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snipetooth · 5 months

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Lee Christmas - "I'm Glad You're Home"

first fic on the blog wooo! this is for the expendables; i had to write the focus as being on lee for the perspective i wanted to tell so let me know if it works out or not from a reader's perspective! also shoutout to rebel-moons, he IS a cutie and i am now convinced that i have to watch the expendables 3 just for this scene. all my works are tagged with "#x reader" for quick filtering btw!

Prompt: “[WONDER]: unable to comprehend how incredible the receiver is, the sender decides to simply cup their face in their hands and marvel at them instead.” from “Reasons to Cup a Face” by @.soulpromptson pairing: lee christmas x gn!reader words: 1.7k requested: no

“Right, that’s it! I’m bailing on you fuckwads. Leaving this group forever. Cry and plead all you want, I’m done with you all.”

Shouts of protest immediately followed Lee’s words as he stood up. They were mostly along the lines of, “C’mon, Christmas, you only had to buy three rounds!” or “A real man would finish the game he started, not run out with his tail between his legs because he’s losing chips!” and “At least take a shower before you head back to your prettier half, you smell like you live in an abandoned sewer!”

Lee pried his knives out of the decorated board the group used for target practice, waving one about threateningly as he sheathed the others. “Y’better stow all that codswallop or I’ll really leave for good! Damn bastards, the lot of you, bleedin’ a poor man dry of all his finances with your rigged card games. There’s no reason why Gunnar should’ve won as much as he did, and you all know it!”

Gunnar made a show of ‘casually’ flexing his arms as he leaned back in his seat, Yin and Ceaser snickering to his left while Toll shook his head in silence to his right. “Can’t help being so good if all you’re gonna do is be shit at poker, Christmas,” he replied smugly before knocking back a beer and slamming it on the tabletop with a loud belch. “But maybe I’ll let you go without calling after your debt this time, just this once. I’m feeling generous tonight.”

“How kind of you,” Barney said dryly as he put away the whiskey glass he had been polishing, nodding to Lee as the man passed by. “You really should take a shower though. Can’t have you messing this one up just because you’re too lazy to get a little wet.”

The ground level of the hangout rang with laughter as Lee’s middle fingers disappeared around the corner to the bathrooms.

The hum of his motorcycle drowned out the nightlife of the city, and Lee’s thoughts drowned out the motorcycle. His eyes caught a glimpse of the low-hanging moon between the rapidly shrinking buildings behind him, storm clouds threatening to blot out the source of light.

His thoughts drifted back to the last time he’d come home to a partner after an extended mission.

———

“Coming! Who is it?”

“You know, someday you’ll find a man who’ll be happy just to watch you sleep.”

Lee opened the screen door. Lacy quickly side-stepped through and shut it behind her. “Hi. I didn’t know you were back.” Lee tried to not let her lack of enthusiasm bother him. “Hey babe. Yeah, I just arrived.”

Lacy stayed firmly glued to the wall of the house. “Hey.”

“You look great.”

“I wish you would have called.”

Lee’s shoulders began to prickle uncomfortably. Years of combat had honed his attention to detail and body language, and something about her… everything was setting off alarm bells loud enough that he almost wondered if she could hear them. “Never been a good caller.”

“I haven’t heard from you in over a month,” Lacy pressed.

“Really?” Lee frowned. “Time flies, huh? Won’t happen again, sorry. But! I do have a surprise.” He held up a bottle of wine. “Rose-flavored, your favorite. And…” he fished around in his pocket briefly, “I did have something else for you.”

Lee missed Lacy’s glance through the open front door. “It’s something I picked up from Burma.” Triumphantly, he pulled out a ring box, holding it open so that the item inside could catch the light better. “It’s a ruby. It’s a good color, but it’s hard to see in this light.” His brows knitted as he stared a little harder at the ring. “This… kind of looked a little shinier when I bought it in the shop, you know? I—”

“Lace! Everything alright?”

Time stopped. A loud, perpetual ring almost drowned out Lacy’s response as Lee leaned around her to look at the source of the new voice: “Yeah. H-he’s a friend.”

The imposing figure in the hallway scowled, chest puffed out. “Kind of late. You got a name?”

Lee couldn’t hide his contempt even if he wanted to as his eyes met with his now ex-girlfriend’s. A million excuses flashed to the surface of her face and instantly withered upon meeting his look. “Friend. She just told you.”

———

The ducati’s tires screeched painfully loud in the whispers of the night. The rain-soaked pavement reflected red as cars droned on before returning to green after a lull in traffic.

It had been four years since that night. Four years, three months, and twenty-one days, if one wanted to be picky about it. Just over three years of swearing off of relationships, of casual dating, of one-night stands, of people in general. Lee Christmas didn’t need a partner; he had The Expendables. His brothers were all he’d ever need.

Until you came along.

A smile fought and won under Lee’s helmet as he turned a corner. The one time he lets the guys take him to a more public bar to get drunk off their asses, and you’re sitting there at the counter thanking the bartender handing you a finished drink. You chat with someone to your left, the stool to your right almost painfully vacant.

A hearty slap to the space between his shoulder blades was all the encouragement he needed to fill the spot, and the rest was history, really.

He’d gone on several missions since he started dating you, but this one was definitely the longest so far. He had to go radio silent for several months as opposed to just a couple of weeks, and even with notice given in advance of this, paranoia drifted in like a deceptively soft mist early in the morn.

Would you still be in your apartment? Would there be a stranger in your kitchen? Would you try to hide any signs of infidelity, or would you confess to them right away out of guilt?

“Lee!”

He barely had time to swing a leg over his bike and turn to face you before you slammed into him, nearly knocking over the ducati in the process. “You’re home! You’re finally home! You smell really good, too; did you get a new soap?”

Just like mist at the first rays of the sunrise, all doubt dissipated into nothingness as Lee hugged you back with a pressure strong enough to risk cracking a few ribs. “Aw, and here I was thinkin’ you enjoyed the peace of me being gone,” he grinned, holding you back at arms’ length. “Can’t decide if I’m hurt that I’m wrong or touched that I am.”

You wrinkled your nose up at him. “Lee, you ass, of course I missed you! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been stuck to the window? Practically duct-taped myself to it.” You shrugged one of his hands off of you to grasp it, stumbling over the stairs leading up to your apartment in your haste. “Come on, I have something I want to show you!”

Lee’s vision was briefly spotty with gently twinkling lights in the warm, dim atmosphere of the apartment as you pulled him in. All around him the general mood had been adjusted for something akin to a romantic night in without the pressure of having to say ‘yes’ to anything should one or both parties simply want to go to bed; a couple of candles burned on shelves, thin strings of lights edging the ceiling and walls bathed the world in their soft glow, new throw blankets were strategically placed on the couch, and a simple but jointly beloved meal waited in the dining room. “When did you think to do all of this?” The mercenary breathed, one hand reaching to touch a light bulb no bigger than his thumb’s nail. “I didn’t tell you when I was coming home; I thought it was a surprise.”

A grin tugged at his mouth as he watched you fiddle with your hands, indecision plainly written on your face before quickly giving up. “Well,” you began slowly, “I… might know a little birdie. And that little birdie might have told me a few days ago that you were probably coming back today, and they might have also told me when you left. So. Sorry to ruin your surprise with my own..?”

All Lee could do was blink at you, really.

His last partner had cheated on him for feeling neglected. Invited another man into the house and had been having a relationship with him for god knows how long instead of just calling things off.

And here you were. A new partner. A new home. A new start.

You saw several months of no contact and decided that you should make one of his favorite dinners and ensured the apartment was as welcoming and calm as you possibly could make it.

“...Lee? Is all of this… okay?”

He blinked twice more. His hands subconsciously rose to cradle your face, the size of them near suffocating were he not careful. “It’s more than okay,” he breathed, enraptured by the reflection of your work in your eyes. “It’s damn perfect. Thank you. I….” Lee swallowed thickly. Words of vulnerability didn’t come easy to him; they never really have. “I love it. I love you.” He pressed his forehead to yours. “Thank you.”

Your own hands came up to lace together behind his neck, keeping him steady. “Of course. Figured you deserved to be spoiled a little yourself after all you’ve done for me and the way you’ve looked coming back after your work trips.” You tilted your head back, lips nearly brushing his as they moved to speak. “Though I’m not above rescinding all the spoiling I had planned this evening if you let the food get cold much longer. If you’re not careful, I’ll start valuing my cooking above you.”

Lee’s hearty laughed pealed comfortingly in the walls of your home as you both made your way to the table to enjoy your first dinner together in months. “I’ll be sure to watch myself, then. Can’t let myself be usurped by an inanimate object, now can I?”

#x reader #the expendables x reader #lee christmas x reader #the expendables #lee christmas #self ship #fictional other

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melancholyromance · 8 months

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“To Billy!” • The Expendables 2

#the expendables 2 #sylvester stallone #barney ross #jason statham #lee christmas #toll road #randy couture #hale caeser #terry crews #gunner jensen #dolph lundgren #l.r. gifs #my gifs

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apocalypse-shuffle · 1 year

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LEE CHRISTMAS (the expendables 2010 series)

─────────────────────

“A Different Direction” (Lee Christmas x Fem!Reader)

| It’s the bar scene from part two, but Lee doesn’t get back with Lacy in this version.

| Reader is always black unless I say differently

| SFW, some very tame pda, alcohol consumption

| this is a rewrite/reimagining of the bar scene

| 1k+ worlds

Sitting next to Ross feels good. Lee even finds himself smiling into his beer as he takes a swig. He’s feeling particularly thankful for having made it through another mission. For surviving another wild blood pumping trip and then being able to come home to you.

His eyes are automatically drawn to you in the packed bar. No amount of anyone else even pinging on his radar as you talked to the bartender, getting the two of you’s second round of drinks because he’d gotten the first.

He gets stuck staring at you. It’s like you’re out of a movie. How you’re moving around, laughing at whatever joke the bartender makes, looks borderline fucking ethereal in his mind. The song playing changes and Lee doesn’t even notice until you do. A smile splits across your face and you mouth about loving the song, and while putting in your order the lines of your body easily catch onto and sway to the beat.

Lee’s not a dancer but at that moment he wants to be moving with you. Hands on your hips behind you as you tease his obvious lack of skill, kissing the curve of your neck when you throw your head back in excitement. He notes some of the song lyrics in his head to look up later.

He must be damn near enthralled because Ross nudges him with a chuckle and he still doesn’t dare look away.

“I gotta say, my friend, I am glad you decided to heal from that other girl.”

Lee shrugs.

“She wasn’t bad, she just…wasn’t for me in the end.”

Ross’s brows go up in a way that says ‘you think’ but he ultimately agrees.

“Her cheating on you ain’t enough to make her a bad person?”

Lee shakes his head and spits out his usual reasoning. Sometimes people just made bad split second dicisions that end up fucking everything up. Shit happened. He would know.

“Nah, she’s just morally dubious.”

From the corner of his eye he can just see the bewildered look Ross throws his way.

“Which is?”

“The split side of being morally grey,” he purses his lips with a slight grimace. “The effects are murky.”

“Oh yeah,” Ross intones and Lee knows he’s making fun of him. “Real fancy way of confirming she just has a world class cheating gene ruling her decisions.”

“Someone clearly stabbed you in the heart, bud, people do make mistakes sometimes. I knew your heart was nonexistent but this is a new level, the absence of light isn’t even dark enough for what’s going on in you.” Lee takes a moment to let his shit eating smirk be noticed by the other. “You want me to kiss it better?”

His team lead lets out a gruff huff of laughter and shakes his head.

“I’ll pass.” He nods at you, “Just please tell me you’re actually going through with this one.”

Lee takes a swig of his beer and only takes his eyes off of you for a second to look at Ross like he’s crazy.

“Course I am,” he points at you with the tip of his bottle and you just so happen to look over at him and smile at the same time. It lights him up from the inside and he smiles back even as he talks. “I’d be crazy not to marry her.”

Ross grunts in acknowledgement and pats Lee’s knee as you start heading over.

“I’m just glad you’re not still entertaining being in a relationship with a woman whose first instinct was to cheat on you. Y/n is good people though, she makes you less unbearable.”

Lee rolls his eyes before he’s completely caught up in you again.

You smile at them as you get within spitting distance and Lee can’t help but track the way that unlike with Lacy, when he was stuck on desperately trying to make it work with her, the guys don’t either ignore you when you’re not directly engaging with them or give you stilted responses.

Barney doesn’t do any of those things with you. When you ask him things he answers about as happily as he ever does anything he doesn’t despise and when you greet him he responds while actually looking at you.

Lee had honestly never realized before how much the guys disliked Lacy until he finally gave up on them and found you almost a year later. In fact even though the three of you are a little separated from the other’s table the team still takes the time to greet you, even Gunner, as you walk past them.

He reaches for you, in the pretty dress he’d had the pleasure of watching you pick out for tonight, and when you readily grasp back at him he pulls you into his lap. You settle there like you were made for it and he can’t help the smile that splits across his face as he watches.

“Hey you,” you murmur. He brings your hands up where they’re still connected to kiss at your knuckles.

“Hey,” he murmurs back against the ample darkness of the skin there.

You smile and duck your head at the intensity he regards you with. Stunning. You squeeze his hand, shy smile still in place, and then turn to Ross.

“Hi to you too Barney.”

At your words Ross actually glances up and fully acknowledges that you’ve talked to him. He even gives you one of his rare angst riddled half smiles. It’s genuine, the man’s just allergic to anything the elicits too happy of a response Lee’s sure of it.

“Hey Y/n, how you been?”

“Fine,” you shrug, sparkling eyes briefly flitting to Lee’s. “Better now that Lee’s back though. You think next time you could fit me into the schedule? A month’s a long time to not have his little accent bouncing off my walls.”

And Ross chuckles in response. Wow, Lee really was a love sick fool with Lacy if he hadn’t realized just how much his closest friend couldn’t stand her.

“I’ll make sure to check my calendar for you next time,” he nods at him. “Though why anyone would rush to hear his badgering British shtick is lost on me.”

You pat at his hand as you lean into Ross’s space, “Maybe I’m a little crazy,” you mock confess.

“Hey!” Lee exclaims as Ross chuckles. The older man presses his hands to his knees as he throws him a teasing smirk before standing. Lee tamps down the urge to flip him off and pout at the way you’re laughing with him. Ross nods amiably at you both before lumbering off to join the group.

Once he’s gone, and all eyes from the table are not on y’all anymore, Lee turns to you and finally lets himself pout.

“What are you giggling at, eh? Just last night you were begging me to talk to you.”

You laugh some more, a snort sneaking in in the middle, and pivot towards him. A kiss is delicately placed at the corner of his mouth.

“Don’t sulk,” you say against his lips. “It’s unattractive.”

You pull away with a tiny smile pulling at plump glossy lips and Lee stares at you open mouthed before shaking his head. He pulls you to him more securely, letting go of your hand to wrap both his arms around your waist. You nuzzle your head onto his shoulder and kiss at the dip of his neck. He laughs down at you and then kisses those smiling lips. It’s brief but it makes his heart pound as you give him your full attention. The two of you were captured by the other.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” his eyes dance as he speaks to you. “I’d miss you calling me handsome.”

Your laughter fills his ears, and call him a romantic all you want he already knows, but that sound fills his lungs with fresh air and renews him with hope that not everything in the world’s utter shit.

NOTES: Was watching Expendables and I like Jason Statham, you know the drill.

#lee christmas #the expendables #black!reader #black y/n #lee christmas x black!reader #lee christmas x reader #the expendables imagine #jason statham #black reader

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cinemabuffoon · 6 months

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Missing them today

(they aren't dead the franchise just screwed them over)

#the expendables #wesley snipes #antonio banderas #terry crews #doc #galgo #hale caesar #movies #action movies #film #the expendables 2 #the expendables 3 #barney ross #lee christmas #gunner jensen #toll road #yin yang #cinema #meme

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lady-manfredi · 1 year

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"I don't have anything against new members on the team. But you brought a girl on, Barney. I'm not going to be a babysitter." Christmas exclaimed.

You knew you weren't overly welcome among the guys. It wasn't your idea to tag along anyway, it was your job, as per Church's orders.

But when you overheard the guys complain to Barney about you being on the team, just because you were a woman, it made your heart sink and your blood boil.

You wanted to leave and go punch something but your curiosity got the better of you and you stayed to see what Barney would say.

"Look, I agreed to bring her on for this mission, she's my responsibility. Not yours-- or yours" he said as he pointed from Christmas to Yang.

"I'll take care of it" he added before he stormed out, leaving Christmas and Yang staring at each other.

---

You can only image he went off to speak to Church, but it seems it didn't work since you were now neck deep in crap with bullets whizzing past your head like crazy.

The guys were right there with you, pinned down, taking cover behind shipping containers to your left and right. You chuckled internally at the predicament and shot a look at Barney, wondering if he had an idea how to proceed.

You locked eyes and saw no reaction. That's when you reached into the side pockets of your Kevlar vest and fished out a smoke grenade from each of them.

Looking to Barney again, you mouth smoke?, to which he nods. You toss one his way, and one to your left, to Christmas. You yelled "smoke" and threw the grenade as hard as you could, noticing the guys following your lead. As the smoke spread, it created the perfect cover for the team to advance and take the bad guys over.

---

Later, at the bar as you grabbed a beer, Barney was the first one to speak.

"Y/N, I believe we owe you an apology" gesturing to the rest of the team.

"We doubted your skills and in the end you saved our asses. What I'm trying to say is..thank you." he offered with a sincere smile. The guys raised their beers in your direction, nodded and collectively exclaimed "To Y/N!!".

#barney ross #barney ross imagine #the expendables imagine #lee christmas #long live girl power!#sylvester stallone

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avileworld-org · 4 months

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Eartheater by Hannah Khymych

Clash Magazine October 2023 Issue: Eartheater by Hannah Khymych

Entertainer Eartheater [IG], Photographer Hannah Khymych [IG], Creative Direction RBPMstudio [IG], Words [IG], Fashion Lee Christmas [IG], Fashion Assistants Kane Hunyh [IG] & Cali Smith [IG], Hair & Agent Luisa Popović [IG], Make-up Nina Carelli [IG], Video Luke Nukem [IG], Motorbike Royal Enfield [IG].

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sleepy-achilles · 4 months

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Just watched the new Expendables and all I can say is,

Barney, Lee and Gina are in a 3 way relationship.

And Lee is the smallest spoon.

That's generally all I picked up from that movie. Other than how cool the knife fights are.

Man has the world's hottest girlfriend and yet spent the entire movie pining after Barney.

#the expendables #the Expendables 4 #barney ross #lee christmas #gina #expend4bles #megan fox #jason statham #slyvester stallone

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rattythescientist · 4 months

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they both are in love with cold steel, aren’t they?

#the expendables #lee christmas #the most unwanted #crossover #SU #pearl steven universe #steven universe #jason statham #knife kink #probably…#Pearl #wtf #meme #did it by myself lol

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shewritesinblackink · 4 months

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Barney's daughter - The Expendables fanfiction

Wanted to try something new so decided to write for the Expendables fabase. I find it rather hard to find fanfictions in this universe so i decided to do it myself but here are a few that i really liked:

links: read this on ao3

Resume: For twenty-seven years, Barney had lived without knowing he had a kid. Until the day she came to him, being her only family left alive. With just a duffle bag and a crumpled letter from her mother.

The night sky hung heavy, the dark clouds hiding the moon from the city. She had payed and exited the taxi a few streets over, not wanting to arrive too soon. Not wanting to draw attention. If she was being honest to herself, she was giving herself an out, grasping for a few more minutes to change her mind and walk back in the other direction. Finding him had been easy, but deciding whether or not she was ready to meet him took her months.

She had read the letter her mother had written before she left her alone in that big scary world. The paper tingled against her skin in her pocket. She didn’t know if she was supposed to, but she figured whatever she had to tell him via the letter was as much her business as it was his. She was his daughter after all, and she had never met him. Her mother had told her they didn’t need him. But the little girl in her had wanted to scream that she needed a father. She always had. She had wanted to tell her so many things and in the end she did not. Keeping her mouth shut and her thoughts to herself was something she had grown used to. Something about it was even written in the damn letter. It made her roll her eyes.

The letter had felt so pathetically written, as if asking him not to reject her, or judge her. Painting her as a freak, a weird girl who used silence as her way of dealing with the world. And violence as her coping mechanism, but that her mother hadn’t been fully aware of how far it went. She never saw the big bruises on her skin, she only saw what her daughter was willing to show her. A few split lips and bruised cheeks. A nasty scar on her jaw. Violence was in her blood, she couldn’t escape it but she could hide it.

She moved slowly in the dark streets, her scribbled on Converse silent on the asphalt. The duffle bag slung over her shoulder, heavy from all the CDs and books. More entertainment content than actual clothes. A rusty beaten-up metal box hidden between her t-shirts and her service gun. Her hand in her pocket unintentionally closed on the letter, ruffling the paper, marking it with crippling lines like old fragile skin. It was dirty from the dust of the journey. One plane, two buses, one train and one taxi. A few fast food to eat on the go, because she couldn’t be bothered with eating real meals. She hated to eat. Had always been like that. And it got worse when she joined the army. Crossed two states and had to sleep in a train station once because a hotel would have been a waste of money. She could’ve landed directly in New Orlean from the base she had been deployed to, but she had some paperworks to sign and the apartment to sell, where she used to live. When her mom was still alive. She realized it wasn’t that far from where he was. With a painful throb of her heart, a cold iron fist gripped her insides– she wanted to throw up. She realized she could’ve come to visit him earlier. At least get a quick look at the myth he had been in her child’s mind.

All her life her mother had insisted none of them needed a man or his money. And it was partially true; her mother’s job had been enough to pay the bills and put food on the table, but they couldn’t afford a new car, nor could they go on vacation or buy a new tv without reducing other expanses. As soon as she had been old enough to get a job, she did. Half the money she made was used to help around at home. The other half was saved and spent on tattoos. That too, was a coping mechanism. Like a drug.

She had worked in a bunch of different places, mostly grocery stores, car wash or gas stations. Once she had turned eighteen it all changed. She left for the army. Spent years away in dusty and dry foreign countries with strangers that ended up being as close as family can get. Found family they say, but it didn’t quite feel like it to her. She had always, even before the army, felt different. Not like others. She could feel it so deeply sometimes it hurt. It made her feel lonely, because no one else seemed to be like her– to feel like her. She knew she was fucked up from the love she didn’t receive growing up. From her “bad friends” as her mom used to say. She even wrote a few words about it in the letter, asking him to keep an eye on her and her whereabouts. Pathetic. She wasn't a kid anymore.

The bright neon sign was the first thing she saw against the black sky. The yellow and red glow blinking in a small puddle of rain at her feet. Laughter escaped the open door, some shadows dancing in the orange light coming from inside. Her steps faltered, coming to a slower pace and then to a halt. A weird feeling made its way inside her, gnawing at her stomach like a dog gnawing on a chew toy. She wasn't so sure this was a good idea anymore. She had spent the whole journey to New Orlean wondering what his reaction was going to be. She had first gone to a bar her mother had told her she would surely find him at. But she didn’t. She didn’t have to search long though, one simple question to the man owning the place, some doe-eye and a nice smile and she had her next destination delivered on a silver plate. Thoughts of living alone crossed her mind. No relatives, no friends, no family. She could live like that, it was quite peaceful. And peace she seeked. But something pushed her forward, her feets moving on their own toward the light. Like a ghost crossing to the afterlife.

She had hoped to find him alone, but her hopes were soon crushed to the ground as more laughter escaped the room. She took a few more steps, hesitation written all over her body. One hand clutching the crumpled paper in her pocket. That damn letter was burning her skin like acid. She didn’t want to give it to him. She thought what her mother had written was humiliating. She wasn’t excited about how he would react. Maybe he would throw the thing away and tell her to fuck off. She was twenty-seven for fuck’s sake, who was she to expect a warm welcome from a complete stranger? And if that was his reaction, honestly she wouldn’t fight it. She’d leave the state entirely and would never come back.

Once she walked closer to the glowing sign reading “Tool’s” she had a peek inside the room. Motorcycles were parked in front, and some more shiny-colored and brand-new ones were parked inside far from the door. It smelled of gasoline and beers. And something else she couldn’t quite tell. She spotted a few men inside, seated or pacing around the room. Green bottles of beers and empty pizza boxes were sprawled on the small makeshift table, surrounded by a few seats.

Two of the men went silent when they turned and saw the young woman entering the shop. The white floor shone under her muddy-dirty shoes. Her breathing was even and silent as the music filled her ears but she could feel her lungs starting to close up. She tried to focus on the song. It was an old rock blues. She recognized it easily because one of her brothers in arms had a small MP3 player constantly blaring his rock songs when they would be in their tents cleaning their gear and weapons. And this one was almost always on repeat.

The ongoing conversation stopped when everyone noticed her standing in the middle of the shop. A man with long dark and white hair, probably in his fifties, was the first to talk to her. His voice was warm and gentle when he said, “Sorry miss, the shop is closed. But come back tomorrow.” He threw her a charming, wide smile. Y/n didn’t move, only scanning the room with her eyes until they landed on one man in particular. She didn’t have any recent picture but she could swear it was him. She would’ve recognized it anywhere. For good measures she took the old faded photo from her back pocket. While she glanced between him and the pic, the other men in the shop moved to stand closer to the two eldest. Like would a pack of wolves, ready to protect their own.

She dropped her bag on the tiled white floor and took a deep breath before asking, “Barney Ross?”

The man could’ve been the brother or cousin of the first who had spoken, except he had shorter hair and a less friendly face. He nodded slightly, wondering why this young woman was looking for him. It wasn’t for a job, that much he was sure of. Except if she was rich and needed the service of mercenaries.

“Who’s asking?” Deep grave voice, not letting out a single emotion. Almost like a robot. As a response she clenched her fist around the letter before taking it out of her pocket and handing it to him silently. She didn’t know if she was supposed to walk over to him but she didn’t get the chance to, for one of the other men still standing in the room took it from her and gave it to Barney.

Looking around the shop, she could now spot some pictures on the far wall, a dart target with darts and blades still in it and a few posters of vintage cars. If the music wasn’t still playing, she would’ve felt even more uncomfortable than she already did. They were staring at her like preys eyeing their dinner. She was a deer in the middle of the road. But she knew to stand her ground. She just patiently waited for his reaction, watching his every move.

Barney opened the envelope, noticing with a raised eyebrow that it was not sealed. Shoving her hands in her pants pockets, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, waiting. Everything was silent outside the shop. So silent that for one second she wondered if she wasn’t dreaming all this. Maybe she’ll wake up all tangled in her bedsheets in her hot apartment two states over. Or on base somewhere on the globe. Maybe she would go on with her day as usual, her mind wondering what it would be like to come to New Orlean and meet the legend, her father. But soft thunder echoed in the night outside, and the lights in the shops winked in fear– or delight. The scent of rain made its way to her nostrils, helping her to relax a little. This wasn’t a life or death situation, she was fine. She focused on her breathing.

She closed her eyes tightly, slightly frowning to shake the thoughts trying to crawl in her mind away. She wasn’t in some too-realistic dream induced by drugs or the lack of sleep of the nights before. She tapped lightly her foot on the floor, closed her hands in tight fists as if measuring the degree of realness of everything around her. The soft hum of the neon sign above the door, the music being turned down slightly to allow conversation to happen more calmly. Verifying even if she was real in all of this madness. Pinching herself. And she was. She didn’t know if she felt disappointed that she had finally stopped chewing over the idea of paying him a visit and the fact that she actually acted on it. Or if it was just too damn hot and humid in this foreign city, and she was so exhausted her brain only half-registered what was going on around her. She needed to sleep.

The seconds ticked by on the clock on the wall and he was still reading the buttery-yellow letter. His fingers crumpling the paper again, his eyes scanning the page line after line without emitting a single sound. He didn’t even glance up to her to check if she was still here. He knew she was. A frown appeared on his forehead and she cursed herself, her mind double talking, saying she shouldn’t have come but also yes! you did the right thing! She wanted to sit down but no one moved, no one offered her a chair. She looked at the floor quickly, realizing she was putting dirty footprints on the white shiny tiles. Half-apologies almost left her lips but she kept them sealed in time. She wasn’t good at interactions.

Her palms started to become sweaty, hidden away in her cargo pants pockets. Hiding the nervousness-induced fidgeting. Picking at the skin around her nails, even though she swore to herself she would stop. She failed miserably every time she was nervous. And the meds didn’t help.

The air was suffocating her and she wanted to take off her sweater jacket but she remembered she might not smell of roses after multiple days traveling in buses and trains. A blink of the light above and her mind played a trick on her. What if he thinks I came only to get money and leave ? It could happen if his reaction was not what she had imagined. The air seemed to buzz around them when he exhaled loudly and ran a hand down his face. Okay, he’s not happy. This isn’t going to be a warm welcome. More like a cold Goodbye. Chewing on her bottom lip like she was seventeen again, she lifted her head up and looked him in the eyes.

“So you’re Marlene’s kid?”

She noded. He sighted.

“And so you’re… Is she certain?”

Again, a nod.

The hand that held the letter faltered to his side, limp as if he was suddenly empty of all energy. He exchanged a look with the other eldest, the one with the long hair and the cowboy hat. “What is it?” A man with a pleasant British accent asked, twirling a silvery blade between his fingers. She admired the dexterity with which he toyed the thing. The explanations had taken longer than what she had imagined. Mainly because she had to explain everything three times for the guys who were overprotective and wanted more details. She didn’t know how strong their bond was, but she had a vague idea that they shared almost everything. If I put my life in your hands, and you put yours in mine, we got no secrets for each other. The words echoed in her mind, dazzling and dangerous at the border of her sanity and ptsd.

She fought hard to block the flashes of memories flooding her mind. She couldn’t afford to appear like a crazy woman, it was too soon to reveal how the world had damaged her. But maybe they could guess, have a glimpse through the cracks on her body, the scars littering her skin. If only she was not wearing long sleeves and a pair of pants.

They all sat on the chairs around the two little makeshift tables. Slices of pizza long forgotten, now cold, half-drunk beers now warm enough to be disgusting. Barney had been silent for the most part, only asking a few questions. She would've preferred to meet him in a one-on-one setting. It was one of the most awkward experiences she had had the pleasure to live, to meet a father she had never met, in front of his close friends she had also never met. And she could only imagine how he was feeling. How were his colleagues going to react to the fact that their boss had a one night stand more than twenty years ago, and that that memorable night had gifted him with a child he had no idea existed until an hour ago. Apparently they were all as shocked as the not-so-new father.

The night promised to be long.

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