#obviously i left some things out and embellished others but ya know ya gotta do what u gotta do

[johnsbleu]

Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 155

warnings: dual pov, john wick chapter four spoilers (if you haven’t seen it and don’t want spoilers, do not read!) mentions of vomiting HMH masterlist

The lines at Disneyland haven’t been too bad. Thankfully the babies have been in great mood as well--considering the jet lag and warm weather, you’re fully surprised that Ronan has been so good. You’re sure she’s just happy to finally see you and John again. She slept in bed with the two of you last night since neither of you wanted to let her go, even just for the night. Being away from her was a lot harder than you expected, but at least you managed a couple days alone with John.

“What should we ride first?” you ask John, and he just chuckles and looks down at Ronan in his arms.

When he first mentioned Disneyland, it never crossed your mind that she wouldn’t be able to go on rides. You were too busy thinking about how excited you were to be going. But John assured you that Ronan will be able to go on plenty of things as long as the two of you hold her. It’ll mostly be tame little boat rides, but you don’t mind that. You planned on going on them anyway, you might as well bring her along with.

“Dude!” Jimmy taps John’s shoulder and points at a roller coaster, “We gotta go!”

“I wanna go!” Tess raises her hand and looks at you, “Goose?”

You smile, nodding your head, “Yeah, of course.”

John inhales deeply and nods, “Yeah, I’m up for it.”

“I wanna ride with you,” Tess says over her shoulder, and you nod. “The boys can ride together.”

The line is long but after waiting about 15 minutes you’re finally up to the front. You stand next to Tess and smile at John, who is just looking at you with not much expression on his face.

“You good?” you ask, and he nods his head, giving you a thumbs up. “You sure? You’re quiet.”

“I’m good, peach.” he smiles, then he leans down and kisses you. “Don’t get too scared.”

You gasp, “I would never!”

The gates open and people filter into their carts, and you sit in one in front of John and Jimmy. You get your belt on and try to look back to see John but since he’s sitting directly behind you, you can’t see him. You look over your shoulder more and see Jimmy talking to him and laughing. Hopefully John is okay.

As the ride takes off, the air is filled with laughter and screams--the screaming is mostly Jimmy at this point. You hold hands with Tess and throw your hands up in the air as you go through the twists and turns, and you squeeze her hand tighter when you see the first big dipping coming up. You both scream with laughter and look at one another.

Leaning over, you yell over the wind blowing in your face, “Is John okay? Can you see him?”

Tess turns a little and nods her head, “Yeah, he’s smiling.”

The smile on your face grows bigger before you scream loudly and drop down the next dip, your stomach doing a little flip. Your hair is a mess on your head by the time the coaster is going back to the station, and you laugh when you see Tess’ blonde curls all in her face.

“We gotta go again,” Jimmy says before he’s even out of his seat.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Tess grabs his arm and hugs it, “I’m riding with you this time!”

Before you can tell them that you’re good, they’re running off to get in line again. John reaches down and helps you out, making sure you’ve found your footing, then he wraps his arm around your shoulder.

“Your hair is a mess.”

“I know, I should have worn it up. I have some hair ties in my bag.” you say, then you look at him, immediately stopping and widening your eyes when you see his face is pale as a ghost, “Are you okay?”

John stops and turns to you, “Yeah, why?”

“John, your face…” you put your hand over your mouth and laugh, “Baby, you’re so pale.”

“I’m okay. I just need some water.”

You reach up and cup his cheek before pressing your palm to his forehead, “Sweetheart, you look sick.”

“I’m okay,” he whispers, and you look into his eyes again.

“Babe,” you begin to worry more as you look at him, “You look like you’re going to throw up.”

John reaches out for the railing and swallows, “I’m okay.”

“You have motion sickness, Jonathan.” your mom says, and you look over your shoulder at her. “Honey, you need to sit down.”

“Think he’s okay?” Jimmy jokes, and you playfully slap his arm.

You walk over to the stroller and grab your bottle of water, then you gesture for John to sit on the bench. He takes the water and finishes what’s left in it, and Dan hands him another bottle. You pour a little water onto a napkin and gently dab it against John’s cheek and forehead.

“I don’t want everyone to make a big fuss,” he says quietly to you, and you nod your head.

“Hey, if you guys want to go ahead, that’s fine. We’re just gonna hang out here.” you wave your hand, “Go on. We’ll catch up.”

John rests his elbows on his knees and puts his head down, “Holy shit, I’m gonna throw up.”

“Bathroom is right there,” you rub his back and smile softly when he looks at you, and he gets up and hurries off.

Tess looks back and gives you a thumbs up, asking if you’re okay. You give her a thumbs up and laugh when she holds up her phone. You’ll text her when John gets back.

Loud groups of children decked out in Disney attire and their tired parents move past as you wait for John on the bench, and you finally see him coming back out. He lets out a small laugh when you perk up.

“I’m fine,” he laughs, sitting down next to you.

“I didn’t realize roller coasters made you sick.”

John laughs, “You and me both. First time on one.”

“What?” you gasp loudly, causing a few people to look over but you don’t care. “John! You’ve never been on a roller coaster before?”

“When would I have ever been on a roller coaster?” he asks, and you both laugh.

You nod, “Yeah, that makes sense. I guess there wasn’t much time for that back then, huh? Well, I won’t make you go on any other rides.”

“I still want to go on rides with Ro,” he says, patting your thigh, “But they are nothing like that one.”

A small laugh escapes your lips as you look up at it, “Yeah, it was a pretty intense one for your first roller coaster. You’re lucky mom isn’t over here. If she knew that it was your first ride, she’d take your picture standing next to the sign like you’re five.”

“Yeah, definitely don’t want that.”

“I can’t believe you just went on a ride and didn’t even tell me that it was your first.”

John shrugs, “Didn’t want to be left out, or seem like I was holding everyone back or something.”

“We would never think that, babe,” you reach over and press your hand to his cheek, “You feel better?”

“I do,” he nods, and you lean over to kiss his cheek, “Yeah, might want to rinse my mouth out first. Thanks for staying with me.”

“Of course.” you smile at him, and he rolls his eyes when you start to laugh, “I’m sorry! I just didn’t expect you to be sick after the first ride. I didn’t know! Had I know, I wouldn’t have gone on it.”

John squeezes your thigh, “It’s fine. Should we go find everyone? Maybe take Ro on a ride.”

“Yeah, I think she’ll like the Peter Pan ride.” you stand up and reach for his hands to pull him up from the bench, “I think you’ll be okay on that one.”

“You don’t get sick?”

You scoff, “Hell no! My mom used to get us wristbands for this amusement park every summer. Tess and I would spend the whole day there. Mom would pack us a bag with snacks for the day, drop us off, and pick us up at 8. We rode everything. But I do know something you can ride that won’t make you sick.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” John looks down at you. You start to smirk as you point to yourself, and he laughs, “You?”

“Yup!”

John chuckles, shaking his head, “Nah, I think I have something you can ride.”

“Well, as long as you don’t throw up anymore today, I’m so down. Not really into vomit-breath.”

“I do have toothpaste, you know.” he jokes, and you laugh as you lean up to kiss him.

__

John was not too pleased to see how charming Flynn Rider was, but you thought it was pretty funny. Ronan absolutely loved him and thought he was very funny as well. She laughed and kicked her legs, and she even leaned over for him to take her. He and Rapunzel fawned over her, which made you tear up since Tangled is becoming her new favorite obsession lately. When you turn it on, she just sits quietly and watches it.

The plan is definitely for her to meet more princesses, but right now you’re taking her on her very first ride. You might have teared up a little. She’s sitting in John’s lap looking around at all of the pretty lights, and she’s squealing happily every so often.

“God, she’s getting so big.” you frown before leaning over to kiss her, “Stop growing up! You need to stay my little baby girl forever.”

John leans forward to see her face, “I hate it. I want her to stay little forever.”

“She’s getting so much personality though,” you say, smiling at the two of them, “She looks so much like you, babe.”

“You say that a lot, but I don’t think you realize how alike you two are,” he says, and you look at him, “She is so much like you too. She makes all these goofy faces just like you. She’s starting to look so much more like you too--that dimple is killing me.”

Ronan’s cheeks are squished when John hugs her and kisses her, then he points at the little Tinkerbell on the wall. She waves her hands in the air and dances along to the song, then she looks over at you like she’s waiting for you to dance. You rock a little in your seat and smile wide at her. When John joins in, she giggles loudly, showing off her two little teeth that have come in.

God, how does she already have teeth?

You frown a little thinking about how fast this is all going by. Soon she’ll be getting her license and going to prom. You absolutely hate it. Instead of focusing on that and how fast time flies, you scoot over and rest your cheek on John’s shoulder, laughing quietly every time Ronan squeals happily.

__

Even though you already saw a lot of the famous landmarks in Paris, you have no problem going to see them again. Your mom is dead-set on going to a few places in particular, so that’s what is on the agenda for today. The kids are in a stroller that is being pushed by her on the sidewalk. It probably wasn’t a great idea to put them in a stroller since the sidewalks are narrow but it’s better than carrying them or chasing Finn down when he runs off.

John is holding tight to your hand as the two of you walk behind everyone else, but he’s been…different today. Just really quiet. You noticed it last night actually, after dinner. Surely his stomach can’t hurt from Disneyland two days ago. It’s something else. He barely touched on his time in Paris--he really didn’t say anything other than after Helen, he stopped here. You don’t know exactly what happened in Paris but you can tell it was something big. You’d never straight up ask him since you don’t want to push him to talk about something he’s not ready to talk about.

“Soccer cure.” Jimmy says, and you furrow your brow.

“What?”

Jimmy laughs, “Soccer cure.”

“What is he saying?” you ask as you look at John, “He’s your best friend.”

John laughs and gestures to Tess, “He’s her husband.”

Tess rolls her eyes and laughs, “I have no clue. Sometimes I tune him out.”

“He means Sacré-Coeur,” John finally says, and you look up at him, “It’s the Basilica--”

You look at your mom with your brow furrowed, “Mom, isn’t that the picture that Grandma had in her living room?”

Your mom stops walking and turns to you, “Yes, and she was in love with it. She talked about how beautiful it was every time I went over there near the end before she…anyway, yes, and I want to go see it.”

“We will, honey.” Dan says, touching her arm.

“Turn right at the end of the street,” John says, and you look at him when his voice is so monotone. “It’ll lead you there.”

You lace your fingers with his and smile softly at him, “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” he says, avoiding looking at you.

“Okay,” you squeeze his hand before you let go of it and speed up a little to walk with Tess.

He doesn’t want to talk right now and that’s fine. You know when John needs his space. You won’t push him on it. You look over your shoulder at him as he shoves his hands in his pockets and stares ahead, a little crease in between his brows like he’s worried or overthinking. Jimmy ends up falling back to walk with John, and you link arms with Tess as you all continue down the street and turn where John tells you to.

“Oh, shit!” Jimmy starts to laugh, and you all look back at him as he nudges John’s arm, “You wanna take the stairs?”

You look back and see the staircase, then you look at John, “What about the stairs?”

“Oh, you don’t know?” Jimmy says, and you furrow your brow in confusion, “John--”

John clears his throat and glances at your parents before looking at Jimmy, who is quick to pick up that John doesn’t want this information--whatever it is--to be broadcast in front of them.

“222 stairs.” your mom says, shaking her head, “Could you imagine going up those? How are we going to get up them with the stroller?”

You’re not an idiot and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out something happened on these stairs. John’s world and his past life is…incredibly insane.

You walk over to John and hold his gaze, “So, the stairs…”

“Yeah,” he takes a deep breath and finally lets out a small laugh, “The stairs.”

You cock up your brow and gesture with your hands, “Just a wild guess here, but this isn’t your first time seeing them.”

“Definitely not.”

“Hmm,” you nod your head and look up at the stairs.

John points, “You can go down a little and there’s a hill that you can go up instead. You’ll end up in the same place at the top.”

“Let’s do that.” your mom says, and Jimmy jogs over to get the stroller so he can push the kiddos.

“So,” you look at John and smile, “Hill or the stairs?”

John looks up at the stairs like they’re something he really needs to conquer, “You with me?”

“Always,” you put your hand out and smile when he laces his fingers with yours. You look over at the group and smile, “Meet you at the top.”

You and John head up the first set of steps in silence. They aren’t too bad--yet. That quickly changes after the second set.

“Hold on,” you hold your side and wince, “Side cramp.”

John leans against the light post and watches you, smiling when you look at him with one eye squeezed shut, “You good?”

“No!” you laugh and stand up straight, “How does someone do this?”

“Try doing it about three times in a row.”

You let out a loud laugh and give John an incredulous look, “No fucking thanks!”

John looks up the rest of the stairs and shakes his head, “Definitely didn’t think I’d see these stairs again.”

“Was Paris your last stop before home?” you ask, and John nods without looking at you. “So, it all ended here?”

“Yeah.” he says, but he doesn’t give you anything else.

You reach out and squeeze his hand, smiling softly when he looks at you, “We don’t have to talk about it.”

He looks back at the stairs, then he reaches for your hand as the two of you start your way up the next set of steps. He stops for a few moments to make sure you’re okay, then you head up the next set.

“Damn, my glutes are on fire!” you laugh breathlessly, looking over at John in hopes he’ll get a kick out of it, but he doesn’t even crack a smile.

He’s having a battle of his own in his head right now, so you just go silent and make it up the rest of the stairs. You really want to complain about how your feet hurt and your legs too, but you don’t. You just stay quiet and hold his hand.

“Hey!” Jimmy waves, then he bends over and puts his hands on his knees, “Holy shit, that hill is no joke. Stairs must be worse.”

“They certainly weren’t fun,” you say, letting go of John’s hand so you can push Ronan’s wispy brown hair out of her face as she sleeps in the stroller.

Tess leans against Jimmy and closes her eyes, “I’m passing out as soon as we get back to the hotel.”

“We have more places to see! Come on!” your mom walks past you with so much pep in her step that you wonder where the hell she gets all her energy.

Everyone follows behind your mom like she’s the teacher leading you all on a field trip. You lean down to check on Ronan and help carry the stroller up a few steps before you finally stand in front of the beautiful basilica. Your mom is tearing up and taking pictures of it, and Tess is too. She brought her fancy camera so she’s able to get some really good shots.

“Mom, can you get one of the three of us?” Tess asks as she hands her camera to your mom, but she puts her hands up and shakes her head. Tess looks at you and laughs, “She’s too scared to hold my camera. Would you mind?”

You take the camera and snap a few shots of Jimmy, Tess, and Finn, then you get some of shots of just Jimmy and Tess. Ronan fusses a little when she sees that Finn isn’t in the stroller now, so your mom gets her out.

“Want some pictures with your family?” Tess asks, taking the camera back.

“Yes! Of course.” you look over your shoulder and furrow your brow, spinning around in a circle in search of John, “John? John? Jonathan?”

Where the hell did he go? You wander around and call out his name a few more times until you finally spot him sitting on the steps. Looking over your shoulder, you put your hand up to let everyone know it’s okay and that you’ll be back. You head down the steps and sit next John, bumping his shoulder with yours.

“Hi.”

“Hey,” he glances at you and looks out at the skyline, and you follow his gaze. “It’s beautiful here.”

You wrap your arms around your knees and nod, “It is.”

After a few moments of silence, John takes a deep breath, “Don’t you want to know all this stuff about me? Aren’t you wondering what happened on the stairs?”

“Are you kidding me? Of course I want to know!”

“You just never ask,” he finally looks at you and shrugs. “And you always say we don’t need to talk about it.”

You turn to him and rest your hand on his arm, “Because I’m respecting your boundaries and past. I would never make you talk about this stuff, Jonathan. This is your life. These are big moments from your past. Big, tough, heartbreaking moments. I would never push you to talk about that stuff if you don’t want to. I want you to tell me everything. I want to know what you were doing May 9th, 2017! I want to know it all. Everything. Every detail. Even the ones you deem unimportant.

John nods, “I guess I started assuming that you just didn’t want to know. Most people would just ask--Jimmy does. I don’t tell you a lot because it’s hard. Hard for me to explain. Hard for you to hear. It’s just a hard thing overall.”

“I know,” you look down as he plays with your fingers, “But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s nothing you can say that will scare me away. I’m in way too deep with you.”

“I’m not worried about scaring you,” he looks into your eyes and sighs, “I’m worried I’ll break your heart.”

Your heart immediately sinks, “Well, now you’ve scared me.”

John chuckles as he turns to face you more, “Not like that, peach.”

“You can’t play with a girl’s emotions like that, babe.” you laugh and jokingly wipe your brow, “Scared me.”

“I don’t know what I was doing May 9th, 2017,” he says, and you start to laugh, “But if you’d like to hear about Paris, I’ll tell you.”

You shake your head, “It’s not up to me. It’s up to you. It’s if you want to tell me. Of course I want to know. I want to know everything. But it’s not up to me. It’s you. If you want to tell me, then I’ll gladly sit and listen to you. You know me, I love to listen to you. And if you decide that this is something you want to keep for just you, for just John Wick, then I will respect that. You know that.”

“How are you so understanding?” he asks in disbelief.

You smile softly, “Because I really fucking love you.”

“Dada!” Ronan squeals loudly, and you both look back to see her holding Tess’ hands as she walks down the steps--Tess is really just holding her and helping.

You look back at John and smile, “Someone misses her favorite guy.”

“Hey, bug,” John takes Ronan and sets her in his lap, then he kisses her cheek. He looks over at you and tucks your hair behind your ear before he leans over to kiss you. “Last time I was here, I thought this was the end. I thought that would be the last sunrise I’d ever see. My only thought was…”

You smile when John looks at you, then you shrug a little, “It’s okay.”

“She was my last thought,” he whispers like it’s a secret, then he looks at you again, “I’m sorry I just admitted that to you.”

You let out a small laugh, “It’s okay. It was like five years ago. I think it’s okay to admit you were thinking about another woman--your wife at the time. Trust me, John, I get it.”

“I just…” he looks out at the skyline again before he hugs Ronan closer, “I thought it was the end.”

“But it was just the beginning, really, wasn’t it?”

John laughs when you scrunch your face up in disgust over how cheesy that was, “Yeah. I laid on these steps and accepted that it was the end for me, but I had no idea that my life was going to change after.”

“Ah!” Ronan holds up a Cheerio in front of John and tries to feed it to him. She babbles and giggles when he eats it out of her hand.

“Oh, it was soggy.” he spits it into his hand and wipes on the cement.

You scoot closer to him and rest your head on his shoulder, “If you want to tell me about it sometime, I’m all ears.”

“Maybe later?” he asks, and you smile as you nod. “I think right now we need to do a little photoshoot with my gorgeous girls. I want to make some new memories here--some good memories.”

Ronan kicks her legs and babbles loudly, pointing at a hot air balloon in the sky, then she looks at John like she’s waiting for him to explain what it is. He chuckles softly and kisses her cheek, squishing her face a little when he hugs her tight. You prop your elbow on your knee and rest your head in your hand as you look at him, holding tight and loving on his baby girl.

__

When you got back to the hotel, John was still a little quiet, but he wasn’t at all like he was this morning. He didn’t tell you anything but he started to talk with the family more and even walked with your mom alone for a bit. No doubt he was gushing about Ronan or something from the smile on her face and how he kept glancing over at the two of you since she was sitting in your lap. He’s still processing what happened to him, you’re sure. It must be a lot to wrap your head around, and being here with your family on top of it all must be jarring.

You’re all back at the hotel now and sitting on the balcony, looking out at the Eiffel Tower and eating ice cream. Ronan has it all over her face and clothing, so she’ll definitely be needing a bath, which will be perfect since she’s going to be a little hyped up from the sugar. She loves to play in the bath and she loves when her daddy makes silly voices and makes her toys talk to her. He has a way of making everything magical, not only for her but for you as well.

“Hey…” John whispers in your ear from behind you, and you look over your shoulder, “Watcha doin?”

You start to laugh, “Just sitting here. What about you?”

“Just admiring you from afar,” he says, and you roll your eyes before tilting your head back to kiss him.

“You should admire me up close, Wick!” you tease, and he leans over the couch and wraps his arms around you, kissing your neck and shoulder.

John exhales and buries his face in the crook of your neck so his voice is muffled, “I have plans for us tomorrow, so don’t plan anything with anyone else.”

“Okay,” you turn your head to the side to look at him, “Are they sexy plans?”

“No, but we can have those tonight.”

You start to laugh, “Well, from the past few days we’ve been here, we have established that our bed does not make a sound even when you’re…ripping me in half, so…”

“Yeah, the bed is quiet,” he holds your gaze and cocks up his brow, “What’s not so quiet is you.”

“Well,” you put your hands up as you shrug, “That’s not my fault. You’re just too good, so I think you’re to blame for that, really.”

John pecks your cheek as he laughs, “I’ll take the blame.”

“Of course you will,” you cup his face and kiss him again, “I love you so much.”

“I love you so much too,” he whispers, then he looks over when Ronan pulls herself up on your pants. “Hi, bug. Looks like you had some ice cream.”

Ronan is grinning wide and shaking her head fast from side to side, the sugar clearly hitting her. She screams loudly and reaches one hand up for you, so you pick her up and put her in your lap.

It’s kind of amazing how babies can go from super hyper to zonked out. Ronan leans against your chest and twitches a few times, then she’s out like a light, sleeping soundly with your shirt clutched in her grip. You pry her fingers open and stand up, then you head inside and lay her down on the couch to change her out of her clothes and into her pajamas that John has grabbed. John also brings a warm washcloth and wipes away the chocolate on her face.

Since there’s a few bedrooms upstairs, that’s where her and Finn are sleeping. You head upstairs with John right behind you, of course, and you put Ronan into the pack ‘n play. She moves around until she’s comfortable, then she smacks her lips and lets out a small sigh.

“Ah, to be a baby.” John says, and you look over at him, “They fall asleep so fast.”

“I distinctively remember you passing the fuck out last night. You didn’t wake up once.”

John laughs, “You wear me out.”

“Oh, do I?”

“Yes, you do.” he pulls you closer and kisses you tenderly as you back out of the room.

Your mom clears her throat and smiles when you both look at her, “Dad and I are heading to bed. We’ll get the babies in the morning.”

“Thanks, mom.” you walk over and hug her tight, “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too, sweetheart.” she says, then she squeezes John’s hand, “You two have fun.”

You widen your eyes and stare at her as the blood drains from your body, “What? Why would we be having fun tonight?”

Your mom playfully squints her eyes, then she laughs, “I meant tomorrow.”

“Oh,” you blink a few times and feel your cheeks burning red with embarrassment, “Right, yeah, of course.”

“Goodnight,” she says, smiling at you before she slips into her room.

You look at John and smile when he starts to laugh, “Extra quiet tonight.”

John puts his hands up and backs away, “I can’t make any promises. You know me, I’m just ‘too good.’”

__

In true John Wick fashion, he has kept you completely in the dark about where you’re going today. All you knew was that it was take a little while to get there, that you were to wear something cute and breezy (Tess’ words) which meant you were to wear a summer dress and some sensible shoes to walk in. Thankfully you packed lots of shoes and dresses.

How John is able to keep his mouth shut about surprises always blows your mind. Whenever you have something planned for him, you almost blurt it out because you’re so excited. He’s just so good at keeping secrets.

The two of you boarded the train, found your seats, and sat down. The train took off a few minutes later but you have no idea where you’re headed. You don’t even know what direction you’re going but it’s nice to look out the window and see everything going by.

John reaches into your purse and pulls out the water bottle, then he offers it to you. You take a quick sip and hand it back to him before you cross your legs and links arms with him. He leans over and presses a soft kiss to your forehead.

“Soooo…” you look at him and smile.

John shakes his head, “Not telling.”

“You never tell me where we’re going!”

“That’s what most people call a surprise, peach. It’s a surprise.” he says, and you playfully roll your eyes at him. “You’re going to love it.”

You look at him and purse your lips, “Have I mentioned wanting to go there before?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know I’m going to love it?” you tease, and John’s face falls as he begins to worry. You widen your eyes and turn to him, “Oh my god, John! No, babe, I’m going to love it! I am!”

John sighs, “Well, now I’m worried.”

“No!” you put your hands over your face and sink into your seat, “Fuck, I shouldn’t have said that. John, babe, you know I’m gonna love it. You know me better than anyone.”

“I know,” he says, and you look at him, “But I really hope you do like it. I’m trying really hard to impress you.”

“What? Why? Well, wait…wow, that was a lot of w’s.” you say as you both laugh, “John, this whole trip has been amazing. You don’t need to impress me! If I’m honest, you impress me when you’re still here after we get into a fight or when I’m being…well, difficult. You don’t need to do extravagant things to impress me, Jonathan.”

John nods his head and takes a deep breath, “You’ve never been to Paris before, so we’re doing everything I can think of. This won’t be our only trip here, but I want this one to be memorable.”

“It’s my first trip here. It’s my first trip here with you. It’s going to be memorable no matter what.” you look out the window as the trains glides on the tracks, “I’ve never been on a train.”

“We’ve ridden the subway before.”

You scoff and wave him off, “That’s different. The subway doesn’t count.”

“Do you remember when we rode the subway that one time?”

You laugh as you nod and look at him, “That drunk guy in front of just vomited all over the floor and passed out.”

“Had to have four officers come in and carry him out.” he says, then he reaches for your hand, “Let’s hope we don’t have a Train to Busan incident.”

“Don’t say that!” you gasp, widening your eyes, “That’s just my luck. And it’s the perfect plot. Two Americans stuck in a foreign country when the zombie apocalypse starts.”

John cocks up his brow, “I’m not American.”

“You’re…whatever.” you laugh, then you look at him. “Would you protect me if zombies came?”

“Nah, I’d throw you down so I could get away.” he says, and you gasp loudly, playfully hitting his arm as he laughs. “Well, what kind of question was that? Also why does everything go to the zombie apocalypse with you?”

You tilt your head back against the seat and chuckle, “I don’t know.”

“It’s funny.” he says, and you look at him, “You’re the funniest person I know, you know that?”

“Even funnier than Jimmy?”

John chuckles softly, “Even funnier than Jimmy.”

“Wow,” you grin wide, “Wait ‘til he gets a load of that.”

“Oh, you can’t tell him.” he widens his eyes, shaking his head, “It’ll be bad for you, not for me. Actually I take that back. It’ll be bad for all of us. The jokes won’t stop.”

You link your arm with his again, “His jokes aren’t too bad.”

“Nah,” he presses his cheek to the top of your head, “But you’re still funnier.”

You scoff, “Duh.”

__

**

After getting off the train, it was a just a short walk to get to our final destination. It was a nice walk though. The weather is perfect here today. It’s 80 and sunny, but there’s a pretty decent breeze to keep us cool. Y/N has her hair down and is wearing a dress that blows in the breeze, and I have to say: I am married to the most beautiful woman ever.

She has no clue where we are as of right now, and I’m honestly pretty proud of myself for being able to pull this whole thing off. She’s become quite sneaky so I’m surprised she hasn’t found out where we’re going. I know she eavesdrops sometimes when I talk with her mom even though she’ll deny it. I can’t lie, I do the same thing too.

“Oooh,” Y/N coos when she sees the gardens in front of us overflowing with white and pink flowers, “This is so pretty. Is this someone’s house?”

“It was…” I nod, and she perks up and looks at me. I start to laugh, “It wasn’t mine. I’ve never lived here.”

Y/N shrugs, “Well, I dunno. I feel like you’ve been around the world quite a few times. I don’t know where you’ve lived.”

“New York, mostly.” I nod, and she leans down to smell a peony. “New York is my home. Has been for a long time.”

“You’ve made it my home too.” she says, reaching for my hand, “I’d never feel at home there if it weren’t for you.”

I let out a small laugh, “You would have made it your home eventually.”

“Nope.” she shakes her head, turning her nose up and smiling, “It was all because of you.”

“Well, thank you. I’ll take the compliment.” I pull her closer to me to kiss her, then I open the gate and gesture for her to go ahead. She furrows her brow and looks at the house before looking at me. I chuckle, nodding my head, “This is your surprise.”

She stares at me for a moment before the color drains from her face, “You bought a house?”

I start to laugh, “No. I would definitely talk about that with you first.”

“Oh, thank god.” She puts her hand over her heart and closes her eyes, “I don’t want more houses.”

“I don’t either,” I look up at the house covered in vines and flowers, “This is Monet’s Garden.”

Y/N looks at the house and stands on her tiptoes to get a better look around, then she looks at me, “Oh, shit.”

“Yeah,” I laugh, nodding and smiling, “Should we go explore? We got the place to ourselves for a bit.”

A loud squeal comes out of her mouth as she rushes over to hug me, then she grabs my hand and yanks me along with her, rushing through the beds of purple tulips and roses.

__

I had to get in contact with someone to set this whole thing up, but it went well. After we explored the gardens for a bit and took tons of pictures--Thank you, Tess, for letting me borrow your camera--we sat down on a blanket and had lunch. We just talked about the trip so far and how we dread going home now that our family is here. If they weren’t, surely we’d be beyond excited to head home.

“I just still can’t believe that you love me.”

She looks at me like it’s the most outrageous thing I’ve ever said, which is probably is since I haven’t said much for a few minutes now and it was completely out of no where.

Y/N shakes her head and takes my hand, “John, babe, you’re my best friend. Loving you is so easy.”

“I’ve just…I’ve done some shit, Y/N.” I shake my head as I look down, then I look at her, her gaze still fixed on me and still so full of love.

“What if…” she turns to face me, reaching for both my hands, “It was me instead? What if it was me who had this…unbelievable life? What if it was me who had done all of those things that you’ve done? What if it were me who had been through hell and back? Would you still love me?”

I furrow my brow, “Yeah, but--”

“No,” she presses her finger to my lips, “You would love me. Simple as that. No buts. Just like I love you, no buts.”

I smile when she starts to laugh, “No butts?”

“No buts.” she rolls her eyes playfully and laughs, “No if, ands, or buts about it. I love you. There is no question or hesitation, John. The way that you love me is the way that I love you. I know that you feel like you’re not deserving of my love, but trust me, you’re the only one deserving of it. And if it wasn’t me here--I hate to think about it--but if it wasn’t me and it was someone else, you would deserve their love too. But…there’s never going to be someone else because I’ll beat the shit out of them for trying to take my man!”

I laugh as I bring her face to mine so I can kiss her, “I would beat the shit out of someone for trying to take you too.”

“Oh, good.” she smiles at me before kissing me, “Very protective over you.”

“You have no idea how protective I am of you.” I whisper, looking into her eyes, “I’d burn the world down for you.”

She smiles softly, “I know you would, but I’d never ask that of you. I just want you to have a nice life, and I really hope I’m doing my best at giving you that.”

“You absolutely are. Don’t ever question that. I have the best life I could have ever imagined,” I say, and she shrugs bashfully when I look at her, “And that’s because of you. When I got out, I never thought that my life would be this great. I thought I’d just go home and live in peace as a free man. I thought I’d just have Bleu. I didn’t even think I’d have Jimmy as my friend when I got out. I didn’t have anyone.”

Y/N smiles, “Now look at you!”

“Yeah!” I laugh, nodding my head before I look down. I reach out to take a bite of a sandwich, then I look up at her as she looks around the garden. She plays with her food for a moment before she sets it down. “What’s going on in that head of yours, peach?”

“Just thinking,” she says in the sweetest voice, then she shrugs, “You’ve never told me much about Paris.”

I set my sandwich down and sigh as I look at her, “Because it’s probably the hardest thing I’ll ever have to tell you.”

Y/N scoots closer to me and holds my hand as she looks at me with soft eyes and a soft smile, “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Well…” I wipe my mouth and hands off on a napkin before looking at her, “I think I’m ready.”

“Wait!” she scoots down and rolls over to lay on her stomach, then she props her head up on her hands and smiles at me, “I’m ready!”

__

**

“And then Winston and The King--”

“Wait, what’s his name?” you ask, and John shrugs one shoulder. Though it’s certainly not the place nor time, you start to laugh, “You don’t know his name?”

John shakes his head, “No.”

“You just call him The King?”

“Yeah, everyone does.”

You start to laugh again, “His name is probably something really random, like Wilbur or Dennis.”

John chuckles a little, “Or Kenneth.”

“Yeah!” you laugh harder before you stop and smile at John, “Keep going, babe.”

“Anyway, he…found me, took me back to a safe place, and I got stitched up, probably slept for days on end. Bleu was next to me the whole time, never left my side.”

You look into his eyes when he finally meets your gaze, “You never told me any of this until now. Why?”

“It’s really fucking hard, Y/N. I was…on the brink of not coming back and I knew…I knew the moment I spoke those words that I just did, this is the reaction I would get,” he gestures to you as you start to cry, “The last thing I ever want is to make you upset. Hearing about your husband’s near death experience isn’t fun and it’s certainly not a fun topic of conversation.”

You wipe the tears off your face, “No, but it allows me to know you even more. Have you thinking about it the whole time we’ve been here?”

John shrugs, “Not really at first, to be honest. I didn’t really start to think about it until we passed a few places that reminded me. You have a good way of taking up most of the thoughts in my brain.”

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Wick.” you smile, and he leans over to kiss your cheek.

“I guess being here again just conjured up those memories and I wanted to talk about it.” he looks at you and nods, “I wanted to talk to you about it all.”

“I taught you well,” you throw him a wink, which elicits a laugh from him.

Hearing about John’s past is always hard. No one wants to hear about someone they love being hunted down and hurt…literally repeatedly. But John is strong. He’s a fighter. He gets back up. He gets knocked down 200 times, he’ll get up 201 times. He will always fight, you know that. You’re so beyond proud of him and who he is, who he was, and who he is becoming. He’s the best man you’ve ever met; every version of him is the best.

Even though you know what a fighter he is, it’s still hard to imagine the things he told you today. Being thrown over railings and falling several feet to the hard ground, hanged, stabbed, shot at, hit by cars. It’s genuinely a miracle that he’s even still alive. But again, John isn’t one to give up.

“I can’t believe you have all of your teeth.” you say, and John furrows his brow before he laughs loudly.

“What?”

You look at him and laugh, “I don’t know. I’m just thinking. With the amount of shit you’ve been through, you’d think you’d have missing teeth or something.”

“Of course I have my teeth!” he chuckles, shaking his head, then he points to his tooth, “But this one is fake.”

You gasp loudly and put your hands over your mouth, “What? Jonathan! We’ve been together this whole time and I never knew your tooth was fake!”

John clearly finds this assuming since he’s laughing, “What? Did you want me to lead with that when we met? Hi, I think you’re beautiful and would love to get to know you. By the way, my tooth is fake.”

You clean closer and look at him, “It doesn’t look fake.”

“That’s the point.” he lets out a small and leans over to kiss your cheek.

“You are so gorgeous,” you whisper to him, and he smiles as he pulls you closer and lays you down on the blanket, “Oh, you’re gonna make out with me in Monet’s Garden?”

John chuckles softly against your lips, “First time for everything.”

__

Two strong and warm arms wrap around your waist, and you immediately melt back against John’s chest as a smile spreads on your face. He presses a few kisses to your shoulder, then he kisses your cheek and looks out at the Parisian skyline for one last time.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m gonna miss this place,” you whisper softly, then you shrug, “But I am excited to get home. I miss Bleu. I miss the shop. I miss our bed.”

John nods, “Bleu is going to be so excited to see us.”

“I hate being away from him, but I know he’s being taken care of.”

Bleu went with Grace and Tony before you left. Grace was beyond thrilled to have him while you were gone. She’s going to be so sad when you’re home and she has to hand him back over though.

“I’m excited to get back to life though.” you inhale deeply and wrap John’s arms around you tighter, “As much as I love going on trips and being in different countries, I have to admit that I really do love our life back in New York and I miss it. I miss the simplicity of it. The…normality and routine.”

“Yeah, I understand that.” he moves your hair off your shoulder and smiles when you look at him, “Plus Ro will be needing her monthly check-up soon.”

You laugh, scrunching your face up a little, “Isn’t it so lame that I’m looking forward to all of that? I look forward to going home and doing chores and running errands. How dumb is that?”

“It’s not dumb,” he shakes his head and turns you around so your back is against the railing and you’re facing him. “It means you really like our life, and I do too. I can’t wait to get home and do all of that stuff.”

“I really love doing life with you, John.” you tear up as he smiles. “I think that’s why I’m so excited to get home; I get to do all that mundane shit with you.”

John touches your chin before leaning down to kiss you, “I really love doing life with you too.”

You wrap your arms around John’s neck and deepen the kiss, holding tight to him and never letting go.

__

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[boogiewrites]

Choking On Sapphires 90

Characters: Alfie Solomons x Genevieve (OFC)

Title & Song: Right Back Where We Started From

Summary: Genevieve has her Bat Mitzah, a grand celebration with everyone important to her. But Alfie uses the opportunity to turn the already memorable night into something she'll never forget. Song is Maxine Nightingale - Right Back Where We Started From

Warnings/Tags: FLUFF. Bat Mitzvah. LOTS OF FEELINGS. A LOOOOONG awaited chapter. 

Click on my icon then go to my Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.) Please like, comment and reblog if you enjoyed it! It helps out us writers A LOT!

Another Shabbat passes and Genevieve finds herself becoming more and more preoccupied with the planning of her bat mitzvah ceremony. Although simple compared to a traditional bar mitzvah, as she didn’t want to ruffle any feathers with the orthodox and read from the Torah, she still had plenty to plan and worry about. Currently, the location being the biggest concern.

another sigh escapes her, Alfie had lost count of how many now. She hurriedly flipped through the notebook she’d been using to lay out her plans. The little leather-bound book hadn’t left her side for weeks. It was full of speech bullet points and notes for her chosen subject to speak about but she was currently stuck on the list of places left she could choose from. The options were dwindling by the day as they became booked. Every night Alfie would watch her tap her pen on the top line, a sad limp mark through her first pick for where to have her ceremony and party, but she’d been declined.

But he was always the close observer and decided to try his hand at giving her an early bat mitzvah gift. The first of many to come.

“Ya gonna bore a hole in ‘at if ya keep tappin' at it so.” He remarks with glasses sliding down his nose as he side-eyed her from his reclined position.

“I’m feeling so very indecisive about the location.” She sighed out frantically for the umpteenth time that evening. “I have everything else I want but...nothing feels RIGHT.” She clenches a theatrical fist in her conviction.

“You aren’t used to being told no.” He states it as the fact it is.

“I’m afraid I am entirely serious.” She retorts with a frown. “I have full power to customize this but the one thing I want I cannot have. It’s frustrating when this means so much to me.” Her face was round and pouting, pursed lips he thought were rather soft and precious when she was angry.

“I know love, I know. But ya can have whatever you like really. Just gotta know how to get it.” He gives her a pat to her knee in support.

“You would think with how much I’m paying for all this.” She huffs. “This is on par with one of my birthday parties.” She reflects. “Good thing we skipped that this year.” She grumbles. “I’m so perplexed. I’m paying for all this to not get what I actually want.”

“You’re paying for everythin'?” He challenges with an out of place smile.

Gen gives him a look that judges his intellect. “Yes, clearly. I haven’t asked you for so much as a pound have I?”

“I wish someone had told me this before I went and paid for the venue then. Shame, that.” He shakes his head.

“Alfie. I haven’t chosen. My word, have you not been listening at all?”

“You have chosen though. You wanted the museum.”

“And they told me no.” She responds with flushed cheeks. “Repeatedly.” she lets out a frustrated whine.

“Well, I wish someone had informed me of that before I paid for the bloody thing.” He responds to her blustery rant with a confusing indifference.

“Alfie? Are you okay? Are you smelling oranges dear because you are making no sense.” She places the back of her hand to his head.

“I’m makin' perfect sense if you’d just calm down and listen.” He chuckles.

“You said for the museum.” She states again. “But it’s not available.” She insists.

“Say that first part again. Forget the last.” He instructs with high brows as he sets his book aside. The poor thing was so distraught over her rejection she couldn’t see he was handing her the answer to her problems.

“You paid for the museum.” She rushes out.

“Yeah. And again. Slow it down pet, think of the words.” He keeps a fully amused look on his face.

“You paid for the museum.” She repeats slowly. “But…?” Her brows furrowed in question.

“I paid for the museum. For you to have the bat mitzvah ceremony there, love. I asked them and with a bit of persuasion, they said yes. You’re gonna have the museum.” He has to clarify in basic terms for her rapid-fire brain to grasp onto.

She blinks in a rush of realization. “You got the..?” She stammers.

“You have your heart set on it and I was tired of watching you lament every night about not getting it. This is important and I want it to be as close to perfect as it can for ya.”

“You…?” She whispers.

“Yes. With some exhortation, I managed to talk them into it.”

“You…?” She stammers again.

“Oui.” He lets out a laugh this time. “dois-je le dire en français pour que vous compreniez?”

“Oh Alfie, darling.” She coos, one hand to her chest and the other to his cheek.

“That’s more like it.” He smirks, reaching to hold her hand and kiss it.

“Oh bless you Alfie, you thoughtful man.”

“Nah. I just pay attention’s all. Not gonna let me own woman not have the bat mitzvah she wants. What sort of man would I be?”

“You wouldn’t be Alfie Solomons.” She smirks softly and kisses his cheek.

“Fuckin right love” he grunts and nods.

She chuckles against his cheek. “Oh, darling you’ve made me so happy.” She coos and nuzzles her nose into his ear. “Shall have to start calling you, Sweet Solomons.” She grins and kisses his cheek.

“Oh go on Genny.” He puts on a mean face but soaks up the affection. With her hands in his beard and hair, she turns his face to hers.

“Thank you. I love you. This means the world to me, darling.”

“I’m glad you’re happy.”

“And all because of you.”

“Was nothin'.”

“And modest! My goodness!” She chuckles and squeezes his cheeks, giving him a soft and affectionate kiss to his pouted lips.

“Man's gotta have his values.”

“Even a man like you.” She kisses him again and speaks softly.

“Even me.” He answers in a muffled voice before she takes her time, slow kisses to his plush lips that make him hum with content.

————-

Gen stood tall on her pedestal in her closet, Freddie tending to the last minute adjustments for the embellished gown he’d created for her.

“These stones are being little buggers.” He mutters, keeping his thin face focused on the hem of the silk and beaded gown. It fell to the floor in a pearlescent puddle around her feet, Sheer little sleeves and a silver hue throughout that made her skin and hair stand out against its paleness.

“I can’t say enough good fings bout it, Fred.” Alfie captures their attention as he comes in freshly showered, slicked and perfumed with his trousers and white shirt on.

“You could try.” He smirks and Alfies face is kind and amused. The dress fit her like a glove, a band of embellishment around her waist and everything loose and flowing around her, she looked like an angel. He wasn’t one to get emotional about such things but perhaps the significance of the occasion was wearing the old boy down. He’d heard Gen practicing her speech, speaking of growth and change and finding meaning in the chaos of life and perhaps he was swayed to reflect himself. Tonight was a rather important night for both of them.

“Would you think it brash of me to suggest some pieces for you to wear with this, Chanah?” Her only been calling her by her given name all day and Gen couldn’t find it in herself to mind. She watches him looking through the glass-topped drawers at her collection of jewels.

“As long as I retain the right to turn them down, Certainly no.” She gives him a warm smile as she stays still for the sake of Fred’s sanity.

“‘Course.” He says obviously with his usually gruff tone. “I only had suggestions. I saw that dress and thought of certain pieces as soon as my eyes took it in.” He elaborates with a shaking hand as he moves about the circular space and collects pieces in his hands.

“I think that has it for now. I’ll have my kit with me all night. Won't have you looking a bead out of place if I can help it. Tonight’s too important. You’ll have photographs and I refuse to have you look anything short of angelic.” Freddie speaks with a pointed finger as he gathers a small satchel with beads, stones, and thread.

“It is gorgeous and it will be perfect. Thank you, Cheri.”

“Don’t make me cry just yet.” He protests with an exasperated voice as she takes his hand and kisses it.

“Not yet.” She shakes her head and pats his hand before releasing it.

“I’m off to change. I’ll be at the door waiting for you for the last check before your entry.”

“Lovely.” She says softly as she runs her hands down the textured surface of the gown.

Distracted, Fred has a whirling list of things to do in a short amount of time and is muttering to himself as he leaves.

“He’s a mess, bless him. He doesn’t handle sentimental occasions very gracefully.” Gen observes with a fond by pitying expression.

“He has a lot of heart, that Fred.” Alfie nods and agrees. “But I wanted to speak of yours while we had a moment, love.” His voice is cool and even, demanding her to him as he holds out his hand and she steps off the raised platform.

“What of it Ari?” She implores with inquisitive eyes.

“I wanted to give some significance tonight to what you wore. Jewels wise. I wanted to bring a bit of me into the ensemble. Even if it is a bit of a prick thing to say on such an occasion now that I say it out loud.”

Genevieve smiles and insists he’s incorrect with a shaking head, her long hair cascading down her shoulders. “Don’t be silly. You were so crucial in getting to this point. I value your input so please share.” She holds both his hands in hers and gives them a squeeze.

“As you wish, my love.” He gives her a rather formal nod and turns to start with one piece. “I would like to first recommend Sapphires for such an occasion.” Be announces loudly as if he were presenting to a group, But only Genevieve was in his company. “I believe your favorite stone, Yeah?” She nods with a gentle smile as he brings forth a ring she knows well. “I would suggest this first.” He puts the ring onto her finger and holds her hand, the warmth was felt not only through his skin but in the mild crinkle around his eyes as he spoke. “You wore this the first night you accompanied me out. I couldn’t make up me mind if I wanted to stare at you or your jewels and that is sayin’ somethin’ Both for your taste and your beauty, love.”

She leans forward to kiss his cheek and gives him a smile that disarms him as her soft hands rub against his hardened ones. “I’ll always remember that night.” She speaks softly. “Lovely choice.” She praises.

“And ‘is. A bit farther down the line.” He holds the long and weighted large sapphire stone encased in a halo of tiny diamonds. “You wore this the night I took you to the opera.”

“The night I cried like a baby at the show.” She huffs out a laugh to herself.

“The night I found myself truly mesmerized by you, love. Such softness under that wild exterior. Like a weeping angel, you were, yeah?” He gives a gentle pat to her cheek and she nuzzles into it with a soft kiss. “The last. So far the most important.” He begins with the teardrop Sapphires earrings that dangle from Diamond studs. “Our trip to Paris.” He says with a fond nostalgia in his voice. He puts them on her with strong and steady hands. “My promise to never make you cry real tears, only those of stone.” He pauses and takes her hands again. “I’ve not kept that promise I’m afraid.” He frowns.

“We cannot know the future Ari. As badly as we might want to. You know anything that caused me to shed tears that you caused is forgiven. You’ve only ever had my best interests at heart. That’s worth more than the mere falling of tears.” She squeezes his hands and he nods, not fighting her on it and deeply Proud of her understanding of him and their life together. “I recall it as the best time I’ve ever had with a man in Paris. When we told one another we loved the other.” She speaks softly from the heart and puts her hand to his cheek. “Where we danced by the Seine and played pretend like children to be married.” She sighs, her eyes misty at the fond memories.

“Oi, I recall. You becomin' my real-life fantasy of Lily Lafitte.” He gives her a soft smile.

“The only man I’ve ever introduced to uncle as well.” She adds with a nod of her chin.

“Speak of the Devil,” He smirks, “He and your mum will be there today.”

“Really?” Her band drops to his chest and her eyes go wide. “Mother wasn’t sure if she’d be able to, What with George being difficult with her leaving.”

“I believe a promise from Altar Lafitte when I hear it. He and Alma will be here this evening.”

“Oh, Ari.”She tears up and wraps her arms around his neck. “You’ve made everything so perfect already. I’ll be owing you after tonight.” She teases and kisses his cheek.

“It’s nothin if it’s to make you happy Chanah. You know within reason and reality I’d do anyfin' to make you so, yeah?”

“You lovey gentleman. You absolute mensch.” She nuzzles her nose against his. “I couldn’t think of a single thing you could do to make me happier tonight.” She whispers as she kisses him gently.

“There’s always somethin', Chanah.” He smiles and kisses her cheek innocently. “Always more I can do for a woman like you.”

—————

Her entrance was dramatic with musical accompaniment in the grand style she was known for. The lights hitting her gown just right in the golden hour as she ascended the decorated stone steps.  Alfie stood in her shadow and watched as she was received by every sort of Jewish folk in London. Altar brought a few of the French family members and the east end roughians that worked for Alfie got to stay as long as they behaved. The posh wealth were in attendance as well, some out of good wishes and some to see if things would fall apart, either was fine with Alfie if they were giving her money.

Her art of religious text was spotted throughout the room, some for sale and others just for show. Flowers cascaded over columns and tables as the smell of lavender filled the air with their pastel palette warmed by late summer heat. The tall room with its giant windows and painted ceiling were a perfect setting to the important ceremony, stained glass cascading down jewel-toned light as the sun set and Genevieve became a woman.

After being greeted with loud hugs and kisses by some she hadn’t seen since she was a child.  A beaming Altar and a weeping with joy Alma allow her to be pried from their grasp by Alfie who adjusts her jewels and tenderly asks if she’s ready.

Genevieve Chanah Lafitte was formally inducted into the community with a short but praising introduction by her mentor Rabbi Gold. She gave a beautiful speech, all tying back to her studies and Rabbi Golds teachings over the past year or so. She spoke of growth and change, of tradition and finding one’s place in the world. She ghosts over the bad, only mentioning she hasn’t had an easy sort of life. She tells tales of the good with a charming smile. She chooses to focus on her mitzvah project and how they would be continuing after tonight. The teaching of all religions, the scholarships for Jewish girls, the importance of health and education among the youth and women of the community that she was choosing to focus her efforts on. She told of when she was a young girl, lost and lonely, and how the Jewish community embraced her and gave her a life. Altar pretended he wasn’t crying but Alma fully embraces the emotion of the night. Genevieve ends with mentions of donating to her scholarship and the charities she works with, as well as thanking her closest friends and colleges, Freddie, Claire, Aggie and Alfie among them.

Then came the other speeches as she took her seat at the table with those loved ones she’d just thanked on the stage.

Altar boomed and demanded cheers, telling of knowing she was special from the moment he held her. How he could not be more proud of the woman she had become. Alma confesses this night was her most wild dreams coming true as she had always wanted her most special daughter to find her place in the world and know her people and where she came from. She cries and so does her daughter, emotional tears run in the family. Aggie gives a very short speech sharing the same sentiment as Alma, how she thought of her as her own daughter and as everyone else had, she expresses how proud she is. Claire, much to Gens surprise also speaks and keeps it brief as is her way of doing things. She gets as sentimental as Claire can, calling Gen not only a business partner but a life long friend and sister to her, and that she was looking forward to what the next thirty years brought for them. Fred threatens stories of her wild youth but refrains with a laugh. Calling her a friend and confidant and even if he wasn’t Jewish, he was glad to know there was a warm community to keep her while they lived so far apart. Then came Alfie.  

He had been preparing for this night for some time, a lifetime it felt now. He was so gifted at demanding the attention of a room he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make a show of it all.  He stood straight, hands accompanying his endearment and his voice rich and deep and full of affection for the woman of the hour. “I know, as a man, that I am lucky to have a woman like Chanah. And I want you to know that us, as a people, are lucky to call her our own. She has the capacity for tenderness which astounds me every day. Especially with some of the lot she has to work with. I include myself in that. She is brilliant. Smart, fierce, funny and not as important but it is worth mentioning that she is rather easy on the eyes. I have no doubt she will be a pillar for our community. Through her words and actions she is everything a Jewish woman should aspire to be, educated, charitable and strong. A survivor, as we all are and continue to be. I am honored to have a part in her story that brought her to us. Although I will take no credit for any of her achievements. She was already successful when I met her and since she has only grown in leaps and bounds both personally and professionally. We are proud to call you ours, love. And I am even more proud to call a woman like you mine.”

Gen was holding it together, crying but not weeping as Alma currently was into Aggie's shoulder. Altar sat proud and impressed, watching Alfie kiss her cheek and her beam at him with love and admiration. With his hand in hers, he closes out with telling the room to donate, give gifts and eat and be merry. It was a joyous occasion and they’d paid enough for everything so make good use of it. His humor as always comes through and the crowd chuckles and moves, conversations floating about and food being eaten, wine drinking and money changing hands. Gen is embraced with warmth and love, hugs and kisses, thanks and congratulations from all who came across her. She was lost in a whirlwind of praises in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish and was proud to understand each one. Altar networks, as is his way and the women closest to her all huddle like hens and reflect on the hard work they all put in to make Gen who she is. The room is full of life and love and Gen feels full in a way she never had before. A feeling of belonging, of completion and family that made her heart so full it ached in her chest. As the crowd settles into its groups, laughter, and discussions all weaving in and out as she moved about the space, Alfie finds her and takes her hand to pull her from the praising current she was swept away in.

“Might I have ya back now?” He smiles. “I surrendered you to the mob and it seems they’ve all feasted on you enough for now.”

“When the wine kicks in it’ll start back up.” She chuckles and moves to his side without hesitation.

“How about we let them marinate in it then eh? We’ve got plenty to see away from them yeah? And I’d like a moment with you on a night like this. Call me greedy but I rather like Keeping you to myself.” He teases as they lock arms and move to the edge of the room towards some hard looking lads by a velvet rope. “Boys.” Alfie nods and one pulls the rope back.

“Are we allowed back here?” She whispers and looks over her shoulder.

“I got the whole bloody museum love. Just didn’t want no one wandering about, wanted you to have all the attention and have the whole place to yourself. Which is what those rather rough lads were doin' there.” He motions back with his hand as they walk into a dim hallway.

“Never been here with everything so dark. Almost spooky.” She gives a small giggle as her hands rest on his arm.

“I had them light candles for ya love. I thought it’d be interesting to see it in a different light.”

“It’s lovely daring thank you.” She coos at him softly.

“How’s about we go to France eh? Your favorite?”

“Yes please.” She nods enthusiastically.

Only their footsteps echoed as he guided her through the flickering light in the hallways, towards a brighter room that housed the paintings she loved most.

“Monet is the one you like so much innit? The one you’re always on about when you’re out by the pond painting?”

“Yes, I love his work. So dreamy.” She sighs as they round the corner to the room and she stops and stares at the state of the room. “Oh my God.” Alfie stops and lets her take it in. The entirety of Monet's Water Lillie’s in its massive form. But it wasn’t only that that caused her to blink with disbelief. “Alfie.” She exhales softly as her eyes widen and dilate at the splendor of the view around her. The long and tall Water Lillie’s sit center as smaller paintings take up the rest of the space on the walls, but what covered the rest of the usually white space were flowers. Of every pastel color and variation, all surrounding paintings of similar tones as if the colors were bleeding off the canvas and onto the floor.

“I wanted something special for you tonight love.” He spews softly as her eyes flutter shut and she breathes in the floral perfume that filled the space.

“You’ve already done so much.” Her voice breaks, weak and breathy praise as she grips his arm in her hands unconsciously.

“Always more to be done. Like I said.” He fusses back as he moves her slowly into the room as she looked rather overwhelmed. “I told the florists I wanted the whole room covered, wanted it to look like they were coming to life for you.”

“It does. It is. It’s...breathtaking I don’t even know what to say.”

“That you love it and I kept it a surprise.” He smirks and she gives him a huge smile.

“I love it. Adore it. I had...no clue. Not even an inkling.” She enthuses, impressed. “It’s...like a dream. And such a beautiful and artistic take on an installation Alfie, you brilliant man.”

“I wanted tonight to be about your dreams comin' true. You talk about wantin' to get lost in those paintin’s, and I wanted to give ya that.”

She shakes her head and her mouth stays open and stutters. “I don’t...I just.” She stands dumbfounded. “It’s brilliant. Genius. Perfect.” She holds a hand to her chest now to steady her heart. She had been so caught up in her work and planning she had given Alfie room to plan something himself in her whirlwind of plans and appointments. She stood awe struck and speechless in the glowing light of hundreds of blooms. She recalled no other time in her life she had ever been.

“Since I finally have you alone. I did want to say a few things I couldn’t earlier. Or rather I don't fink you’d want me too.” He chuckles and takes both her hands into his as he holds her attention in the center of an artificial field of flowers. “The first time I had to make an apology to you, I used flowers.”

“I’ll never forget it. Just as I’ll never forget this.” She speaks so sweetly, squeezing his hands. “I remember feeling so much when I kissed you. How I didn’t want to stop.” She sighs and swoons and puts her hand to his cheek. “I do wonder often in my moments of reflection of how we came to be how long it truly has been that I’ve loved you. Ari.” She tiptoes and kisses his lips softly. “Sometimes it feels like I always did. I can’t recall a time in which I didn’t at least find you special.”

“From that first night I met you. In that gaudy golden club sitting next to Tommy. You are even more beautiful to me now than you were then, and I would’ve said that was impossible.”

“You were so handsome. So funny and cheeky.”

“You were full of clever wit and a smart mouth. Bold and fearless to put me down.”

“The brown was fucking awful.” She says with a low turn of her voice and he laughs out loud at her.

“And you’ve never shied from telling me a truthful opinion.”

“You’re a strong man. You can take it. Easy to see from the beginning.”

“Aye, but you are stronger, love.” He kisses her forehead. “And of the things you’ve had to face that prove time and time again that you are tougher and more resilient than I could ever claim to be… I wanted this tonight to act as another apology. For all the bad I’ve brought into your life, whether my own doin' or by relation.”

“We’re here now. We don’t have to dwell on it. Always forward.” She insists. “If it means having you and what we have I know I will always find it in me to forgive you.”

“I’m not worthy of your lovely heart.” He speaks softly.

“Luckily for me that isn’t up to you to decide.” She smiles.

“I am so proud of you. For tonight. For tomorrow and yesterday. In all the company I’ve kept in my life, I have never met someone like you before. No one has your spark, your imagination, and cleverness. Of all the minds I’ve known, yours is my favorite and I never tire of knowing you. I’m always left wanting more.”

She flushes in her cheeks and gets an almost bashful look on her face.

“There’s no one else on this fuckin miserable earth that I love as much as you. No one id rather work with or be with. No one else that keeps me interested and always wanting more from them. You are one of a kind, I truly believe that.”

“Ari.” He voices cracks as she wipes at her eyes with both hands and he shifts his weight.

“Which is why I have an offer to make you.”

“An offer?” She asks with soft eyes and an inquisitive voice as she expects papers to come from his pockets, but only a flat and rectangular box held out and presented.

“This.” He opens the box, inside, a bracelet that completes the set of jewels she wears. A row of round and shining Sapphires and diamonds.

She covers her mouth and the stones catch the light and reflect in her eyes.

“An offer of this for a commitment.”

He sees it in her eyes she’s still unsure of everything he was leading up to.

“Genevieve Chanah Lafitte.” He begins with a clearing of his throat. “Would you accept this gift and in return make the commitment to me, Alfred Ari Solomons in the form of marriage?”

He could swear he saw her heart stop for a moment. She choked with surprise. Which admittedly he’d wanted it to be. She blinks rapidly and he sees her mind working behind her eyes in frantic and unexpected chaos. “Y-Yes.” She manages to force out, heart in her throat and frozen there. “Yes. Yes! Of course I would I-YES!” She lets out in an ecstatic expression of joy and laughter as the tears gather in her eyes.

“Then with this,” He puts the heavy stones around her wrist. “You will be Mrs. Alfie Solomons. The other half to my soul, with my promise to love and cherish, to provide for and support you for the rest of our lives.”

She stares in disbelief still. Finally meeting his eyes and looking away from the stones. “Alfie I... this is...it's perfect. I love you. It would be a blessing to be able to join my soul to yours. A pairing no one except God Could tear apart.” Her heart was overflowing, as were her eyes, bless her.  She cries and he holds her, feeling her against him in this perfect moment, acceptance and peace fill his mind. A promise to be joined as one, a partnership that could not be broken, something solid and stable in the life of his that was anything but. She was a constant, a confidant, a friend, and lover and now soon to be officially his other half to complete himself in the eyes of his peers and God. She had him feeling things he hadn’t since he was a boy as she kissed his face and thanked him, whispered of how happy he made her, how perfect the night was.

He dries her tears, a warm smile as she sniffles and gazed up at him with love in her eyes. “Would you like to announce it?”

“It would be a good time to.” She nods. “But could you, I’m a mess.” She laughs and puts her forehead on his chest.

“Nothing would make me happier.” He kisses her head and rubs her back before calming her and heading back toward the stage.

“A final announcement to close out the evening.” His voice books over the room as the happy and mostly tipsy group swung their heads his way. “I must admit my loves bat mitzvah was not the only thing I had planned tonight. And I, or I should say WE now, are very happy and I am very proud once again to announce, that our woman of the evening, Miss Genevieve Chanah here has accepted my proposal and will soon be my wife.” The cheers make her cry all over again. Altar slams his fists on the table he sits and yells in excitement, Aggie and Alma sob into each other’s blouses.  Another wave of love and support wash across the room. “So as we wind down to a close tonight, I would like to thank you all for coming, Thank Genevieve for accepting and being exactly what a man like me needs in a wife and we will be seeing you at the wedding. L'CHaim He raises a glass left on the table and a reply of the same and various mazle tov's jumble in the air.

They are both embraced and congratulated, Altar squeezing Alfie and patting his back so hard he coughed before kissing his head. Gen was certain in that moment, surrounded by happiness and well wishes and those she loved the most that every bad thing in her life had been worth it for this feeling. She’d never known such contentment, such love. And it had all brought her to where she was now, and she felt thankful and hopeful. Knowing this feeling, this love existed made her certain that no matter what life threw her way that she could overcome it. Especially now that she wouldn’t ever be alone again.

Please like, comment and reblog if you enjoyed it! It helps out us writers A LOT!

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[crossbows-and-moonshine]

Into My Web (Chapter 1)

New story, who dis? :')

Most of you knew this was coming, but I’ll explain anyway for those that don’t. My one-shot Princess has been one of my most popular requests and I really wanted to do more with it. But instead of continuing it, I wanted to use it as inspiration to make a new multichapter fic. Now if you’ve read the one-shot, the flashback of this one might seem familiar to you, but please don't skip it because I’ve changed a lot and it’s the only that part that seems similar.

The one-shot was obviously fast-paced since it had to be done in one chapter, and this one will be slower paced. They won't fuck in the first chapter, it's not very realistic in context with Daryl if you think about it, but when you write one-shots, sometimes you gotta push things along loool.

So I used Princess for inspiration to make a new OC. The way she and Daryl are with each other is heavily influenced by my own one-shot. I hope you enjoy this, if you're like me and you love the whole ‘they hate each other first’ trope, then take a fucking seat and enjoy the ride lolololol.

Won't be canon, just so you guys know.

The name of this fic was inspired by a song (surprise surprise), its; Into my Web by The Used.

Maybe I will be the only one who could leave her.

Should I lie and just pretend that I couldn't kill her?

Maybe I can just pretend,

As she flies into my web.

--------------------------------------------------

Arabella’s eyes rolled around behind her closed eyelids as she slept. Just as she always did when she was asleep, she dreamt of better times. Moments in her life that were full of laughter and fun. She had wanted for nothing in her younger years, her family well off and spoiling her rotten. She never took for granted the life she had lead and she certainly fucking missed it now. When she slept she could immerse herself back into that world. The one full of people who cared, full of lavish parties and dinners. A time when things were simpler and there most certainly wasn't any dead people roaming the earth.

She groaned to herself when she felt someone shaking her shoulder and her blue eyes fluttered open, landing on Daryl fucking Dixon of all people as he stood over her with his trademark scowl. When he saw her wake, he retracted his hand like she had burnt him with a simple touch and she squinted at him. Rubbing her sleepy eyes as her brain tried to catch back up with her and remember where she was. In a prison.

“The fuck you want Dixon?” she asked harshly, glaring up at his form that she could just make out with the darkness of the cell.

“Ya got five minutes to get yer ass outta bed and downstairs, ‘fore I leave ya behind princess,” he spat before turning on his heel and leaving swiftly. She sneered after his retreating form as she sat up with a yawn and stretched her sore limbs out. The 22-year-old felt like she was about 75 with the way her body ached.

She really didn't know why Daryl hated her so much other than the fact she used to have money. Ever since his group, now her group, stumbled onto the farm after Carl had been shot, the gruff redneck just hated her on sight. She had joined the farm just before Rick and his band of misfits. She was in the area for business, tagging along with her dad to keep up his image of a southern family man, despite the fact the two barely ever spoke. The world went to shit and she was the only one to get out of there alive. After walking around, somehow surviving the wilderness for who knows how long, she had found herself at Hershel's farm. Dehydrated, starved, and a gnarly cut on her arm she didn’t even remember doing.

She would always be indebted to the man she considered her adoptive father, the man that took her in and cared for her more than her own real father had ever done. When Rick's group arrived, she had helped tend to Carl, and she had tried to get to know the rest of the group as much as she could since they seemed intent on sticking around. Apart from Shane, she knew right off the bat the man had a few screws loose and she didn't believe his bullshit about Otis either. She couldn't say she was too surprised when Rick had announced he had to kill him because Shane was going to kill him first. She couldn't say she cared much either.

But Daryl fucking Dixon, what a fucking dick. The moment he first laid eyes on her, she had smiled politely, but he scowled at her like he wished she would burst into flames. She paid no mind at first, mainly because he looked at everyone that way, including his own group which was a strange thing indeed. She figured he couldn't be a bad man, not with how he was out looking for Carols daughter and even injured himself in the process. But with each passing day on the farm, she seemed to be the only one he couldn't stand to be around. She tried to change it at first, wondering if he actually took the time to talk to her he would realise she wasn't some asshole. But when she did try talking to him he would promptly tell her to leave him the fuck alone, and in the end, she gave up.

She couldn't remember just when the nickname princess appeared, but it was there just the same. It wasn't said sweetly like he thought she was a beautiful Disney princess. He spat the word like venom, making it clear he thought she was some prissy bitch. Things only got worse after Beth, in all her innocent sweetness, had sat around the campfire and gushed about her to the rest of the group. How they had the heiress to Jack Daniels living at the farm with them. She went on to tell them all the stories she had told her about fancy parties and dinners she had to attend. Sure she had embellished them a little to sound fancier, because she had told them only to Beth, and when she looked at her with her big hopeful eyes, she wanted to tell her whatever she wanted to hear to make her happy. She hoped her innocence would never fade from this world, it was needed in the darkness.

She had no clue Beth had told everyone else until the next day when Andrea said something to her. She had been mortified, she didn't really want anyone else to know. Yes, she was the heiress to the whiskey company, it had been in her family for generations. Yes, she did have a lot of money, money that in her wild teen years was spent on booze and drugs as she tried to cope with her life. From the outside people thought she had the perfect life, and in some respects she did. She wasn't going hungry, she had a huge roof over her head and if she wanted something, all she had to do was buy it. But all she ever wanted was to feel cared about by her parents, not dumped off on nannies every day and to be left to fend for herself. They hadn't even noticed her spiralling as a teenager until she got arrested at 18. And instead of her parents wondering why their seemingly perfect southern baby girl had done this, they had made her feel like a failure for letting the family down and embarrassing them. Her father had even threatened not to give her the company when it was time unless she cleaned up her act, and they shipped her off to a rehab facility.

After Beth's wonderful stories, Daryl seemed to hate her even more. Instead of not talking to her at all, he would give her cheap digs here and there about her being an uppity bitch who would die on her own. She never felt the need to argue with him about the fact she spent a lot of the time after the world fell apart on her own, how she hadn't been with the Greene’s long. Hershel had made out like she had been there from the start and Arabella couldn't find it in her to say otherwise. It wasn't until the prison when she actually started arguing back with the redneck asshole. He had been shocked at first when she told him to go fuck himself with one of his bolts, actually speechless that the girl who always just seemed to lay there and take his bullshit had the cheek to say something like that to him. The look on his face was the best thing she had ever witnessed and ever since that day, she had no issue with arguing with him whenever he opened his stupid fucking mouth. She liked to say shit just to get under his skin, like the day before when Rick had asked the pair to go on a run together. She loathed that stupid redneck and his stupid attitude. He assumed she was a preppy princess who had rich parents and a horse that shit rainbows, but he knew nothing about her at all. He was just a judgemental dickface in her opinion and if he wanted a war, she would damn well give him one.

Mostly the group seemed to try and keep them apart, knowing the animosity was there even if they didn't fully understand it. But when it came to runs, Rick needed them to pair up and do it together because they were two of the strongest they had, they never came back empty-handed. He just hated breaking it to them every time they were supposed to go out there together, knowing what was about to happen when he did.

~~

She glared at Daryl from across the table and he glared right back. If looks could kill they’d both be walkers by now. She wasn’t even paying attention to what Rick was saying as she was too busy trying to send telepathic insults to the asshole sat opposite her, and she was quite certain he was doing the same. They were both staring at each other, too stubborn to look away first, until Rick slammed his hands down onto the table. Arabella and Daryl jumped and snapped their heads towards Rick.

“What the fuck Rick?!” Daryl barked.

“You’re like a pair of school kids. I’ve been talking to you both for about ten minutes and I bet you didn’t hear a damn thing I said!” Rick scolded. She bit her lip and felt a little bad, she knew this between her and Daryl was getting on Ricks last nerve, and he was right, she had no clue what the fuck he was talking about.

“I’m sorry Rick. Whatever you need, we’ll do it,” she smiled at him, always one to help out no matter what it was.

“I want you to both go on a run for some clothes, it's getting warmer now and we need stuff for everyone,” he sighed, he just knew what was coming, it happened every time.

“Hell nah! I ain’t goin’ with this dumb bitch. She’ll just get me killed!” Daryl yelled, earning a dirty look from her.

“Shut your mouth asshole, you can’t even take one for the fucking team? Selfish prick,” she spat, knowing how to push his buttons, she had learnt in her time of standing up for herself just what to say that really got under his skin and would cause a reaction. He stood up that fast that his chair fell over.

“What d’ya just say to me, ya fuckin’ whore?!” he roared. She just sat there smirking smugly at him, knowing she worked him up.

“That’s enough!” Rick bellowed, causing them both to look at him sheepishly.

“You better deal with these issues and put them aside. We’re in the middle of a damn apocalypse for crying out loud, grow up!” with that he stood up and left the room, she and Daryl feeling like naughty children after a telling off. They’d be going, they always did, and around in circles they went.

~

Daryl sat in the driver's seat of the truck near the gates waiting on miss fucking uppity. If he had it his way he would be out there already and would have left her prissy ass in the dust, but he knew Rick would kill him. The only good thing about these runs was the fact Rick would put him in charge every time, it was the only chance he got to order her around and she had no choice but to listen. She could take care of herself, that he could reluctantly admit. Not to her though, just to himself. At first, he had thought she was a spoilt little princess who had never lifted a finger in her fucking life. But after the farm, she quickly proved to be pretty competent in the new world and it had shocked him a little. Beth had told him at one point how she had been out there on her own for a while and he hadn't believed it at first, not until he saw her actually taking out walkers like she’d done it a million times before. Still, she was a stuck up bitch and he fucking hated her.

He watched as she walked casually across the yard to the truck, taking her sweet time like he wasn't waiting on her and he knew she was doing it on purpose. His hands clenched around the steering wheel as he glared at her through the window of the truck, gritting his teeth. She had that look about her, one that screamed stupid dumb blonde, and before the world went to shit he probably would have taken her home and gave her a good fuck until she couldn't walk. Unless Merle got to her first. She was hardly a model, she wasn't stick thin, she had some curves in all the right places. But it was her face that always got to him. With her wide doe-like eyes and her plump lips, it just pissed him off more. The pretty rich girl. She wouldn't have given him the time of day before all of this and he knew that. She would have looked at him the way the rest of the rich folk did, with disgust and judgement in their stupid eyes.

When Arabella hopped into the truck, she shot him a glance, perturbed by the fact he hadn't shouted at her for taking her time. She just settled down in the seat though as he started the truck. He got like this sometimes and it always weirded her out. Most of the time he would spend his time shouting at her, berating her for every little thing she did wrong or just being a prick about her past at every chance he got. But other times he would remain silent, not talking to her or even looking her way at all. And although she should have enjoyed that silence, it bothered her even more than him calling her a stuck up bitch.

She was always quiet though when he was like this, like she somehow understood he needed space and for some reason, she allowed him that. It often confused Daryl why she didn't run her mouth off like usual when he was quiet. Why she would just sit there and leave him to it. He presumed it was because she didn’t want to fucking deal with him unless they were fighting. The ride there was thick with tension as the silence drowned them both but neither made the move to speak, and before long they had arrived. Daryl was agitated as always when he was around her and Arabella was just plain fed up by this point. She hopped out of the truck, knife in hand and a gun strapped to her side. She knew better than to use it unless it was an emergency though, so she hoped it would stay there.

They moved to the shop front by the door and Daryl knocked on the glass, his bow at the ready as they listened. There were the telltale signs of groans and they glanced to each other.

“Sounds like only a few,” she muttered, earning a grunt and nod in response. Despite how much they fought and disliked each other, they worked well as a team on these runs. With only each other to have their backs, for a brief moment they would shove their issues aside to make sure they were both safe. Daryl opened the door and it didn't take long for the pair to dispatch the walkers. Then they made quick work of packing up the empty duffels they had brought with them full of summer clothes for the group.

Arabella picked up a pretty black sundress and looked at it forlornly. When was the last time she had been able to wear something pretty? Instead of mud-stained jeans and an ill-fitting tank that felt like it was 2 sizes too small. She sighed to herself, hoping she would be the one to keep this. Maybe she would just stuff it in her own backpack and no one would be any wiser.

“S’wrong princess? Sad ‘cause it ain’t Gucci?” she heard Daryl sneer from behind her. She should have known his pensive silence wouldn’t last long, it never did.

“Surprised you know what Gucci is Dixon, didn't think they had that where you were from,” she spat back, shooting him a glare. He squinted, his right eye twitching in annoyance as he looked at her, resisting the urge to throttle her tiny little neck. She just stomped past him, giving him a little shove that didn't move him an inch as she made her way back outside.

They got all that they could so they made their way back to the prison, the silence once again uncomfortable. But this time she welcomed it. It was easy to forget how much he irritated her when he opened his stupid fucking mouth and she was growing tired of it. She was sick of the day to day battle of just being around him. She just wanted a day with no fighting. When they got back, Rick was waiting for them as she hopped out of the truck, grabbing the duffels full of women's clothes that she had packed. Ricks face lit up seeing the bags stuffed full as Daryl joined her.

“That's great you guys, I knew you would come through, you always do,” Rick grinned at them.

“No problem boss man, anything to help the fam out,” she snorted, grabbing her bags and tossing them over her shoulders carelessly. She was about to head inside when Rick started talking again.

“Before you go, I wanted to talk to you both about something,” he said, making the pair eye him warily. They didn't know what it would be but they had a feeling they wouldn't like it. He went over to near one of the tables outside and grabbed a bag, tossing it with a thud near Daryl's feet.

Daryl looked at it before looking back to Rick who just gestured to it. Daryl huffed, crouching as he unzipped the bag, getting out a small crossbow. He stood up, inspecting it as Arabella looked at it, unsure why she had to be here for this if Rick was giving Daryl a gift.

“It’s in good condition, damn near new. Too small for me though,” Daryl said gruffly, glancing to Rick.

“I know, that's why I thought that you wouldn't be the one to use it,” he said giving him a pointed look. Arabella blinked as the pieces clicked into place but before she could speak up, Daryl beat her to it.

“Fuck no!! Like hell I’m teachin’ her to use a damn bow!” he yelled, looking thoroughly offended at the mere notion of it. Arabella glared at him and rolled her eyes and Rick heaved a sigh.

“Look Daryl, I know you two have your issues, but we could use another hunter. We need more food. You told me yourself before now how light on her feet she is,” Rick protested, making Arabella’s eyes widen a fraction in shock as she looked to the hunter. She was shocked that something akin to a compliment had ever left his mouth about her.

“I don't give a damn if the bitch can fly, I ain't teachin’ her how to use the damn thing,” Daryl sneered, his anger flaring that Rick had just fucking said that right in front of her. She saw Ricks face fall and she hated it, Rick was a good man and he was trying his best here to keep shit together.

“It’s fine Rick, I’ll teach myself,” she smiled wearily at him. He looked relieved yet somewhat guilty, no doubt over Daryl being such a dick about the whole thing. Daryl stuffed the bow back in the bag and tossed it to her harshly, making her stumble as she caught it with how heavy it was. He didn't look sorry in the least though. She just shot Rick one last look before heading off inside.

“The hell was that about Daryl? She's a nice girl. Don't you think it's about time you got your head outta your ass about her past?” Rick frowned, looking at him like he was scolding a child. The whole thing set a fire inside Daryl as he fought to keep himself in check.

“Ya don't know shit, so how about ya keep ya damn nose out,” he snapped, harsher than he meant to but Rick didn't act surprised.

“This is for the group Daryl, we need this,” Rick sighed, looking at him imploringly.

“Fuck the group, I don't owe ya shit. Ya left Merle on that roof to rot, so I’ll be damned if I start bowin’ down to ya now,” Daryl sneered before storming off. Rick shook his head with a sigh. This Daryl wasn't who he had grown to love like a brother, this was the old Daryl, the one he hadn't seen in a very long time. He hadn't even mentioned the whole Merle incident in so long. He didn't know why he was behaving this way all of a sudden but he didn't like it.

Daryl fumed as he made his way inside. Like fuck he was teaching that uppity bitch to use a bow so she could come with him. Deep down he knew Rick was right, they could use another hunter in the group. But the thought of her in his space like that, out in the woods there with him, it got under his skin way too much. When he was out hunting, that was his time and his alone. A chance to escape from the family he had grown to care about without wanting to. Time to just be himself. He always felt at peace out there and he wasn't about to let that bitch ruin that for him, to take the only fucking thing he had left. Over my cold dead fuckin’ body...

---------------

This one’s so weird for me now already. I miss Flames. 

:( Anyone else miss Merle? looooool

Taglist; @risingphoenix761 @daryldixonandfrogs @arlaina28 @divadinag @keeperofwonderlandus @jodiereedus22 @easnuppa @fand0m-fiend @txladyj-blog @walkingdead-dixon

[slutty-mcree]

!!!! @shoeswithoutsocks

listen, buddy, thank you so much for this request omg.

I really hope you don't mind my song choice! Ring of fire absolutely screams Jesse Mcree and i love it so much, but the song  ‘big bad handsome man’ by Imelda May was introduced into my life a few weeks ago, and I haven't been able to stop associating it with Mchanzo since hearing it adsk. You've handed me a golden opportunity i cant pass up. (Seriously if you haven't heard that song please listen and tell me it doesn’t absolutely fucking  radiate Mcree energy...)

Anyways! I hope you enjoy <3

—

“You are telling me you can sing..? Seems...unlikely.”

Hanzo could remember just how offended Mcree had looked when he said that; hand clutched over his heart, mouth slightly agape as though someone had suddenly struck him.

“Darlin..sweetheart...my huckleberry pie..you sayin’ you don’t think I got talent?”

“Obviously I believe you have talent, Mcree. Overwatch would not have recruited you otherwise. I am just unsure as to how much of that talent is...musical.”

In hindsight, Hanzo supposed he should have known better. Jesse Mcree, by nature, was never one to withdraw from a challenge. It was proven time and time again—whether it was showcasing a dauntless, unnecessary act on the field or following through on an unsuspecting fool who was not expecting to be taken up on their dare. The cowboy was, without a doubt, the very definition of ostentatious--and evidently, Hanzo’s comment made him feel like he needed to prove something.

Hanzo Shimada had provoked the southern, gun-slinging bear and now he was now going to pay the price for it.

“I cannot believe you helped orchestrate such a ridiculous charade.” The archer scoffs with a tinge of annoyance coloring his tone. He eyes over the homemade flyer in his hand; decorated in obscenely glittery drawings of music notes and tiny cartoon versions of cowboy hats. Big, bold letters spelled out ‘karaoke night: featuring the musical talents of Jesse Mcree’, and Hanzo glances from the piece of paper to the Korean woman in front of him warily.

“Don’t look at me like that, Han! Lucio made the flyers and did the audio set up stuff, all I did was set up the chairs.”  Hana defends herself, though the mirthful smile that’s present indicates that wasn’t completely true. “Besides, karaoke is awesome! Look you have a front-row seat and everything!” She gestures to a folding chair that sat front and center to the boxing ring in the training area watchpoint offered (which was now made out to be like some kind of stage.)There were a few more rows of chairs just like it, though that one in particular quite literally had his name written on it. In messy, sparkly blue lettering...

A long, albeit dramatic sigh rolls from Hanzo's chest as he takes a seat, arms firmly crossed. He can practically sense the Meka pilots ever widening  smile from beside him, and he vaguely hears her utter something along the lines of ‘mission dragon strike is a go!’ before running off somewhere.

It isn’t long before other agents trickle in, among the small crowd being Genji himself. His brother takes a seat next to him, and Hanzo attempts to probe for any type of information he can about what’s to be expected out of this aside from the obvious. Though, much to his chagrin,  Genji offers nothing; the other man just sits there and has the audacity to shush Hanzo all while somehow being able to radiate utter smugness behind his impassive faceplate.

The archer narrows his eyes in return, a quiet huff leaving him as he turns his attention back to the stage with a glower etched on his face. It felt as though everyone was aware of something he wasn’t, which caused an infuriating mixture of concern and panic to flutter in the lower part of his stomach. One would hope his words days prior wouldn't of offended Jesse to the point he was willing to organize an entire ordeal just to embarrass himself or his own lover.

Then again… this was Jesse “once went streaking through the streets during a category five storm because someone told him he wouldn’t do it” Mcree.

Hanzo shrinks at the onslaught of other ridiculous possibilities the cowboys could be subjecting him to tonight; Images of Jesse in nothing but underwear, howling out a song that’s far too high pitched for him is the first thing that comes to mind…

The man sighs, although before his concern could get the better of him the lights of the gym suddenly dim just as a tall silhouette makes its way on stage, causing the soft chatter of the crowd to dwindle into silence. Hanzo makes another huff when forced to squint in the lack of lighting, unable to make out a familiar hat but not much else. A moment passes, then the lights above the makeshift stage suddenly alight brightly once again, illuminating the cowboy now occupying the space with a glow that could almost be called ethereal.

Hanzo blinks, and he finds himself swallowing against the sudden thickness that gathers at the back of his throat.

Mcree, void of his usual gear, is instead embellished in a form-fitting vest with a tasteful dress shirt underneath; which, in Hanzo opinion, was unfairly  left unbuttoned a few notches lower than probably necessary. Mcree then smiles, toothy and suave as he gives an experimental strum against the guitar strapped to his torso, dark eyes immediately meeting Hanzo’s own.

The archer fights back the urge to swallow again.

“Howdy, everybody~” The southerner greets in a way that’s somehow so damn provocative it elects a series of whistles and cheers from the crowd.  Honeyed laughter echoes through the standing mic, grin never forsaking him. “I’d like to thank everyone for comin’. Got a real special song for a real special person tonight.”

Mcree winks in his lover's direction, and suddenly Hanzo is aware of a dozen cheeky gazes and smiles on him from every damn direction. Despite being able to remain relatively straight-faced, heat burns the tips of the archer's ears.

Much to his own displeasure.

Mcree grins a little wider, before counting down from three. A pre-recorded tune of saxophone and base notes then begin to play from a pair of speakers from behind him, and along with it Mcree begins steady beat with his guitar; the symphony creates a type of rhythm that immediately reminds Hanzo of the old American style songs from the 1950’s his father would occasionally listen to. It's amazing, really; Mcree’s fingers strum against the strings of his guitar with such fluid ease it renders Hanzo shocked at first. Though really what is more surprising than the skillful use of the instrument is the actual sound of Mcree’s voice.

‘The man is tall, mad, mean, and good-lookin', And he's got me his eye. When he looks at me, I go weak at the knees, He's got me going like no other guy. Cause he's my big, bad, handsome man, He's got me in the palm of his hand. He's the Devil Divine, I'm so glad that he's mine, Cause he's my big, bad, handsome man~”

It held a gruff yet ever seductive timbre that resonated Hanzo through his core and sent small bumps prickling the surface of his skin. His jaw drops ever slightly, though he’s only made aware when the icy, metallic touch of Genji's hand pushes his chin up to forcibly close the gap.

“May I get you a something to drink, brother? You are looking extremely thirsty.” The cyborg snickers from beside him. Red rises over ivory skin, and Hanzo turns his head to with a look sharp enough to cut the man in half where he sits--though it’s not a half second later before his attention is brought back to the stage.

‘With his rugged good looks yeah he's got me hooked

Got me where he wants me to be

With his arms so wide, he pulls me in by his side

He's the kind of guy that does it for me’

Cause he's my big bad handsome man yeah

He's got me in the palm of his hand

He's the devil divine, I'm so glad that he's mine

Cause he's my big bad handsome man

Ooh

My big bad handsome man, yea

He's got me in the palm of his hand

He's the devil divine, I'm so glad that he's mine

Cause he's my big bad handsome man

Mcree is staring at him with a wide, far too charming smile as he finishes up the rest of the song. It ends with a long, soulful hum—and the group of ten to fifteen sounds more like a crowd of hundreds with amount of clapping and cheering that goes on. He chuckles, bowing with a polite tip of his hat and signature “thank you kindly” before he exits the stage to allow those next in line (Reinhardt) to showcase their talents. As the boisterous German takes center stage, Hanzo manages to shake away the astonished look of his face and swiftly disperses to the water fountain in the far corner he watched Mcree strut off too.

“I must say that...was impressive,” Hanzo compliments as he approaches. He eyes Mcree as he smiles and leans away from the water fountain to wipe the thin layer of sweat across his forehead with the back of his hand. “Why thank you, darlin.’ Mighty kind of you to say. Gotta admit it’s nice to know I can still surprise ya.” His smile curls into a coquettish smirk, as if being able to read Hanzo’s thoughts the entire duration of his performance. The archer was not always as impassive as he thought he was, that’s for certain.

“Mm…” a subtle smirk of its own tugs at the corner of Hanzo’s lips. He leans forward, adjusting Mcree’s slightly askew collar. “Indeed. Actually, I am so surprised I wanted to ask if you would care to favor me an encore.”

Mcree blinks, chuckling softly and scratching the back of his head. “Encore, eh? Why I don’t mind, but I take it Reinhardt is gonna be a while—“

“I am referring to an encore of a more private sort. In my quarters...” Hanzo interrupts.

“Oh? Oh…” The southern gunslinger grins, clearing his throat as he wraps a well-sculpted arm around his lover's shoulder. “Well sweetheart, I’m thinkin’ that can be arranged.”