#sorry anoncito but i'll never do 22

[dragonturtle]

No. 2 in the prompt thing.

Brio (obv) and Rhea (bc I miss her!).

Please and Thank you! 🧡

Thank you 🧡 this one was really difficult aaaaaaah but always hype. Hope you like it!

2. Oh My God. You're in love with her.

(Set in, you guessed it, post-canon)

"Pop! Ey, watch it!"

But Marcus is far from his reach, his son's not so tiny frame running from his mom's kitchen to his room. Dealing with a preteen has been an interesting experience to live given he once was one himself, so he's damn aware about what his kid is going through. He may not be the best mentor in the world, but since things have been running smoothly with business, ain't no more disappearing into thin air for him.

Yet, they were always difficult days. Today was one of them. They got into an argument in his car about a new console he wanted and Rhea and him agreed they weren't going to buy one. Even if he worked his ass off to spare on anything his family needs, he ain't gonna spoil the kid. Playground never gets easy, you gotta learn to compromise in life. And they can give him one, for his birthday or Christmas, but not when Marcus demands it. Things don't work like that.

So, he dropped him by Rhea's and when it was their time to say goodby, he passed by him without saying it, his son's immaturity making his jaw clench.

"What happened?" Rhea asked him, drying her hands with some paper towels after finishing washing some dishes. He's standing by her kitchen island, his back turned to the tv, now passing some cooking show.

"You know, me being bad fucking cop 'bout the thing he can't keep asking for." He shrugs, rolling his neck to release some tension.

"I'll talk to him again, don't worry."

She came to stand by his side, one of her small hands in his shoulders, bright smile and he's glad they doing this together, that coparenting with her has been a fucking blessing. And he's musing things in his brain about the importance of family in his, why the fuck not, when a too well known voice is speaking through the tv.

Elizabeth's eyes in close-up, blonde hair framing her face a little longer than when they met all those years ago, hands moving up and down explaining how a new community center for the elders will benefit the town and he's suddenly giggling remembering the real reason why it's a good idea because business, sound coming from his mouth so loud he can't do it anything to stop it at this point.

Rhea's gaping like a cartoon fish, the hold on his shoulder suddenly tightens, a look of disbelief painting her features.

Shit. They haven't talked about her in a long time, so long it feels like another life, whatever he does with his business never a topic in their conversation. Rhea knows they work together now, that's all. But never talked in deep about this. Last time they did had been, well, it was when he came back from being practically dead and Elizabeth made her way into her and his son's life. If it was messy back then, with all of his rage threaten to spill everywhere, now that things are good, when nobody is trying to kill the other anymore, and they--

"Oh My God. You're in love with her. That's why she is where she is."

And if it ain't this the most offensive fucking shit he'd ever heard in his life, he doesn't know what other thing could be.

Before he can say anything, Marcus comes running to the kitchen and almost tackles him to the ground, arms around his waist, holding him tight.

"Thought you left. I wanted to say by, dad. Oh-- isn't that Jane's mom? From the park?"

And he feels like he can't run, can't explain himself, can't justify things that ain't true. Rhea's prying eyes not leaving his face and he better deflect this by laughing, mocking his baby mama ridiculous affirmation by ruffling his son's eyes and saying his goodbyes before going for the door.

"This got nothing to do with love, ma." He finally says, his hand holding the doorknob.

"Tell yourself that, Christopher."

Rhea's voice drilling his ears way after he closes the door, his teeth biting his bottom lip with too much force. And when he realizes what he's doing his face feels numb, his mouth the only barrier keeping his telltale heart from falling off his body, notifying everyone of the things he clearly ain't ready to say out loud.