nightmare of a life into something positive and productive and while overall it still wasn’t healthy… she damn well was on the road to actually being someone. To finally shutting up the idiots back in Pennsyltucky who were convinced she wasn’t going to amount to anything but a statistic just like her parents (despite having never even tried any drug beyond alcohol and nicotine, the judgmental fucks).

One thing that entertained her beyond reason was listening to Mary Margaret sing backup vocals on the songs Emma wrote. Emma liked to call Mary’s on-stage persona Snow White Trash and Ruby insisted that be the name of the band’s first mainstream album when their big break finally came and Emma actually fucking laughed in the middle of performing her angry song that night because she couldn’t stop thinking about the mismatch.

So when the song was over she apologized to the crowd, told them how much she loved her band and her friends, even the hilariously innocent of them, and asked someone to pass her a beer so she could stop the chuckles from trickling out during the next song.

Next on their set list was one that had been co-written by Emma and Ruby, two girls from two very different small towns, who still had so much shared experience. It used to hurt her to sing it, the depressing nature of where she came from threatening to swallow her whole, until Graham came to her one night after the show, quieted her tearful sobs with a kiss and told her to just pretend it was a movie. She was just telling a story. It wasn’t her town or Ruby’s… it was nothing but fiction.

And that’s how she belted it all out totally devoid of those pesky feelings that made her wish she could just crawl under a rock rather than relive her trauma for the seventy third time this fucking year.

If you ain’t got two kids by 21, you’re probably gonna die alone

At least that’s what tradition told you

This song was a lesser known of theirs so they don’t have as many mouthing the words back, but the energy in the crowd is still so high, despite this song being a little more bummer than banger. So she scans the crowd, watches the faces of the drunk, the joyful, the brooding, and best of all, those who understand.

Off to the left, just at the edge of the stage, she saw probably the hottest man she’d ever seen in real life. Black leather jacket, artfully mussed hair, a smirk that could charm her pants right off if she let him.

It’s not that hot guys didn’t come to their shows. They definitely did. But they were usually more the Jake Owen or Luke Bryan type, the ones that look like they were ready to meet your mama by the third date. This guy, he didn’t seem the take-home-to-parents type (just the kind for her, having no parents and all).

But there was something else different about him. Standing just off stage, standing alone, glancing toward David every so often. He looked a bit too confident, comfortable, like he already had some kind of connection to her makeshift little family, and that set up some red flags.

She was not accepting applications for any new friends at the moment. Or maybe ever.

She’d been staring just a little and people tended to notice stuff like that so of course he eventually locked eyes with her, for just a fleeting moment, and there was something in that one glance that told her he knew what she was singing, how she felt, on a level that most others just… didn’t.

So naturally she broke the gaze and didn’t look back.

Jack and Jill went up the hill.

Jack burned out on booze and pills.

Mary had a little lamb.

Mary just don’t give a damn no more.

From there, Mary Margaret had taken over lead vocals, her cover of Strawberry Wine a nice balm to the mood-dampener that Merry-Go-Round always was. And every show without fail, she always took that transition to gloat about how she’s most definitely not the Mary from that song because she has David and loves him so much and Emma almost always makes the universal gesture for “gag me” to the crowd eliciting laughter and a few errant woo’s.

She didn’t tonight.

First taste of love, oh

Bittersweet

And green on the vine

Like strawberry wine

(sorry Deana Carter, but there wasn’t always some sweet.)

They closed the show with Kerosene, like they always did: high-energy, twangy, and true-to-form for their actual fans. The whole bar was on their feet, jumping and swaying and shouting and spilling their $4 beers on the guy beside them but no one really cared because they were sharing a moment, Emma and each of them, singing out their anger and sadness and ten years of life’s-not-fair.

Crazy how a three minute song could effectively patch the wounds of a whole life.

And, yeah, maybe it wasn’t really patching anything. Maybe it was just distraction. Maybe she was just as much a drug addict as her parents, but her drug was the stage and the music and the connection she shared with every other person in each and every bar who didn’t get the benefit of a first love like any kind of wine.

She sang her song from the diaphragm – broadway voice – but it was like it came all the way from her toes. It was always her anger that defined her, drove her, made her feel alive.

Why not lean into it?

I gave it everything I had

And everything I got was bad

Life ain’t hard but it’s too long

To live it like some country song

Trade the truth in for a lie

Cheating really ain’t a crime

I’m giving up on love, cause love’s given up on me

Songs sung, merch sold, and bar tab closed, Emma headed toward the crew’s van, ready to sleep off the liquor in the third row seats while the lovebirds took the hotel room above the bar and Ruby and Graham found someone’s bed to put their boots under for the night.

It was odd, feeling like the fifth wheel when truly there was only one couple in the band. But Ruby and Graham, they were so in sync with where they were in their life – jand it was just not what Emma was looking for – that she still ended up left out.

Which was fine. Everything was just fine.

Until her path to the van was obstructed by the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen in her life, the smoldering-eyed, confident guy who’d nearly made her forget her own lyrics before she’d promptly remembered to forget him and any other person who might possibly hold the potential to make her heart skip.

(Hearts aren’t meant to skip. That’s not love; it’s a trip to the cardiologist.)

He was definitely about to annoy her, so shouldn’t he look properly… annoying? Not like a goddamn model. That was distracting her from her annoyance and inevitable hate. Because a girl like her? Every song lyric and leather jacket was a clear message: leave me the fuck alone.

He clearly wasn’t receiving the signal.

“Swan, I presume?” he finally spoke, her eyes certainly glaring daggers at him despite her tiredness and BAC.

“Uh, obviously? What do you want.” (It wasn’t a question.)

“To introduce myself, of course! Killian Jones, at your service.”

She stopped a few feet from him, one hand on her hip and the other reaching for the cigarettes in the back pocket of her jeans.

“I’m not interested in any services beyond handing me a lighter. Can you manage that one?”

He smirked at her and reached into his jacket, the click of the zippo lighter in his hand echoing off the brick alley the van was parked in. With a quick flick of his thumb there was a flame and he offered it to her, his eyes burning with something other than the reflection of the fire.

“Ah, yes, that’s something even a one-handed bloke like me can manage.” He clicked the lighter closed and deposited it back in his jacket, only to reveal his left arm – ending at the wrist – from where it had been tucked behind him.

Emma deflated a little, some compassion left inside her despite the unwanted nature of his approaching her. “OK, Captain Hook, what exactly do you want from me?”

(She had compassion, but also very little candor. For the record.)

“Ah, yes, I’ve never heard that one before,” he muttered, rolling his eyes and finally looking like he was receiving her please-go-away signals, but he still soldiered on. “I was meant to be here before the show started, but I had some trouble finding this hole-in-the-wall. I presume by your attitude that Dave didn’t warn you I was coming?”

“You presume correctly. Can you please get on with whatever garbage is happening here? I swear if they put you up to asking me out or something I’m going to kill them. Mary Margaret especially. Because we just talked about this and I know that it’s not your fault that they’re such meddlers but I swear I’m pretty much the same girl who sings on stage in real life and I absolutely want nothing to do with men. Or women, for that matter… I’m not a person who dates and if they thought..”

“Love, please stop. No, I’m not here to ask you out. Believe me, I know I’m not what you need. I mean, technically I am, but not in the romantic sense.”

He paused and waggled his eyebrows and Emma was too tired to roll her eyes so she just closed them, willing the moment to pass. “I’ve been hired to work for you. All of you. Roadie. Can’t play notes on a guitar anymore, but I can haul them in and out of these dumps you lot perform in.”

Ah. He was the guy David had suggested they hire but the group had then rejected the idea and apparently David decided to overrule them all because why would Prince Charming listen to a democratic band vote, anyway? (Ugh.)

“Can you maybe stop insulting the patrons that pay us since that same money is going to be what pays you?”

Drunk laugher and electronic music pulsed out of the back door of the bar they’d played in not long before. Almost closing time now. Emma needed to get out of the open before she had to break someone’s wrist for drunkenly groping her. Again.

“Ah, of course, love,” he replied, finally seeming to be at least somewhat chagrined. “Now if you could point me in the direction of our sleeping quarters, I’ll leave you to your business.”

“First of all, I am not your love. We’ve covered this already and I need you to keep up. Second, do you really think we make enough to have quarters? I’m not entirely sure how we’re going to both pay you and eat. So.”

“So, what exactly does that mean for you or I, Swan?” he emphasized her last name in an effort to prove he was capable of using titles other than ridiculous British terms of endearment.

“Well, Jones, that means that either you go shack up with David and the missus (10/10 would not recommend; Mary gets very horny while drunk and her voice carries), or you do like Graham or Ruby and find a local to make gross sex noises with. Or whatever they do. Don’t know, don’t ask, don’t care.”

“And you, princess?” His tone was a challenge. He wanted her to object to the sickly sweet nickname. And she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

“I sleep in the van. And I do not cuddle.”

“Oh, it’s not cuddling I’m looking for,” he purred, waggling his stupid eyebrows again. (This time she did roll her eyes, annoyed enough to expend the limited energy she still possessed.)

“Then go find someone willing, buddy. Like I said.”

He shook his head and laughed, already turning back toward the van. “Damn. David said you were difficult, but I wasn’t expecting this. I’ll sleep wherever you don’t. Unless you snore?”

“No, I do not snore!”

“Great. Then we’ll get along just dandy.” He waited next to the van until Emma pulled out the fob to unlock it, sliding open the big door a second after the beep-beep to signal entry. “After you, not anyone’s love.”

“Thanks, Captain. I’ll be in the back. Touch me at your peril.”

They each crawled into the van and settled at opposite ends. Emma tossed Killian a blanket and Killian tossed Emma a pillow that had been lodged in the front seat and they both drifted off to the sounds of Garth Brooks on the Pandora radio Ruby had bought her to ward away the nightmares that inevitably accompanied the silence.

#cs ff #cs au #cs fanfic #cs fanfiction #keisha writes #first chapter #I've done emo AU #now it's time for the other music of pain #that's country music #at least that's what xander says #this has been a buffy reference in the tags of an ouat story #have a nice day

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sweetheart-minnie · 7 years

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Time to ‘Fess Up || Dog Mouse

Summary: So this thread happened after the freak Blizzard in July haha so that all of you guys may know Minnie, Dodger and Rita were stuck together in the Blizzard and things got AWKWARD. (That thread isn’t done yet) So, this thread here is an after math of that awkward situation. Minnie has been avoiding Dodger since her first meeting with Rita and then they end up bumping into each other at Pixie’s.

Trigger Warning: None... I mean I guess some alcohol but like very light mention of it

Additional Information: A cameo of drunk Minnie hahaha she got kinda drunk here

MINNIE:

Minnie had been suckered into this.

That was exactly what had been crossing her mind as she entered through the doors of Pixie’s. She had been thinking the same thing too as she got ready back at home. While she slipped into her snug little laced black dress, placed on some red high heels, dawned on some make-up, and allowed her hair to fall all loose in pristine wave ringlets.

Suckered, suckered, suckered.

Because Minnie couldn’t say no to Lily’s pouting lips, she couldn’t say no to Kristi's whining pleads, couldn’t say no to Aria’s sweet begging eyes.

Minnie just had a hard time saying no in general. It had been a hard week anyways. A flooding influx of patients coming in and out if the ER, gross short staffing, some patients even died on her. Her co-workers simply wanted to unwind. They wanted a night away from all the hectic, all the crazy and running around like chickens without heads.

And so, Minnie had been suckered into this and that was how she found herself here at Pixie’s with the music beating loud against her eardrums, throngs of bodies moving in and out, others mixing close together dancing on the center of the floor. Lily was one of them, her head of blonde hair dancing up against some random bloke. She was already more than a couple drinks in. Kristi wasn’t so far behind her bobbing red hair dancing with herself as she stood standing by a stool where the bar was. Aria, she was the tempered one sitting beside Kristi at the bar, that’s where Minnie went.

She managed to find a seat beside her friend because Aria was the leveled one, and Minnie she hardly trusted herself when it came to drinking. The last time she had gotten far too drunk well….. She hoped to never repeat that mistake ever again and Aria would keep her from doing so. Lily she wouldn’t. As if right on cue, the blonde made her way over a drink ready in hand that she handed to Minnie.

“This one is for you! A strawberry margarita made very nice.” Her words were already slurring. “I told the very hot, gorgeous bar tender over there, the one who’s been staring at you, that if this hits you juuusstt right, you’ll be right over there flirting with him, so drink up! It was on the housse!” She clapped ecstatically, Minnie simply shaking her head as she grabbed a hold of the drink.

“And this is why I hardly go out with you.” Was all Minnie replied in a slight tease. She did start to drink the alcohol given to her though, even though she knew she shouldn’t because she was a terrible light weight, but with the week she had and the avoiding game she’s been playing with a certain somebody she couldn’t seem to get out of her head…. Minnie could use the drink.

DODGER:

Dodger didn’t know what the fuck was going on if he was speaking honestly.

He had thought that him and Minnie were cool. It’s how it seemed anyway considering how they left things after his last visit to the hospital, you know, considering she had accidentally spent the night at his place after they agreed to try...whatever it was that they were doing. Dating? Just hanging out until they figured out what it was? It was fine, whatever it was, it was fine. Dodger just knew that he wanted to keep up whatever it was because he did like her.

Then the dumb snow storm hit, and Minnie stopped answering him. Okay, to be fair, she wasn’t completely ignoring him, but she certainly wasn’t responding the same. It didn’t feel light and fun, even when Dodger would purposefully send shit to try and get a laugh. But nothing. And Dodger didn’t know what he did to warrant that, but he knew that he fucked up somehow.

Only problem was that he was finding it very difficult to get ahold of her long enough to actually talk about this shit.

So yeah, that was definitely at the forefront of his mind when he went in for his set at Pixie’s that night. He had to at least try and push it out though because otherwise he was going to have a shitty set, and yeah, Dodger wasn’t about to have one of those.

He took the stage with all the swagger he could muster. The crowd erupted into a roar as he took his spot in front of the mic, adjusting it so it was just the right height before shouting into it. “Yous guys reading to have a good time tonight?” The crowd that had gathered immediately responded back with a cheer, causing Dodger to rip the pick that had been placed in his mic stand out, now pulling the mic closer. “Let’s fuckin’ do this!” And without missing a beat, he wailed down on his guitar, turning away so he could jam out the opening of the song.

Any thought Dodger had once had though about getting through this show quickly vanished after he turned back to the mic. Because standing there, at the bar, was none other than Minnie herself.

Fuck.

MINNIE:

Minnie was about two and half drinks in at this point. She was still okay, maybe a slight bit off, but okay for the most part. Aria was holding steady as well. Lily was drunk, Kristi had caught up. It was quite comical actually. Lily was always the giddy drunk and there she was laughing up a storm at the center of the dance floor, Kristi following suit as she swayed back and forth in sync to the music with her invisible dance partner.

At least they were having a good time, one they really needed, and Minnie was too, she just didn’t like the dance floor. It was too many sweaty bodies all on top of one another. She only liked it when she was drunk and she wasn’t there just yet.

But she was feeling the alcohol already. It swirled in her head in a slight buzz and that was a cue enough for the brunette that the current drink in her hand should be her last one. She was almost done with it while speaking with Aria when she felt a tap on her shoulders. She turned around seeing some stranger. A guy, taller than her, light brown hair with hazel-ish eyes? Minnie wasn’t so sure because of the skewed lighting and quite frankly she was already tipsy so.

She did notice the grin that tugged on his lips and the way he sorta lit up the moment Minnie had actually turned around. This was bad.

“I was wondering if the seat beside you was taken? And if it wasn’t, if you’d let me buy you a drink?” Well, he was straight to the point. He still wore that grin as Minnie cocked her head at an angle, her eyes still looking at him, brow arched and lips curving into a slow sly grin of her own. She was going to tell him no though, to the alcohol question because she needed to stop, when she caught a voice that threw her completely off.

Minnie knew that voice anywhere.

Gosh he was everywhere! He was always in her head and now he was actually here. Minnie hadn’t turned around, she already knew it was Dodger. God, she forgotten that he worked here. She had been avoiding him, not entirely, but enough. Ever since that lock down, Minnie had been off. The thing was…. she didn’t know if she had the strength to get hurt again. She didn’t know if she was just being used to help forget some girl from the past, and she didn’t want to know. It would hurt too much, and even with all that hurt in mind, she still turned around.

And it was him, and Dodger looked amazing on stage. The crowd loved him, they roared and screamed and with good reason. He was amazing with his guitar had a beautiful talent and for the moment Minnie really couldn’t pull her eyes away. And she hadn’t for a good while, she just watched him play, heard him sing watched as the crowd only roared louder for him. Eventually, she did pry her eyes away, turning so she could address the guy she had completely forgotten about.

“I’ll take you up on that drink if the offer is still available.”

DODGER:

Okay so normally during shows, Dodger would pick out a couple people in the front that he would focus his attention on during the set. Walk up to them, reach out and grab their hand when it would eventually get extended out, sing to them a little bit, and even strategically throw his pick at the end of the night in their general direction. You know, try and make them feel special.

Not this night though. Not when he saw that Minnie was in the crowd. (Well not the crowd, but she was at the bar). His eyes would be on her the entire...fucking...night.

And even with the way the lights were shining, flashing in his eyes and keeping the majority of the crowd hidden from his vision, he could still see that she looked fucking amazing. The light from the bar illuminating her enough that he could see her. The short, black dress that he could tell hugged her in all the right spots without her even having to stand up. The fucking red heels that honestly probably made her as tall as him (and really? With the red?) so that he wouldn’t have to stretch his neck down to kiss her if she was next to him. He knew without even having to be close to her that she looked amazing, and that fucking hurt.

What also fucking hurt was how after just a couple of moments of her entranced with him (yeah, he could tell from this far away that he had grabbed her attention for a good while), that she turned back to the skeezy ass dude that had made his way over to her. What the fuck was he doing?

Dodger had to try and remain cool though. Minnie was gorgeous, so he couldn’t blame guys for wanting to go up and try and talk to her. Didn’t mean that it didn’t piss him off a little bit, because yeah it did. And Minnie was her own person, she could make decisions on her own, but he sure as hell hoped that it didn’t end up turning into anything.

Because if that were the case, and this guy did try to make a move on her, then Dodger wouldn’t hesitate to jump off the stage and smash his guitar into the guy’s fuckin’ skull.

He continued playing though because the show had to go on. One song transitioning into the next seamlessly before a break naturally slipped its way in. “Yous havin’ a good time?” Dodger shouted, ripping the mic off the stand and holding it out to the crowd that yelled in response. To be fair, this was a good night. It was a good crowd that definitely was vibing off of his music, but right now he only cared about one person thought. So he was going to pull out all the stops.

“Alright, this next one is one that I wrote abouts someone special ta me. Let me knows what you think.” He spoke, placing the mic back on the stand before turning his back, strumming out the first few chords to the next song.

MINNIE:

Minnie had been rather shocked that the guy had still been around. She had all but forgotten about him, truthfully, and only remembered because when she turned around he was still there. The guy did have hazel eyes, she could see them a little clearer now and they were really nice, so nice, very attractive in the way things were when the room was a little spin-y from alcohol.

Not in a clear way though. Not in the way Minnie looked at Dodger’s eyes when she had him close to her, when she could see that deep chocolate brown and find herself so easily smiling, light, airy and playful. She loved looking at his eyes, loved that she could have him so close to her and get completely lost in them. No, these were hazel eyes, gorgeous yes, but they didn’t give her the same feeling. They were just hazel eyes that left her slightly… flirty?

No, that was the alcohol.

That she knew was hitting her because she was thinking about eyes, and internally sulking that she wasn’t staring at brown ones. Even still she perched a playful smile on her lips as the guy handed her the drink that grin still wide on his lips, his hazel eyes looking at her as if he had won a prize by gaining her attention. She took her drink, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Thank you.”

The guy liked the classic hair tuck, what had been his name? Minnie didn’t remember she didn’t even know if she had caught it. He had started talking, she wasn’t paying attention, her eyes had fallen back over Dodger. He belonged on that stage, amping the crowd up and strumming his guitar as smooth as a natural breeze. He was so bloody good. Minnie didn’t realize when she had started smiling, she had made the mistake to turn around and watch Dodger and she had gotten as lost as when she did when she looked into his eyes. She was enamored and with or without alcohol in her system she knew she would’ve been.

Minnie had finished her drink. The guy was still talking, she turned again. He asked her name. She paused, trying to collect her thoughts before pulling that same playful smile on her lips. “Minnie. Everyone calls me Minnie.” He liked the name and extended his hand. She took it, but had missed what he said his name was. She was distracted. Dodger had started speaking and her eyes fell right back on him.

He had begun singing a new song, a song he had apparently written on his own for someone special to him. The words were heart-felt, pure and spun around in a manner that was every bit Dodger’s style. Minnie got lost in his voice, in the words, how he seemed to pour all of himself into what he was playing. She was intrigued, but the alcohol was still whirling in her head and Minnie…. she shifted slightly in her seat. Was the song… was it about Rita? It could have been… and Minnie hated herself for thinking that. All of a sudden everything felt a bit too much because she couldn’t stop thinking about the guy who was singing up on the stage. Minnie had gotten up from her seat, hadn’t even realized she was still holding this stranger’s hand as she looked at him. Everything was spinning and she just wanted some air.

“Umm, do you happen to know where the bathroom is?”

DODGER:

He could see that he had gotten Minnie’s attention back somehow. Call it the fact that he was cooler and hotter and just a hell of a lot of a better guy than the schmuck she was talking to (all true, all definitely true), but he had done it and felt pretty damn proud that he had managed to gain her attention.

Dodger was a performer, it was what he did, and he loved getting the approval or seeing the reactions of the people that were in the crowd when they listened to his music. All he needed was that one stamp of approval right now though, and that was Minnie.

She knew that he worked at Pixie’s, knew that he played and wrote his own shit, but he hadn’t actually played for her yet. There was the bet that the two had made and he expected her to either hear his stuff for the first time either then or maybe even another time where he decided to just play his acoustic when they were hanging out.

Not fucking out of the blue like this.

But he saw her smile, and saw how she was actually looking at him instead of just looking right through him like it had seemed when she first caught glimpse of him. Maybe things were alright. Maybe she just was a little weirded out by the sudden realization that he wanted to be with her.

Ha, wrong.

Because as soon as he finished the song, the one that he had wrote specifically for her...about her, she looked like she wanted to throw up, or like she was going to pass out. The smile had faded, the hand of the man beside her in her own (which fuckin’ pissed him off more than it should have), and she had stood up as Dodger said his thank you before transitioning into the next song. There was something seriously wrong, and Dodger needed to know what it was. What had gotten her that upset.

Maybe he had gone too far. He probably shouldn’t have played the song, but he did because he was desperate and needed to get through to her somehow since she wasn’t actually answering him. It was the only way he felt he could in this moment; to sing about how he felt and about how she made him feel.

MINNIE:

The guy had suddenly lost his all so cocky grin and was looking at Minnie sort of off, or was it with concern? She didn’t know. It truly wasn’t on her high list of priorities to go and figure this guy out right now. She just wanted some air so that she could think against the swirl of the alcohol and not have hazel eyes so close to her because he had gotten closer, still holding her hand and speaking now so that she could hear him. “Are you alright?”

Minnie just looked at him, blinking a bit before she nodded her head. “I’m fine. I just need the bathroom and I don’t know where it is. Do you happen to know? Umm where the bathroom is that is?”

The guy eventually nodded his head and lead the way taking Minnie to the bathroom. Once she saw the restroom, she quickly entered closing the door behind her. There really wasn’t anyone inside and the walls as well as the shut door blocked out most of the music from the club. It made her ears ring the sudden switch in the lack of sound, but that was okay. It was something that could help numb her thoughts because she really did hate about all she was thinking of.

Minnie had heard the entire song from start to finish. She had been wrapped in it the song pulling at her heart strings, but that was when she knew she had to get up and walk out for a moment. She didn’t know if the song was meant for her. God, she wanted it to be, for it to have been solely about her. She had loved the song, but it could have been for that gorgeous woman she had met back when they had been locked down. The woman who knew Dodger more so than Minnie herself, who grew up with him and could probably understand him more than she could.

She could probably make him happier better than Minnie could and those thoughts stung. It really hurt because she had truly fallen for Dodger and now this all felt like some sick twisted joke life was playing her with.

Minnie stood leaning against the door just for a couple of minutes. She didn’t do much, she just breathed, closed her eyes while the alcohol was still making everything spin. She couldn’t hear Dodger’s voice anymore, he must have finished. That was good. She could pull herself together… she’ll be fine. She stepped out of the bathroom then, the guy with hazel eyes still out by the door.

“I figured you might need help heading back too.” Minnie just responded with a smile and allowed the guy to escort her back to where she had previously been. She didn’t see Dodger in the stage…. she didn’t even see her co-workers. It was just hazel-eyes (she really should have caught his name). She turned to him, smiling sweetly up at him this time her head tilting slightly and very coquettishly.

“Thank you for walking me back. You really didn’t have to though.”

DODGER:

Minnie left. She had straight up left his set.

Which shouldn’t have hurt. It wasn’t the first time someone had left his set, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. But this? This fuckin’ sucked. Especially because she had gone off with that prick.

What sucked even more was that he couldn’t just stop the set. The DJ that normally played music for the club was given a break during Dodger’s sets, and if he just hopped off the stage and chased after Minnie now, then there would be no music in the club for a solid seven more minutes. Which was too long because people would get pissed, and Pixie’s might just end up burning down again from pissed off, drunk off their asses patrons.

It meant that Dodger had to painstakingly get through the remaining couple of songs. He wanted nothing more than it to just be over so he could go see what the fuck was going on with Minnie, and see if she was okay. Take care of her. Not this dumbass who wandered off with her who probably didn’t even know her name.

So he played, his energy diminishing significantly as those minutes dragged. But the moment, the literal second, that he finished he threw his guitar to one of the techs, snagging his sweatshirt off one of the amps, pulling it over his head, and hopped off the stage so he could find Minnie.

Didn’t even give his end of set speech.

He checked outside first, asking a couple of the guys that were outside smoking if they had seen a girl about “yay-high”, wearing this back dress and red heels with her hair all curled, come out. They hadn’t seen anything, dismissing Dodger inside almost immediately.

That’s when he saw her though. Standing a bit towards the back near where the bathrooms were (bathrooms, duh) with the biggest fuckface in the world. Only problem was that she was staring at fuckface like the stars shined out of his ass.

Dodger wanted to punch this kid.

He couldn’t though because he had gotten in far too many fights, and he was not the type to get this fucking possessive over someone. So instead, he sauntered over to the two, clapping the dude on the back before looking at him with a grin. “Aye, thanks for lookin’ over her while I was up there, kid. ‘Preciate it.” His gaze turning towards Minnie (God, she was as beautiful as he thought she looked), his other arm snaking around her waist so he could pull her close to him.

MINNIE:

Awkward.

At this point alcohol drink number four had settled in and it hadn’t helped that Minnie had closed her eyes in the bathroom allowing all that spinning to simply wash over her. It made the drink kick in sorta quicker. And now, now Dodger had appeared out of the bloody wood work totally unexpected to Minnie. He had meandered all smug like, up-sizing hazel eyes as he placed himself beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist tugging her close to him.

Minnie really liked that. Minnie liked it even more with the alcohol in her system. Dodger looked so hot being all possessive, puffing out his chest (well he really wasn’t but it was all the same), and having clapped hazel eyes back so casually but speaking with words that had a hint of a bite to them.

Oh, and she loved the chocolate brown eyes that were looking straight at her. She really liked these eyes. These eyes were so much better then hazel eyes, even though hazel eyes’ eyes were very gorgeous.

But, Minnie had pretty much forgotten, yet again, that hazel eyes was there when Dodger stepped in and she had happily stepped herself even closer to him. She wasn’t touchy with hazel eyes, but she loved how close she was with Dodger. She fit in his arms just right and he was so warm, the heat of his body rushing right over hers because that was how close she had practically curled herself right up next to him.

Then hazel eyes decided to speak and ruin her very happy alcoholic whirlwind. Minnie didn’t quite catch what he had said being slightly inebriated and all, but he sounded angry. He looked it too, his body growing tense and that wasn’t good. Minnie did not want a fight and drunk or not drunk, she knew very well that Dodger wouldn’t hold back.

And so, the brunette inched herself a little in front of Dodger, kind of placing herself in the middle of a rather hot sandwich (haha) and she smiled super sweetly at hazel eyes.

“Look, you have been so, super sweet to me and thank you so so much for that. Really, I really do appreciate it and you have gorgeous eyes. I’m sure you have so many women telling you that all the time because you really do have such gorgeous eyes, just in case no one has ever told you that before well now you know.” She wasn’t so sure where she was getting at here and if she was only making things worse…. But Minnie continued on anyways.

“But, I want to go home.” Because she was rather drunk and didn’t trust herself right now and quite frankly she really just wanted to be with Dodger. “And the guy behind me, he’s going to be taking me home because I would really rather it be him who took me home, no offense to your hazel eyes and all, but he’ll just take me home.” She turned to Dodger then smiling so sweetly up at him. “Right…? You’ll take me home?”

DODGER:

Yeah, Dodger was going to knock the lights out of this fucker.

Because as he pulled Minnie closer and then released his grip on this dickwad, Minnie brought herself closer to him too, and apparently shit for brains wasn’t too thrilled about that because he thought he was going to get lucky tonight

He started mouthing off some shit about watching where Dodger was stepping and to not move in when clearly he was already talking to Minnie, but Doder didn’t care one bit. This guy was an asshole, and he was just going to let him continue to make an ass out of himself as Dodger stood there with the biggest shit eating grin on his face, knowing very well that he had gotten the upper hand because of where the three were currently standing.

Well….were standing because Minnie had taken it upon herself to step in front of Dodger. Which honestly was probably a good thing because if this asshat kept talking then he was 100% going to knock him out.

But then she kept telling the guy how gorgeous his eyes were literally right in front of Dodger, and he could feel his blood begin to boil, his hands tightening up into fists, but he restrained himself once he realized what Minnie was saying.

She wanted to go home. She wanted Dodger to take her home. It was something that she didn’t even have to ask because the moment he heard that she wanted to leave, Dodger was already willing to offer to take her back. But then she looked back towards him with such a warm smile despite the hazy fog that was over her face (he was guessing that she had drank quite a bit that night because of how much she was rambling about this asshole and not in that adorable way she got). “Of course I’ll take yous home.” He smiled towards her, giving her a slight nod. “Let’s go, Mins.” His arm came up around her once more, guiding her past the guy and towards the exit of the bar.

MINNIE:

Minnie was really grateful that Dodger had agreed with her and that nothing worse had escalated. She didn’t want any fighting and surely she wanted no one in the hospital, especially not for this reason.

Not when clearly drunk or not Minnie would have still gone home with Dodger over hazel eyes.

She knew that once she sobered up a bit, she was going to internally cringe at herself for this whole ordeal and for the words she had spoken to the other guy, but right now she was just glad to be leaving Pixie’s. Even though that whole testosterone show had been rather hot, and this was her alcohol speaking, and Minnie did love the way Dodger had gotten so possessive and jealous? Was it jealousy? She didn’t know for sure, but whatever it was it was still so very hot. She allowed him to guide her through the waves of people, her body moving through throngs until the pair of them had made it outside.

The air wasn’t hot and sticky like in the club and Minnie welcomed the slight chilling bite that crawled over her skin. She could see some goose bumps forming over her arms, but she was fine with that, it was sort of numbing, which she needed at the moment. Everything still felt sort of woozy and dizzy like. The alcohol hadn’t completely worked its way out of her system yet, and it was because of the remaining liquid courage that Minnie had paused in her walking making Dodger do so as well, even though he didn’t exactly look he wanted to.

But Minnie really didn’t care if he had wanted to or not. Instead, she just looked at him a moment her eyes steadily studying him. He seemed mad, a bit put off and that only made the brunette cross her arms over her chest.

“You know. You don’t have to take me back home if you don’t want to. I know my way home from here.”

Her words didn’t have a bite to them though. She hadn’t spoken them angrily as she thought she would. They came out soft, and guarded almost as if she was preparing herself to hear that he actually didn’t want to.

“I’ll be fine...”

DODGER:

The second Dodger and Minnie had gotten outside, he ripped off his sweatshirt and extended it towards Minnie. “Here, put this on it’s too cold out heres, and if yous was drinkin’ that ain’t good.” It wasn’t really an offer the way he phrased it, more like a demand (though his tone was not demanding in the slightest) because he didn’t want Minnie getting sick on top of being hungover.

His arm remained around hers though as they made their way down the street, not entirely sure where exactly her place was, but figuring it had to at least be in the same direction where he lived. It was quiet, and Dodger wanted to break the silence by asking about what the hell was going on between them, but that wasn’t a conversation for a drunk Minnie to be having.

That needed to wait until she sobered up.

Minnie stopped though, and it had taken Dodger a couple moments to realize that she had before he came to a stop too.

He looked at her with questioning eyes, his hands stuffing down into his own pockets as he tried to retain a little bit of warmth (he’d rather be cold than Minnie) when her arms crossed over her own chest.

What the fuck was going on?

Literally though. Where the hell had this come from? The allegations that he didn’t want to take her. First off, yes, he wanted to. Secondly, he was going to take her home if she continued drinking whether she wanted it or not because he didn’t want her getting hurt or taken advantage of by some skeeze. Thirdly, he had straight up told her that he would! So why in God’s name was she thinking that he didn’t want to?!

“Where’s this comin’ from Mins?” A choked out laugh escaping him. “Of course I wanna take yous home. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to.” Which was absurd because that just wasn’t the type of person that Dodger was. “I care about yous, I wanna see yous get home safe. So yeah, I’m takin’ you.”

MINNIE:

Minnie hadn’t spoken a word, she remained quiet allowing the slight cool air to hang silently around the both of them. She still said nothing, hadn’t even made a sound, she just looked at Dodger.

Where’s this comin’ from Mins?

She didn’t know. Everything felt slightly skewed, but she did know didn’t she? Fear, it was fear. She was scared that she’d end up hurt just like she had in pretty much every past relationship she has been in. She was scared that whatever Dodger had in his past with Rita, because Minnie knew there was something there, wasn’t just in the past, but that it was still lingering and would sprout back up into the present. She figured if she could step back, walk away now, it would be okay… right? It wouldn’t hurt as much… she’d be okay…? It was what she had been telling herself. It probably wasn’t true though. She would end up picking up pieces and not knowing how they’ll ever place back together again.

I care about yous

That made Minnie smile a bit. She wanted to shove down all of the fear and all of her thoughts shove them so deep and just cling to those four little words. He had to care though… right? He was out here in the street in the middle of the night making sure she was okay. He had given her his sweatshirt all so that she wouldn’t end up cold. It smelled like him, she liked that, it made her feel snug even when the sweatshirt looked a bit large on her. He was still here even while she was slightly drunk. He had to care.

Minnie still looked at him. He seemed so confused…. she was confused too. She finally decided to move then walking up to Dodger until she was close enough in where he could wrap his arms around her, her own head falling over his shoulder. Minnie didn’t want to think so much, what she really wanted was for Dodger just to hold her, but her thoughts and the fear… it was still all there pressing and screaming in her head.

“Just… just tell me that you won’t hurt me.”

DODGER:

Minnie stepped towards Dodger, and his arms instantly opened, not wasting a moment before he pulled her in close and tight. His fingers lightly trailed over her back as her head fell onto his shoulder (he was right - she was almost as tall as him in those heels.) But then she spoke out and Dodger was dumbfounded.

Just tell me that you won’t hurt me.

There was part of him that was worried that she was expressing this to him now. Because it had to come from a place of fear that Dodger would hurt her, and he hated that. Hated that it had even become a thought for her. Or that it had been something she had been sitting on because this had to be the reason she was being so distant. And it all stemmed or started at one point. The lockdown. Something had happened during this lockdown that caused Minnie to think he would hurt her.

Rita.

That had to be it. Minnie had gotten so quick during that entire interaction that maybe there was something she had seen that planted that little seed of doubt. Which really, really sucked because there wasn’t anything there between him and Rita. In the past, yeah, but it was his past for a reason. He wanted to live in the present, and he wanted that with Minnie.

Dodger pulled her away from him slowly, his hands firmly on her shoulders, his thumbs moving back and forth. His eyes found hers, not daring to break their eye contact now. Dodger needed Minnie to hear him. “I would never, ever hurt you.” It was a promise he meant, and whole heartedly intended to keep. “And in the fuckin’ zero percent chance in hell that I would, yous have every right to just fuckin’ nail me in the face.” He had to at least try and keep this a little light. He wanted to see her smile. “But that ain’t ever gonna happen so nos punchin’ me.”

The smallest of smirks playing across his lips as his hands moved to cup her face. Dodger still wanted to have a conversation with her about all of this though. He needed to clear the air of any fear or worry that she could still have, but it needed to wait until her head was totally clear of any fog or haze from the alcohol. Right now, he just wanted to get out of the harsh air. “Come on, let’s get yous home before you freeze, yeah?”

MINNIE:

Dodger must have known that she had wanted to be held the moment she stepped herself closer to him because his arms opened up and she found them wrapping her and holding her tightly. She didn’t know if allowing herself to be held by him had been a good idea because she always felt warm and safe when she was in Dodger’s arms. It felt so right being held by him even as his fingers softly trailed over her back, soothing and comforting. She loved being inside of them and that hadn’t changed even now.

She felt him slightly draw her out of his hold, her eyes falling over him as he began talking. Dodger held her gaze and spoke the words Minnie had so desperately needed to hear. She could tell he meant them genuinely, she couldn’t catch a hint of lying in it. That comforted her made the fear disappear one piece at a time and of course, leave it to Dodger to go and make it light.

He always did, but that had been one of the things that Minnie had always enjoyed about him.

Because, it made her smile, it made her laugh. It did that now, her lips curving up into a hint of a smile as a small brush of a laugh slipped from her mouth. She felt his hand cupping her face the contact gentle and warm. She leaned her cheek into his touch her smile growing a little more. “Thank you...” Minnie stepped in a little closer wrapping her arms around the crook of his neck.

“It wouldn’t even hurt. I would have to find someone else to do it for me to really make it count.” Her head dropped in a bit of a flirtatious angle, a devious little smirk lining her lips as her eyes glittered mischievously. “Maybe hazel eyes would do it for me.” She laughed then, unable to help herself more so since she still had a bit of the alcohol in her system.

She drew herself back, unlacing her arms and allowing one of her free hands to intertwine with Dodger’s. “You have to take a left on the next block and then my complex is basically right there.”

DODGER:

She smiled...laughed...brought her arms up around his neck after he spoke.

Things were okay for now...his Minnie was back.

“You’re welcome.” He spoke out softly, the corners of his mouth turning up before quickly turning back down at the mention of ‘hazel eyes’ yet again. But he shook his head, the smirk returning because she had laughed, and probably didn’t mean it out of any ill will. She was trying to keep it fun and make a joke out of it (because his guess was that she could tell he wanted to beat the fuck outta the dude).

Plus he just couldn’t ignore that flirtatious little grin that she was giving him. That was too hard to resist.

“Nah, yous keep that fucker out of it.” Dodger mused. “I’d rather get punched in the face by Roscoe than that shithead that was back there’s.” His head motioning back towards the club. “But it ain’t’ gonna even happen so we don’t needs ta talk about it anymore.” While he had tried to make it a little lighthearted, he didn’t want to instill that doubt once more by continuing to talk about it. About the thought of him hurting her because quite frankly it made him upset to even think about.

Dodger followed her directions though, gladly lacing their hands together as they continued to make their way to her apartment. This was...nice. It was nice, getting to walk with her back to where she lived. Now granted, she was still kind of drunk and had just expressed with Dodger that she was scared over what the future held, but those moments...those quiet moments of just walking were something he enjoyed.

She led the two towards her actual apartment unit once they were in the building; Dodger picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder at this point because he almost guaranteed that it would be ten times harder trying to walk her up the steps to her room. He carried her like that though until they reached her door (careful not to jostle her around too much to the point where she would get sick on him), setting her down gently. “Yous got a key on you or hidden somewheres?”

MINNIE:

Minnie had still been grinning a ruffle of a chuckle slipping from her lips. “You’re kind of cute when you’re jealous.”

Woops, slip of the alcohol, but that was neither here nor there.

She had lead them to her flat and had not thought for even the slightest second that Dodger would go ahead and carry her over his shoulder. The move had caught the brunette completely by surprise and Dodger had held her rather firmly because Minnie couldn’t even kick if she wanted to, because she probably would have. Yes, she had drank tonight, but she was okay enough to make it up the stairs in one piece. She did however huff and when placed down she gave Dodger a glare the best she could muster while still being under some of the effect of the alcohol.

“You’re aware that I’m wearing a dress, right? A dress that happens to ride up, especially if carried.” Which was what Minnie was presently doing, sliding the fabric of her dress down and brushing aside random strands of hair that had gotten all over her face.

A key…. A key yes, she had a key. ...where had it been? She looked around for a moment… Oh! She had one hidden in her mailbox and so she walked towards the thing, turning her head to look at Dodger with an arched brow and a playful smirk on her lips.

“Yes, in my bra.” She teased, taking the key right from out of her mailbox and opening the door to her flat. She stepped in, leaving the door open behind her so that Dodger could follow in. She saw Figaro lazily curled on one of her couches, a smile lighting up her features. She did love seeing her cat.

She turned to face Dodger again. “You can stay if you’d like. I guess I wouldn’t mind the company so much.” She teased again with a bit of an impish smile.

DODGER:

Yeah, Dodger laughed at that one.

Because ultimately, it wasn’t really all the fun that he was getting fucking jealous over something so little as Minnie flirting with some guy at Pixie’s. Nothing fucking happened, yet here he was getting annoyed at the thought of her potentially liking him. But maybe that’s where this all was coming from with her. The thought of Dodger having something with another girl was making her well….a little jealous.

He would admit that he liked that she thought he looked cute though. “I’m always fuckin’ cute I don’t know what yous is talkin’ about.” He teased back with a huff.

At the mention of her being exposed though, Dodger simply rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, theres was no one behind us up the steps. And if anyones lookin’ where they ain’t supposed tos then yous can bet theys gonna answer ta me.” Keep their eyes where they should be.

Speaking of which.

Dodger’s eyes flashed towards Minnie’s chest for just a moment, it was covered now because of his sweatshirt (which she wore well and it sort of fell over her body because of the size but it….it looked kind of hot if Dodger was being honest), but they still fell. In his mind he went back to how she looked in the dress. The fabric clinging and accentuating every single little curve on her body; it hugging her hips in a way that could be considered criminal; Dodger wanting to trace every inch of the skin that was exposed with hands.

He needed to stop.

But his eyes flashed back up when she reached into the mailbox. “Mins, you gotta think of a better hidin’ spot for your spare when yous sober up.” Mailbox and under the doormat were the two most common places to keep your spares, making it so easy to get in and loot the place. But he followed her into the apartment, smiling down at the cat as he walked over to it, rubbing it’s head as he began to pur. “Oh I’m stayin’, yous ain’t gettin’ rid of me now. In fact…” Dodger walked over to Minnie, picking her up bridal style before glancing about the apartment until he located her bedroom. Once it was spotted, he walked in that direction, laying Minnie down in the bed when he arrived. “Yous, is gonna take a little nap. Sleep off some’a this drunk. I’m gonna gos and get you a cup of water and find yous some pain killers. I’ll be right in theres with Fig though after if yous need me, okay?”

MINNIE:

Dodger had gone ahead and scooped her right up and bit of a giggle escaped Minnie’s lips this time around since she wasn’t thrown over a shoulder. She had instantly curled herself a little closer to Dodger’s chest the minute he had picked her up, snuggling herself against him until he had found her bedroom and placed her on her bed.

The comforter felt so soft beneath her, but it was hardly as warm as Dodger felt, and when he spoke about her needing to take a nap she couldn’t help but internally sulk. She hardly wanted a nap.

“The mailbox is fine. Nothing bad has happened before.”

That had been her logic concerning her keys. It was better in the mailbox then lost and keeping her locked out of her flat. She was still upset about the nap though.

“I’m really not tired.” Her voice came out in a sweet almost borderline sultry wine. “Do I really have to sleep?” She puckered her lips into an innocent pout, but her eyes were playful, mischievous even. Minnie had caught where his eyes had lingered earlier, hadn’t made a comment about it, but she had seen it nonetheless. She knew she could convince him otherwise and with the alcohol swirling about in her head, she wanted to she really wanted to.

She had really liked when Dodger had looked at her, his gaze made her feel hot and desirable in a way she hadn’t really experienced with other glances and stares.

However, Dodger seemed determined in making sure she sobered up as he continued on talking. The brunette sighed, moving her legs to crawl over to the top edge of her bed as she slipped herself right under her sheets curling under the softness that welcomed her. Her head fell over her pillow, so fluffy and wonderful and Minnie had practically curled her body so that Dodger’s sweatshirt enveloped her completely. “Fine, I guess I’ll take a forced nap.”

She watched as Dodger left the room, her eyes much to her surprise feeling heavy. The alcohol must have started wearing off and before she knew it she actually fell asleep.

When she awoke, Minnie still had her memory very well intact, so… she had remembered everything. She gave a tired groan to herself feeling well for a lack of a better word bloody embarrassed. The brunette wondered if Dodger was still in the apartment, might have secretly hoped that he wasn’t to save her from the embarrassment, and she drowsily got up from her bed to go check.

Yes, he was still there. She looked at him, a bit of a shy smile now touching her features before she spoke sort of quietly. “Hey…”

DODGER:

As Minnie sort of whined and complained about not being tired and not wanting to take a nap, he already made his way into the kitchen, opening up a few cabinet doors until he found a glass. He walked back into her room to find her finally underneath the covers. Dodger set the glass down on the table beside her bed, brushing a bit of hair out of her eyes as he bent down, kissing the top of her head. “Night Mins.” He spoke, the tiniest of laughs escaping him as he walked back into the living room.

It felt...bizarre being in her place and just sort of hanging out while she slept. Not that it was bad or anything, don’t get him wrong, but it made it feel like everything was okay between the two, and like nothing had ever happened because this felt...serious. Which was weird for him. Nothing ever got serious for him in terms of relationships. Everything always just remained flirty and hot and fast and that was the end of it.

Not with this though.

But Dodger wasn’t about to leave anytime soon though. Not just because he wanted to make sure that she didn’t end up getting sick, but also because he still did want to bring up what had made her so uncomfortable at the lockdown.

So as she slept, Dodger sat there on the couch. Played with Figaro for a bit, dicked around on his phone before he ultimately found a couple of painkillers sitting on the bathroom sink (thank fuck because he did not feel all that great about going through her shit, not now).

And he felt himself starting to doze off too, his feet hanging off the side of her couch as he leaned against the pillows that were propped up along the back when he noticed Minnie appear in the entryway. Her hair was a little messy, but that was to be expected when you crashed as fast as she had (but dammit did she still look beautiful), and she was still wearing the sweatshirt he had given her before they got to her place. “Hey,” He smiled back, sitting up a bit on the couch, “Hows you feelin’? Did yous take those painkillers I left out for yas?”

MINNIE:

Minnie shook her head. She had woken up, remembered the night and just walked out of her room to see if Dodger was still around. In all honesty, she hadn’t even noticed any of the pain medications. “No… I didn’t even see it, but I feel okay.” Her voice sounded very drowsy still, but aside from the lingering sleepiness, she actually felt fine.

She slowly began to move making her way over to the couch Dodger was seated on and taking a seat there herself.

The embarrassment that Minnie had felt when waking up was still very present, but a part of her was really glad that he had stayed even when she fell asleep. She took a good look at him, could see that Dodger appeared tired too, but it made her smile to see him smile. She had missed him, sober Minnie, she had really missed him even with all of the thoughts that have been driving her insane and the pent up fear that had only been building.

She really did miss him.

“You look tired. You didn’t have to stay… You could’ve gone to sleep. I’m sorry… I feel bad that you stood up and it’s so late too…”

Minnie didn’t know the exact time, but she could figure it had to be pretty late in the night. She lifted her legs so that they both curled together towards the side on her couch. She was facing Dodger now her head falling to lean itself gently on the couch. She was kind of still wrapped in his sweatshirt, which she just now noticed. Oh… she should probably return that back to him… her cheeks began to heat up most likely blossoming into a shade of pink. She really had been quite a mess and now she had to face it. Why did she go ahead and drink?!

“Thank you though… for um for staying… and walking me home too… and I guess helping me up the stairs… and to my bed as well….” Wow, that was a long list. “Oh and for your sweatshirt… I-do you want it back…?”

DODGER:

3:48 a.m.

It was almost 4 in the morning. Dodger’s set had gotten out at about 12:30, which he was thankful for because there were many nights where he had gotten out wayyyy later than that. This was an early start date though meaning he was able to leave early. By the time he had gotten Minnie home and in bed, the clock had read 1:06, and here there were now.

Dodger was exhausted, yeah, he wanted to just crash but he knew he couldn’t. By being here, he had a job, and that was to make sure that Minnie was okay. And even though she wasn’t that drunk, Dodger just wanted to make sure.

He could stay up just a couple hours if it meant that.

Minnie took a spot next to him on the couch and he wanted nothing more than to just pull her closer. This is where the tables turned though, because the nerves were beginning to settle in for him. The conversation that he knew was inevitable would probably be happening within the next few minutes, and Minnie was being a little rambly and thanking him for everything that he had done for her that night., and apologizing for making him stay up.

“Hey, I wanted tos, so no need ta thank me.” He smiled, shrugging his shoulder as one of his arms moved up and over the back of the couch. “Plus it’s what I’m here for, right?” To be there for her. That’s what he had promised those short weeks ago.

At the mention of his sweatshirt though, Dodger couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Nah, yous can keep it.” He reached over, gently tugging on sweatshirt on her body. “Looks betta on yous than it did me anyway.” Throwing a cheeky little wink in for good measure.

MINNIE:

Minnie loved that cheeky thing of a wink, she loved when his lips pulled up into a smirk, when he teased her back, made her laugh and made her smile. He did that now, made her smile and formed that little bout of a laugh.

“You think so? It’s…. very comfy. I like it.” She confessed with a bit of a cute shrug in her shoulders.

But, Minnie could feel the strain that lingered in between the both of them. Even as she looked at him, was speaking with him and had smiled there was still some tension there. She knew that was her fault, and Dodger… he looked pensive as if he was trying to figure out what he was able to do now and what he couldn’t.

She didn’t want that. She didn’t want him not knowing what to do when she was around. And again that had been her fault all because she had allowed that fear to creep up enough so that she started acting distant, slowly taking steps further and further away. Minnie though, she didn’t want this. She knew she wanted to be with Dodger and he had stayed all to make sure she would be okay. That didn’t appear like someone who was with someone else, or was trying to move past another person.

Minnie did hate her own head sometimes, but it had been a consequence of how she’s been hurt in the past that her head tended to over think when it shouldn’t. “You… you want to talk? I can see that you’re thinking about something…”

DODGER:

“Yeahs,” Dodger responded, smiling a bit with his finger still tugging on the front pocket of the sweatshirt as Minnie popped up her shoulders. “It is fuckin’ comfy, it’s my favorite one too so yous should feel pretty fuckin’ special.” He quickly teased back, and yeah it may have been one of his favorites to wear after shows, but he could part with it. The air still remained a bit heavy between them though, and Minnie was also pretty quick to recognize that. Who wouldn’t? You could practically cut it with a knife. The fact that the two hadn’t really talked for about a week, and now they were forced (well not forced, Dodger definitely wanted to do this) to come face to face with whatever had managed to get in between them. “Yeahs, I do.” He really just wanted to get to the point because it felt like it was eating inside of him - the idea that he had done something so wrong that she had been upset at him enough for her to just ignore Dodger for a week.

He took a deep breath, grabbing one of her hands, holding it in his own. “I wanna know what happened. Did I do somethin’ ta like, piss you off? Cause I knows that I can be an asshole, but like…” Dodger trailed off a bit, his thumb gently moving against her hand as he tried to put into words what he was feeling; what he wanted to know. “I just want yous ta tell me if I did somethin’ that got yous upset. That way I can make sure neva to do it again.”

Because ultimately, this feeling fucking sucked. He hated the thought of her being this mad at him. Which...thinking about...shouldn’t have made him as mad as it did, but it did. Dodger was slowly, very slowly, trying to be a better person. For himself mainly, but for the people around him as well. To quit his life of stealing and fuckin’ going crazy because it only ended up jeopardizing the people he cared about, and they didn’t deserve that. So clearly he had fucked up again.

MINNIE:

No…. it was eating Dodger up.

Minnie could clearly see that in his eyes, heard it laced behind his words. She had grown to learn how to read people. It was needed in her job when patients wouldn’t tell her the whole story, which was necessary to provide the proper care.

She was reading that off of Dodger now.

And she felt horrible about that. Minnie had never meant to hurt him. In her attempts to stay away a bit so that she couldn’t end up hurt, she ended up hurting Dodger in the process. She had never wanted to ever do such a thing, and apparently she now had. It felt so awful, the emotion sitting so heavily against her chest.

His hand on hers, his thumb softly trailing over her skin that made it feel a little better. He really cared for her…. why had she been so quick to jump to conclusions?

Minnie shook her head trying to think of how she should even start to answer him. “I—no it wasn’t so much you-I… I just…. I” This was proving very hard to place into words.

“I got scared.” Because that’s what it was. Minnie had gotten scared. “I have a horrible history with this stuff… and it… it always ended with me getting the short stick…. Just getting hurt.” She laughed a little then her eyes dropping for a moment before she spoke again. “And when we got stuck in the gym because of that storm… it was… I picked up that there was something there between you and Rita…”

That was the part Minnie hadn’t wanted to speak about because she didn’t want to peg anything against Rita either, she knew that the pair of them had grown up together and because of that Minnie didn’t want to be the cause for any trouble.

“You guys grew up together… she’s family… maybe was more… or is more and I didn’t want to find out if it is more. I don’t know if this is making any sense, but… it’s just… I really like you, Dodger and if it is more that… that’ll really hurt and I-I didn’t want to face that.”

DODGER:

He was right. This was all stemming from that stupid fucking lockdown.

Dodger hated that she had felt this way. That this all came from a place where she thought him and Rita were together and that he was just leading Minnie on, or that she was his side piece or whatever the fuck she was thinking. This needed to just end, Dodger had to clear things up for her.

“Hey, hey, hey, listen ta mes.” He spoke surely, each word she spoke like another fucking stab right in the gut. “There is nothing between Reets and I anymore, okay? Yous right, we did grow up together, she’s like family ta me because it’s all I had growin’ up, but we ain’t nothin’ anymore.” Dodger shook his head, his eyes on Minnie as he spoke.

“I’m gonna be honest with yous though…” This was something he needed to add, because she had been truthful with him. Now it was his turn. “There was a time a few years ago where we were somethin’. We ended it though because it wasn’t good for our little group, we didn’t want to hurt ‘em by fuckin’ shit up. I moved on though, none’a those feelings are there anymore. It was the past, I ain’t livin’ there no mores.”

He took another breath, grabbing her other hand now so that he had both in hers. “I told yous last night, I would never fuckin’ hurt yous. Ever. That's a promise I ain't ever gonna break. Not last week when yous came over, not now, not however long from now.” The corner of his mouth turning up even the slightest bit. “I,” fuck he wasn't good with this shit. “I like yous too. I wouldn't fuck that up by playin’ yous along like that.”

MINNIE:

So there had been something. Minnie had pinned such a thing since the lockdown. It was all in the behavior Rita had portrayed, the tension in her body, her remarks…. she acted angry as if Dodger had done something to her the moment she had appeared. It was what had made Minnie so uncomfortable, what had made her start placing pieces together and think that something had been there, or was still there.

But it looked like what had been there, wasn’t there anymore for Dodger. He had been honest with her, opened up and confessed to everything even when he technically didn’t have to.

Minnie’s chest suddenly felt lighter and when he had grabbed both hands her eyes lifted back up so that she could look at him.

He was being so sincere and Minnie couldn’t help but to find it cute that he struggled a bit to confess how he felt because it had been a genuine struggle, one that sounded like the person was hardly use to saying words such as those at all. It sorta made her heart melt, her lips turning up into a smile.

She squeezed both hands gently, before she moved from where she had been to very softly place herself over Dodger’s lap, her body facing him. Minnie didn’t want that lingering space between them anymore, she didn’t want that tension or sense of awkwardness. She wanted the proximity the same one she had that night of the masquerade when they danced together, back when they had kissed in the hospital, and when she had been in his place and he had held her. She wanted her Dodger back, she didn’t want to push him away.

Minnie realized that… he would be worth the hurt, even if he promised never to do such a thing, he would be worth it. Her hands separated from his so that she could gently trace her thumb over both cheeks. “I’m sorry. I should’ve just spoken with you first before I…. well started jumping to things… I’m so sorry. Why you happen to like me, I have no idea.” She smiled then lightly teasing. “But I’m really glad that you do.”

DODGER:

Truth be told, Dodger hadn’t known how his little confession was going to go. Not necessarily him telling Minnie that he liked her, but everything about Rita. It had been the source of Minnie’s insecurities the past week, and for him to admit that there was something there in the past...well who’s to say that Minnie would even believe him?

The dynamic that Rita and him had had before they got together and even after was always a little flirtatious in nature. It was just how it was, and from the outside yeah, it probably looked like the two might have actually been together. But like Dodger had told Minnie: they weren’t, his feelings for her weren’t there and he was pretty god damn positive that Rita didn’t feel that way towards him either. He had pushed those down a long time ago and had walked away from it all, leaving it behind him.

Seeing the smile that began to appear across Minnie’s face though made Dodger feel like nothing had ever even happen between them. Every little ounce of worry that had been inside him (and again, we all know that Dodger is definitely not the type to worry) vanished. And well, he beamed. The smile that appeared on his face fucking lit up the room. His arms wrapped around her waist as she climbed onto his lap, his hands sliding up her back to try and pull her closer to him as if that was even possible.

“Hey, stop that, yous don’t have to be sorry okay?” It sucked that she had jumped to these conclusions instead of just talking to him about these concerns, but ultimately, Dodger couldn’t blame her for the worry. She didn’t have to be sorry about it. “Now you knows though that yous always can just come ask me shit. I’m as open of a book as they come.” He never really hid stuff (unless of course he was trying to get shit out of people, then it was a different story), and he wasn’t going to keep that shit from Minnie.

With her playful little tease though, Dodger couldn’t help himself as the smirk already began to appear. “Wells..I could tell yas if you want me to.” His shoulders now popping up into a bit of a shrug as he continued to hold her close to him, the tone of his voice a little teasing in nature.

MINNIE:

Minnie enjoyed the fact that Dodger had pulled her in closer the minute she crawled herself on him. She normally wasn’t the type to initiate such things. For the most part, in the past, she was normally the one that got brought into, but with Dodger it felt so easy to simply be a little impulsive. Besides, she really did like whenever she could be so close to him. It was as if she couldn’t get enough of him.

She dropped her hands from his cheeks to allow her arms to slip around his neck. “I’ll make sure to remember that for next time.” She promised him, placing a soft smile on her lips.

Her forehead gently pressed itself against his. She was glad things felt back to normal, that Dodger was smirking and teasing her without feeling any reservation behind it. She really had missed this and was probably growing far too use to this already.

“I can’t say that I wouldn’t exactly mind hearing your answer.” Her voice was playful a small line of a smirk beginning to tug at her lips. “It better all be nice things.”

She pulled back slightly to give him a threatening glare that hardly looked like such at all and Minnie had practically broken the effect of it by finding herself laughing a bit anyways. She was horrible with such things as it was.

“You know, have I ever told you that I really happen to like your eyes?”

DODGER:

At the compliment, Dodger’s head fell as he let out a breath of laugh. His eyes fluttering just a couple moments as he lifted his head back up to face her. “And heres I thought that this was supposed ta be me talkin’ about what I like about yous. Not the other way around.”

Which speaking of which…

“But,” Dodger began his head pulling theirs apart so he could really look at her face, though keeping them close as his voice came out in almost a whisper. “For starters, I likes that laugh of yours and how easy it is for me ta make you laugh,” his head dipping down so he could place a light kiss against her cheek, “And the way that yous blush so easily too,” now moving closer down towards her jaw, “not to mention the fact that yous is beautiful when you’re blushin’ and when you ain’t.”

As he spoke, Dodger continued to take short, but very planned out pauses, kissing down the stretch of her jaw with each pause as he moved down her neck, listing each of the things that he liked about her. It really wasn’t all the necessary in the grand scheme of things, but Dodger was just way too god damn happy that whatever they had had previously hadn’t gotten fuckin’ ruined that he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to show that affection that he was feeling towards her, that he wasn’t going to let this little bump stop them.

“You’re smart…..one of the best damn nurses this town has…...I could keep goin’ if yous want?” His head lifting back up to he was face to face with her, his lips hovering for just a moment above Minnie’s before connecting them gently.

MINNIE:

“Oh, it is, but since I’m looking at your eyes at the moment I figured I’d let you know.”

It was one of her favorite features about Dodger, his eyes. Even when she had looked at the random stranger’s eyes back at the club, she still couldn’t quite get Dodger’s eyes out of her head.

She started to listen to his answer, her cheeks instantly turning a deep, deep red. His words were so sweet, they formed a run of butterflies in her stomach and made her want to just straight out melt right in his arms. She kept herself together though because it was bad enough that she had already blushed like a schoolgirl with an over obsessive crush. Minnie could feel heat emitting from the skin of her cheeks and wondered if Dodger’s lips could feel it as well as they softly came into contact with them.

Minnie was beginning to find it hard to concentrate on whatever Dodger was still saying, not because she hadn’t wanted to hear him, she did, but when his lips were traveling down her jaw and he spoke with a whisper that brushed over her skin… it left her head so fragmented.

Then his lips trailed down to her neck.... That has always been such a weak spot for Minnie and she found herself closing her eyes against the feel of his lips, her neck craning at an angle that would allow Dodger more access to her skin and her back arching without her even being aware of it. His kisses made her nerves spark under her skin and if he didn’t stop…. Minnie would soon be very lost.

His head lifted, her own straightening to look back at him, her eyes appearing slightly hazed. “You can. I’m not sure if I’ll make it out alright if you do.” She confessed, and as his lips gently pressed itself against her’s Minnie knew she definitely wouldn’t.

She pulled back, shaking her head. “Hmmm, maybe you shouldn’t.”

DODGER:

That had earned a bit of a chuckle out of Dodger.

Though honestly speaking, Dodger wanted to keep leaving kisses across her body. Until he had traced every single inch. He couldn’t get enough of her. He hadn’t wanted to stop.

But he knew that he needed to.

Because otherwise, he would start to get carried away, and things would go a little farther between the two of them that he would have liked. Now that’s not to say he hadn’t wanted to take her back to her bedroom because he did, he really did. But there were two things that he needed to keep in mind.

One, he didn’t know if she really wanted to. Two, as much as he did want to...it didn’t feel right to right now. He liked her. She meant so much more to him than all the little flings that he had with girls previously; taking them straight home and never speaking a word again. He didn’t want her to be like that (which she wasn’t), and even though that’s not what she would be if they did...you know, it still didn’t feel like the appropriate time.

Especially because they had literally just “made up” two minutes ago.

But he could feel the way that she had moved with his touch, her back arching as he moved further down, her neck craning to allow him better access so that he could kiss her, and fuck he loved that. The way that she so easily just melted with his touch, that he could have that effect on her where she seemed almost high off his touch and breathless.

Putting it simply, Dodger was fucked and he knew it.

“Alright, alright I’ll stop then. Whatevas you say.” He smirked once more, leaning forward and placing another kiss on her lips. “I’ll save ‘em for another time, yeah?” He teased because truly, there were an entire list of things that he hadn’t even gotten to yet.

#dodgerjones #bdrpdodger #dog mouse #time to 'fess up

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