#bikepara 27: skin deep

[aidenoconnell]

skin deep.

Richard, admittedly, got his ass handed to him by Leo but he is not letting that get him down. If they want to play dirty, Richard can definitely do that. He’s not going to be as careless as Alonzo with the Armada club. Richard knows how to poke hole, cause issues and getting under skin. His marriage to Kim was a fucking mistake, young and stupi and so was she. Sure, they got Aiden but Kim ripped him away and got a new husband.

He walks along the main drag of town smoking a cigarette as he comes by the flower shop. Aiden’s pretty little girlfriend inside and he smiles but it’s nothing friendly. He flicks his cigarette and yanks open the door, taking a look around the place.

[aidenoconnell]

skin deep.

Richard, admittedly, got his ass handed to him by Leo but he is not letting that get him down. If they want to play dirty, Richard can definitely do that. He’s not going to be as careless as Alonzo with the Armada club. Richard knows how to poke hole, cause issues and getting under skin. His marriage to Kim was a fucking mistake, young and stupi and so was she. Sure, they got Aiden but Kim ripped him away and got a new husband.

He walks along the main drag of town smoking a cigarette as he comes by the flower shop. Aiden’s pretty little girlfriend inside and he smiles but it’s nothing friendly. He flicks his cigarette and yanks open the door, taking a look around the place.

[lucifitzgerald]

Luci's gaze softens as Aiden mentions she's always been a part of the team, a part of the Vandals, a part of this little family she found when she moved here. She leans over and presses a kiss to his lips, Daisy setting down the donuts she ordered with a playful wink.

"Thank you," She tells him--not just for the compliment, but for everything.

“You’ve always been part of the team,” Aiden says but he understands what Luci means, how it feels and such. He smiles and looks over the cardigan again, turning Luci in a circle before having her face him. “It looks really good.” He says and nods to Ryan in a thank you as well.

Ryan claps, content ans laughs softly as she takes the gift bag and moves down the bar to help a few guys looking for some drinks. Aiden presses a kiss to the side of Luci’s head and smiles as well seeing how excited whe is.

[lucifitzgerald]

Luci's felt like a bit of an outsider ever since she came to this town--it's gone away a bit as she's lived here longer, as she's gotten to know Aiden and the club. But she hasn't truly felt a part of this family, the Vandals' family, until right now. Ryan didn't have to do this, but it means the world that she did.

August smiles as Aiden comes back over and fingers the cardigan. Luci grins up at Aiden, tugging the sweater a bit closer to herself. He knows all about that feeling, fitting in.

"Officially part of the team now."

Ryan smiles and nods, it’s definitely more of a rare thing. She kind of pestered August a bit, jokingly wondering if she could have one but Luci’s is well earned and it feels important as welll. It signifies being part of something important and it’s family-like as well. “You look great,” Ryan ensures her and glances up as Aiden wanders back with a curious look on his face.

He looks over the cardigan, tugging at the fabric and its soft between his fingers. “This is really nice. Explains the random text I got from Ryan about my patch placements.”

[lucifitzgerald]

"Thank you." She grins, wiping a hand over her cheek. She shrugs it on, oversized and perfect. She runs her thumbs over the soft fabric, tugging her short hair out from under the neckline.

"Looks good on you," August smiles, having a sip of his whiskey.

She beams, feels like she could glow right on the spot. She never thought she'd get something like this--Ryan's jacket felt like such a one of a kind.

She reaches for Ryan's hand and squeezes, "Thank you." She says again. "How do I look?" She preens.

Ryan leans her elbows onto the bar and smiles as Luci takes out the cardigan to look it over. It feels like solidifying that the club is different from before and more inclusive. They’re not at the table or anything but they have status which feels pretty good too. Ryan watched Luci’s eyes light up as she looks it over and laughs softly.

“First edition Vandals cardi,” she laughs softly. “Felt like it’d suit you quite well, yeah?” She glances down the bar to August then back to Luci. “One of one, limited edition.”

[lucifitzgerald]

August watches as Ryan slips into the back and grabs the sweater for Luci, a small smile tugging the corners of his mouth at the doe eyed expression on the other girl’s face. 

“Me?” She asks and then her cheeks pink, but she’s grinning when she tugs the bag closer. “It’s not my birthday, you know.” 

Daisy laughs, “Does it have to be to get small gifts?” She raises her eyebrows. 

Luci grins, tugging the bag closer so she can see inside. She’s assuming the ‘we’ Ryan mentioned is the girls, and she’s confirmed with the small tag on the outside. 

She chews on her lower lip and tugs something soft out of the bag. She gasps—it’s a lavender puffy sleeve cardigan and it has—

“There’s patches on here.” Her eyes fill with happy tears. A vandal’s patch—like Ryan, like the boys—a bat patch, like August’s dagger, a flower patch, like the one she gave Aiden. 

“Oh my god, I love it.” She grins, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Ryan oh my gosh.” 

The bar clears up after people get drinks. Ryan washes her hands and dries them on a towel before slipping into the back and grabs a small bag with the sweater in it, heading back out. “Hey,” Ryan greets Luci with a smile and sets the giftbag down in front of her.

“We got you something,” Ryan smiles softly as she leans against the bar and gently nudged the bag towards Luci. Almost feels like Christmas.

[lucifitzgerald]

Luci nods and watches Aiden slip away to talk to someone--hopefully it really is only five minutes. And whatever information they have is important--she knows Aiden and August have been after whatever they can to help the club as far as Richard is concerned. She smiles softly at Daisy as she looks over the menu.

She knows they just came from dinner but...

"Are these donut bites new?" She raises her eyebrows and Daisy laughs.

"Yeah, fried donuts. They're really good--come with chocolate sauce and caramel. Want some?"

Luci grins.

Aiden leans against the bar as Luci sits, they get some drinks from Daisy not too long after. There’s a little bit of a crowd around the bar for drinks which is good. With the amount of early closures and situations happening, it’s nice to see the bar filled up and looking good.

He presses a kiss to the side of Luci’s head as he looks around. “Uh Aiden?” A voice comes from the right and Aiden turns to see Cal who’s been coming to the bar for years, a good local. “Might have some info about that new club.”

Aiden raises his brow and he wants to say not tonight but can’t he afford to let something like that slip out if his hands, “Five minutes,” Aiden says and tells Luci he’ll be back in a moment.

[lucifitzgerald]

August reaches for Ryan's hand and gently tugs her forward so he can press a kiss to her cheek. The gesture with the sweater is small, but he really thinks it's sweet of her to think of the new addition to their club. And that's what Luci is--same as Sloane, Ryan, or Daisy. She belongs with the rest of them.

Luci holds onto Aiden's hand as they wander into the bar, a smile on her lips as he tugs over a stool for her. Using his hand, she steps onto the rungs and positions herself on top, wearing a cute black jean skirt and a short sleeve button down blouse. It was a nice little date night her and Aiden had--and honestly she was surprised by it?

It feels good to do things like that when situations feel a bit morose. Also? They got a free app. One of those club perks--she's loving that.

"Thank you." She smiles softly at him.

Ryan looks up at August and nods with a smile. “I will, figured they’d be coming around tonight so I brought it with me,” she tells him and Ryan is pretty excited about it as well. She really hopes Luci likes it, that it’s not too silly. Hopefully Aiden doesn’t mind either? She doesn’t think he would feel any type of way about it anyway.

She twists her hair into a low bun and ties it with a scrunchie. She exhales and rubs her arm, looking out at the bar. She hopes the spirits stay high enough.

About fifteen minutes later, Aiden strolls in with Luci, holding onto her hand. He nods to a few people as they make their way to the bar. Aiden grabs a free stool for Luci to sit on.

[augustcastle]

August hums as he looks down at the text, liking the message before putting his phone back into his pocket. He has a slow sip of his drink, glancing over his shoulder to smile at the usual suspects playing pool, shooting darts, drinking and having a good time. He's kind of surprised the karaoke machine didn't make it back out after that successful first round.

"Yeah, I'm sensing that."

He runs a hand through his hair,

"Think Aiden is comin' in with Luci if you've got that cardigan."

Ryan shrugs back and smiles to herself, slipping her hand into the back pocket of her jeans as she punches a few things on the cash register while she listens to August say he’s okay and that he’s happy the bar is going good tonight. She nods and looks around as well. She’s happy with that too.

“Think everyone is trying to keep their spirits up,” Ryan tells him and offers him a light smiles.

Aiden: yeah, just out for dinner with Luci.

[augustcastle]

August glances over at Reagan and Daisy for a moment, a bit of amusement tugging the corners of his mouth before looking back at Ryan. He tugs some cash out of his wallet and stuffs it in the tip jar before reaching for the whiskey she pours him.

"Who, me?" He grins at her, giving her a teasing wink before shrugging his one shoulder.

"I'm alright--glad it's lively in here, despite the nonsense lately." Speaking of, he tugs his phone out and sends a text to Aiden.

August: you comin' to the clubhouse tonight? busy in a good way

Ryan walks behind Daisy as she grabs some glasses and fills them with some tap beer, handing them over to come guys and trades them for cash. She punches some into the cash register and places the change into the tip jar. Reagan comes by to talk to Daisy and things seem to be going well, she doesn’t pry too much into it just… letting them figure it out.

She glances over as August comes around and smiles softly, nodding. Ryan grabs a water for someone then August liquor from the shelf, pouring it into his glass. “How’s my favourite president tonight?”

[augustcastle]

It's quiet over the next few days, but August is hoping that means Richard is licking his wounds. Again. He shakes out his hand again, knuckles sore from hitting the brick fucking wall. He knows he baited him, but he also doesn't care.

Asshole was lucky it wasn't a blade.

He wanders out of his office and smiles as he sees the clubhouse in full swing, glad that it's not deterring people from doing their usual Friday night.

He settles at the bar, running a hand through her hair, "Usual when you get a minute, blondie."

“I know,” she replies as she looks up at him. “He just says things to get a rise out of anyone and it worked,” which is the annoying part but to some degree Richard knows what he’s doing. “You have to drive him out of town or something… I know your mom and Aiden are probably exhausted over this.” She shakes his head.

Ryan touches August’s face and presses a kiss to her lips, “Was very hot of you though,” she tells him.

But the Richard Express seems to fade for a few days, thankfully. It’s always a bit daunting since no one has seen him around. Ryan wipes down the bar and her eyes dart to the door every time it opens just in case.

[augustcastle]

August walks with Ryan towards her place and lingers in the kitchen as she grabs him an ice pack. He's glad she doesn't want him to apologize because he's not sure he could. Richard just--says whatever he fucking wants and never deals with any consequences--

he knows that Leo doesn't put it up with it, and neither would Aiden. He's not about to sit around and have him talk shit on Ryan. It's one to hear him say shit about his family, about him. Not about her. He's not going to sit around for it.

He licks his lips, looking at the ice pack,

"Can't wait until he's gone." He mutters.

Ryan shakes her head as she looks over her shoulder to see Richard still holding his face as he slinks away. She turns back to August and gently touches his face then looks at his hand. “Don’t apologize,” she tells him, there’s nothing to apologize for whatsoever. Richard was looking to stir shit up for who fucking knows what. He’s an idiot.

They move to her apartment building quickly and she unlocks the door, sighing as they get inside and she puts the food down on the counter. Ryab grabs an ice pack from the freezer and wraps it in a cloth as she goes back over to August, taking his hand and taking his hand and gently places his ice on his knuckles.

[augustcastle]

August rolls his eyes, nearly spits in his direction,

"You would know all about that, wouldn't you?" But allows Ryan to tug him in the other direction and down the street. He sighs, shaking his hand out. Luckily, no broken fingers but...ouch. He's going to need an ice pack and a band-aid for his center knuckle.

He glances at Ryan and gently shrugs his shoulder. He knows she's worried but,

"Not gonna apologize," He mutters.

Ryan lets August go and she doesn’t care that he actually throws the punch now. Richard deserves it but it also means that things are getting messed up again. She hates the feeling but definitely knows August hates it more. She swallows and gently tugs at the back of his jacket to hopefully put some distance there for his safety.

Richard looks back at August, holding part or his face but he doesn’t look pissed— he looks pleased. “Not too bad for second best.”

“August let’s go,” Ryan says.

[augustcastle]

Nope, that's not happening.

The minute the word 'whore' leaves Richard's mouth, August's fists goes flying. He connects right at his jaw, a sloppy hit, doesn't knock him on his ass as Leo's does. But he doesn't care, not in the slightest.

There are people around, murmuring, but he already knows that if need be, these townspeople will easily vouch for him if something were to happen. If Richard would do something stupid like try and call the cops.

"I think your face evened out a little bit," He snaps back, "With a matching bruise now."

He backs up, allowing Ryan to tug him.

Ryan reenforces her grip just a little as Richard taunts but so does August. God, this shit can’t happen right now, “Most of them deserve to be put in their place, sure it would help your case.” Richard comments and Ryan rolls her eyes, tugging August so maybe they can go in the opposite direction.

“Come on,” she tells him gently. “He’s not worth your time.”

“Listen to your little whore.”

Ryab whips her head around and this time she’s the one stepping to Richard. “Speak one more time,” she dares him and he laughs in her face even as Ryan is all ready to go for a swing or a kick, something.

[augustcastle]

August shakes his head because he's about to do the same fucking thing, throw a punch and walk away--was good enough for his dad, anyway.

"I'd take offense, except you have no clue what makes a real man." And he takes a step forward, into his space--doesn't care if Richard throws a punch or not, only thing holding him back is Ryan's firm grip on his arm.

"Which is obvious, seein' how you treat the women in your life."

Ryan rolls her eyes as she turns into August, annoyed by this man already as he’s standing there. Richard laughs softly as he looks back to August but his facial expression firms, “A cheap shot means nothing, fuckin’ ran away after. Just like before, not a real man anyway.”

Ryan breathes in and holds onto August’s arm to hold him back slightly. Any buttons pushed about Leo is not good but she also doesn’t want August to get in a fight with a man who means nothing.

[augustcastle]

August lets out a short breath--he knows that Ryan is fully capable of taking care of herself, but he still steps forward, shielding her body a bit with his. He doesn't trust Richard...and they already know he has no problems putting his hands on women.

God. If he was a different type of person, of president, he'd take him out right here. No one would bat a fucking eye. But he also doesn't want to take that opportunity away from someone who really deserves to put Richard in his place--meaning Aiden.

"Did you want a matching shiner to the one my father nailed on your face or what Richard? What's the point of this?" His voice is calm--bored even.

Richard hollowly laughs as he looks at August for a moment. He can pick of similarities to Aiden if he really wanted to but there’s also too much Leo. And there’s Leo in Aiden which rubs Richard the wrong way. Ryan rolls her eyes as well which grabs Richard’s attention and he looks her straigh up and down twice.

“Thought Claremonts were a little more uppity than some bike club,” Richard says.

“Don’t talk about my family,” Ryan warns.

Richard grins. “Of course, your lawyer father probably is on the payroll anyway.”