𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗥 | the boys 2

𝘪𝘷) 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐒?

Rowan was pushed out of her train of thought by a pair of fluffy paws pressing into the side of her thigh."Hey, buddy!" She ruffled the curls of the excited labradoodle's head as he attempted to lick her. "Remember me, huh?"

"Of course he does." Noah scoffed quietly, shutting the door on the dark hallway,"He loved you." He flicked the light on sat back by his pillow, playing with his dog's golden fur.

"And I loved him back." She mumbled.

"It wasn't burglars, was it?"

"No, no it wasn't."

"...We should really fucking talk."

____________________

"Fucking Hell, this is so good." Rowan groaned, hacking into a cheeseburger with pickles. Her and Noah currently sat at the side of an outside burger bar in the late evening - Noah having decided to carry on wearing his pyjamas after much of her encouragement.

"When was the last time you ate properly?" He grimaced, picking at the fries they were sharing.

"Properly? About seven years ago?" She scoffed,"Nah, it's just been a few days. I was starting to feel sick."

"I can't believe the news saying you and that Butcher guy killed Stillwell. It's not true, is it?"

"Well, not technically-" She paused to pass her drink to the side when he instantly choked on his food,"She was already dead, anyway." She sighed. Rowan let her eyes graze across the night - they instantaneously widened upon landing on those of Susan Raynor, watching her carefully from the other side of the steel table as she sipped a black coffee. "Listen, Noah, I gotta' go get some salt." She patted his shoulder and brought the burger with her to sit a seat away from the Deputy Director, never directly turning her direction.

After a short silence, the smugness in her voice returned like nothing had ever occurred,"He doesn't know you're here, does he?"

Rowan snorted,"What makes you say that?"

"Do you have any idea how wanted you are? He'd never let you outside by yourself at a time like this."

"I just can't fucking escape him, can I? You're the one who's banged him." She grimaced at the memories of when she heard that Butcher and Raynor had a nice fuck in the past. "He acts like my Dad and I can't get the image of you two going at it in a bar bathroom out of my head."

"What's the matter with you? Has he finally fucked you over?" She smirked into her paper cup.

"It was more of a mutual thing." She grumbled,"I always thought we might just deserve each other."

"Well, I've heard he's on the lookout for you."

"Why?"

"Look, kid, he needs you. More than you need him. Now, you two have fucked shit up to high heaven and we can't have you disappearing now Vought is on the verge of crumbling. If you do nothing, they'll bring in some new supes and all that work will have turned to buckets of piss. There's more to this than you're willing to hear." Their gaze finally connected - it was strange hearing someone else feeling sick of their relationship for once.

"I don't fucking care." Rowan smiled falsely,"Fuck all of them - I don't need boys anymore."

Susan let out a short sigh, glancing at Noah before returning to her with the same sarcastic expression she was receiving,"Sure, you don't."