EYES LIKE RAZORS

(69) School

"We need to talk," Chloe states, shutting Madisons office door. "Everything alright?" Madi queries, putting her pen down and shutting the book she was going through so all her attention was on her wife.

"Mads- some kids at school have been picking on Hugo. They found out about his parents and have been calling him names and pushing him down."

She watches Madis fist clench as she bit her bottom lip in contemplation.

"You can't hit a kid Mads." Chloe tells her.

"It's a good thing I own a gun then." Madi retorts, "you can't shoot them either." Chloe exclaims.

"I'll shoot their parents then, let them know how it feels to lose them." Madison shrugs.

"We're not shooting anyone." Chloe says, stepping round the desk, and placing Madisons gun on the table.

"You're right, we aren't. I am."

"Mads no you're not. You're not beating up kids, or shooting them, or their parents." Chloe states firmly, folding her arms over her chest.

"Where is he?" Madison asks. "He's with Johns kids." Chloe says, and a smirk comes onto Madis face. "No, you're not getting Johns kids to beat the kids up either." Chloe tells her, aware of how Madisons brain worked.

"Listen to me, love." Chloe says, placing a hand on Madisons jaw, stepping closer so their bodies were touching. "I wouldn't have told you, if I wanted you to do nothing."

"Then what can I do to show those fucking midgets that they can't fuck with Hugo. That if they do it again, I'll tie their shoelaces together and throw them in the cut." Madison responds.

"Why don't you and your brothers take him to school tomorrow, eh?" Chloe suggests, "that could work." Madison hums, her arms wrapping round Chloes waist.

"I love you." Madi whispers, leaning down to place a kiss on Chloes temple, as the red head rests against her shoulder, "I love you."

-

"Now lad, anyone tries anything you have full permission to hit them, and then tell them that your aunts and uncles are gonna come for them." John says, as the siblings walk Hugo towards the school gate.

"Yeah, you tell them that Arthur Shelby will get one of his rusty old razor blades and—"

"Do not tell them that, they're kids. Look around us they're shitting themselves already." Tommy cuts his older brother of, gesturing to all the families around them who were doing their best to stay under the siblings radar.

Madison crouched down infront of Hugo, fixing a strand of his hair, "have a good day at school, bud. Me, Richard and Eugene are gonna come pick you up later, and if anyone starts on you, yes you can hit them - don't tell Chloe I said that, but go to the office and get them to call us."

"Thanks Auntie M, I love you." Hugo says, hugging her, "I love you too." Madi smiles, rubbing his back.

"See you later lad." John says, as Hugo walks through the gates waving at the men.

"I'm feeling quite domesticated, doing the school run and all." Arthur speaks as they walk back towards the house.

"Have your own kids then you can do it every day," Tommy replies, "I'll leave having kids to John Boy." Arthur chuckles.

"Yeah, yeah- you'll have them soon enough." John scoffs, "imagine you with a daughter."

"You have a daughter." Arthur points out, "I have two daughters, and they're fucking brilliant. Anything happened to them and I'd burn the world down." John responds.

"I dunno, I think having a daughter would be nice, it's like having a little sister- but they won't say you're not my father when you tell them to do something because you are their Dad." Arthur says, and Madi rolls her eyes.

"God save your daughters when they turn teenagers." Madi says.

"What's that meant to mean?" John asks, knowing his eldest was approaching those years quicker than he liked.

"Hormones..." Madison says, "exploration."

"My daughter will not be doing any fucking exploring." Arthur states, "amen," John adds.

"Trust me... you won't know." Madison laughs, "what's that meant to mean?" Tommy asks, narrowing his eyes at his youngest sister.

"It means you guys had no fucking clue when I started... exploring." Madison says, "Zachary?" John asks.

"Before that." Madison shrugs.

"Well that's settled it, I'm gonna lock her away in a tower, she's not allowed to date." John says, "oh don't be ridiculous," Madi scoffs.

"Let's be honest here, if anything happened to our daughters- she's most likely to kill someone." Tommy says, pointing at Madison, his brothers nodding in agreement.

-

"Is he a friend or the friend?" Madi whispers to Richard as the they walk down the street with Eugene. 

"He's the friend." Richard replies, his eyes dancing over to Eugene who was looking around, seemingly taking in everything he could see, "I spoke to him like you told me to, his father had a stroke so he was in the hospital," he adds quietly.

"So Eugene.. how old are you?" Madi queries, lighting a cigarette and bringing it to her lips.

"Um.. 19 ma'am." Eugene says, "it's just Madison or Madi," she tells him.

"Do you have a job or anything?" She asks.

"I mainly care for my parents, but I work a couple shifts at the local pub." Eugene answers, "Mum lost her leg in the war and my Dad was a prisoner of war, he forgets he's home sometimes."

"That's good of you," Madison says, "not many people would do that."

"So how did the two of you meet?" She questions, looking between the two men, "I was actually waiting for a date, Richard came over and introduced himself, I've never been happier that the guy stood me up." Eugene tells her, as they get closer to the school gates, kids already coming out.

To Madisons surprise she saw Hugo smiling as he came through the gates with a girl by his side, chatting away, when he looked up and spotted Madi he waved, said goodbye to the girl and ran over to his aunt, launching himself into her arms and they were both lucky that she stopped them from falling over.

"Good day?" 

"The best," Hugo smiles up at her as she took his book bag from him with the hand that held her cigarette, Hugo clutching her free hand.

"So who was the girl you were with?" Richard teases.

"That was Millie. She's super smart, she likes the same books that I do." Hugo says, "we bonded over Frankenstein."

"That's lovely." Madison says, proud that he'd made his first friend, "was everyone nice to you today?" 

"Yes, Kleiny even apologised and they all left me alone for the whole day, they didn't even laugh when I accidentally fell over my shoelace." Hugo says, sighing in relief.

"Good." Richard nods.

"I can't wait for school tomorrow, Millie said she's gonna bring in her copy of: The Adventures of Pinocchio." Hugo says, "she didn't believe me when I said I'd never read it."

"