Fast Lane ━━ Brian O'Conner

𝟮𝟰. failure is not fatal

     "I love you, Jo." His voice sounded soft and hoarse as he whispered those three words to her. 

      His blue eyes shimmered, the dark in them large with affection and love. It was the first time he'd ever really said those words to her, but Josephine, somehow, always knew. They didn't need words, but hearing them escape from his mouth was like a dream she never wanted to wake up from. And Josephine loved him dearly, too.

     She smiled gently. "I love you, Brian."

    That day, they gave everything to each other. It was something that surpassed all their moments together. In their vulnerability, physically and emotionally, they found love, care, and loyalty. They showed each other every flaw, every bad thing about themselves, and embraced them with their raw and bare hands. Because in that space, Brian and Josephine had finally found everything they'd been searching for all this time, and they were contented with what they found.

     A few weeks had passed and the couple had found themselves on the road again, trying to find someplace away from the federal government's eyes. They both knew there was a manhunt sent out for them so they couldn't really stay in one place for a long time. Now they were on another adventure,  full of sleepless nights behind the wheel with nothing but each other although this time, they had a specific place to go to.

     The seaside city of Rio de Janeiro looked like a breath of fresh air in the early morning. A yawn escaped her mouth as she sat uncomfortably in the passenger seat as Brian drove the car up the steep hill of the favelas. She glanced at him, just as tired as he was, but Brian still had the energy to give her a faint smile and she caressed the back of his neck for comfort. Her gaze softened, noticing the dark bags under his eyes. He had been the one who was doing most of the driving because he'd wanted her to sleep more.

     She touched the back of his cropped dirty blond hair, running her palm against them. As per Brian's suggestion, Josephine cut his hair a few weeks back after he realized it was getting longer again. With a pair of scissors she borrowed from the front desk of the motel they stayed at, Josephine tried her best not to react as she chopped away the rest of his beautiful curls from the top of his head.

      After a while, Brian finally stopped on the side of the street, parking between two other vehicles. Josephine glanced out the window to see the same colorful houses stacked on top of each other like the rest of them around. A few kids and adults littered around them, trying to make a living with what they had. Two boys were sitting on the trunk of the car in front of them, staring at them with frowns on their young faces. Brian and Josephine gave each other a look before stepping out in the Brazil heat.

     "It's got to be it, right?" Josephine said, sounding a little unsure as she glanced around the rough neighborhood. It was Dom who had told them to go for Rio. The last thing he said was that they were going to find Vince there. 

     Brian pursed his lips as he observed the streets. Then he looked at her with a small tilt of his head. "Let's find out."

     His calloused hand found hers as they walked up the stairs of a narrow way up the hillside. Josephine hefted her sling bag over her shoulder, which had a few of the things they had, uneasily watching her every footstep and every person they walked past in the favela's winding, maze-like paths. 

     Brian was cautious with furrowed brows as he began to pick up pieces of something together. For some reason, he had an awful feeling and he squeezed Josephine's hand for reassurance. He wasn't dumb. He could see the men gathering up around them and even heard a click of a rifle. The threat was palpable.

     This time, they weren't trying to hide anymore. Josephine frowned, looking at each man who began to surround them with different kinds of weapons━knives, machetes, pistols, rifles, you name it. They were obviously trying to intimidate them and it was working because the couple wasn't looking for a fight and they were outnumbered.