House Rules

Comeback

This chapter is short, I know.
Happy Update though!

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There were two immediate things Erik could be thankful for. One, the lil lawnmower had finally died allowing him to bask in the peace of an early morning. Silence for him tended to be golden whereas for her, no alarm probably meant late for work and time was still ticking. Two, he was free for the time being. Completely free. No missions, no agenda, no place he needed to be. In this rare moment, there was nothing but the life he'd carved for himself with a lil bit of money, a couple well placed bullets, and a dream.

Look at this kid faking, he glared down hearing steady breaths, feeling the familiar micromovements.

"Like watching a bad actor on BET," he muttered in the darkness. "You're struggling," he whispered down into the skin of her forehead. "Time to get up."

Her cheek smushed deeper into his chest, her arm locked around him. He hadn't thought she could get any closer. He was wrong.. He stretched his arms in the bed with a yawn and she squeezed him tighter.

"My ribs?" Damn. She'd gotten a lil stronger somehow. Or maybe he'd been gone so long he'd forgotten. That squeeze was a 'nigga stay put' squeeze. She probably missed him more than she let on.

"Mmm," she sighed mumbling gibberish. She probably wasn't faking sleep. Poor thing, so tired. Probably had a busy day yesterday, and that was before he scared the shit out of her.

Literally. She'd busted ass all night. It was funny at first but that died quick. Let it have been anyone else, they'd have woken up on the pavement next to all their shit. 

"You lucky you cute," he muttered rubbing her arm. Her skin was so soft.

To think he let her stay in his place unattended. Even more, nothing had truly gone wrong; her stomach was just fucked up. Bubble guts. And one run-in with Swift, that was slight.

He was starting to feel the hope that his persistence was proving to bring.

"Time to get up," he repeated more seriously. "Uh-uh.. Look at me." He waited till she picked up her head looking up through tired slitted eyes. "You gotta go to work Stink Stink..," he patted on her ass. "But I'll drive you. I'll come back and get you."

"Can't we just stay here?"

Erik's bottom lip ejected itself. Everything in him fluttered at the same time. It was the tired pleading eyes and the soft sleepy voice, a dangerous combo. She couldn't know that or she'd abuse it.

"Yeah," he sighed feeling defeated. He kissed her forehead missing those characteristic chubby cheeks. She'd be mad if he pinched them... He planned to do anyway. Angry Y/N was still cute Y/N. "Let me up."

She was already near sleep again, refusing to move an inch. His head dropped back on the pillow.

He didn't want to be too rough with her and pull away considering her arm was still locked around him. What message would that send? Still, he was past overheated and uncomfortable as he'd been all night.

"Girl I'm coming back," he assured loving and hating the attention at the same time. Finally she let him go. "Thank you..," he sat up treating his leg gingerly. He was a monster when it came to healing, still he couldn't cheat the surgeries and they came with pain and medication which he still needed from time to time.

The library of health and wellness downloaded in his brain over the years helped him to understand his body and how far he could push it. He trained it for resilience using strength and willpower. He refused to be injured. He refused to be sick. He refused to let surgery keep him down or stand in the way of a moment.