𝑠𝘩𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟

Owen scoffed, grabbing a rag from behind the counter and beginning to wipe stray crumbs from the surface. He knew getting into it with Micah would most likely further hurt his current chance of amending things with Sean, but his fatal flaw had always lay in the fact that he simply just couldn’t let anything go. No – if there was something on his mind, he would say it, regardless of who got in the crossfire along the way. “Well your little ‘boyfriend’ was my cousin first, so don’t act like you lay claim to him or somethin’. Ain’t no ring on that finger yet, darlin’, so tread lightly.” He rolled his eyes. “Healthy or not, I’m not in the business of talkin’ shit behind someone’s back, so everythin’ I gotta say to him, I ain’t about to throw onto you.” Of course he loved Micah – she was like the annoying little sister he’d never had – but the two almost never say eye to eye. “I ain’t scared of Caine,” He brushed the notion off with a snort. “Well, don’t know if words got around yet, but I got Penelope back at my disposal now. Pretty sure she’s got the best chance in this scenario.” Not many people saw the redhead at her worst, but Owen? Well, let’s just say the two of them were a complicated couple. “Mmh, that’s what I thought. So, no kids in your future then?”

Micah could only roll her eyes at his childish answer, although it sounded exactly like something she would say. This is why they couldn’t get along most days, they were both way too immature for their own good. “Oh, I’m claiming him alright. Doesn’t matter who came first, ring or no ring, he’s mine now,” she said with a grin. She genuinely wasn’t too worried about Sean siding with anyone but her, not matter what Owen may say. “We’re not talking shit about you, he related facts to me. Did you or did you not call him a pussy? I’m not asking you to apologize to me, I’m asking you to apologize to him. You hurt him.” Her eyes narrowed when he implied he could take Caine. Maybe she was biased, but Caine was pretty much the baddest and strongest in her eyes. “Please, Caine would laugh he heard you say that. You’re all scrawny, even I could take you back when we were kids.” Then the blonde did laugh because Penelope being a threat to any of them was laughable. “No matter how angry she gets, there’s no way Penelope could hold her own against me. It’s cute that you think that, though.” She didn’t know exactly where she was from, but she sure as hell hadn’t grown up around a motorcycle club. “I didn’t say that. Maybe in the future, but it would take a lot of getting over shit.”

at new hanover medical center ft. @priorsmicah​

Truthfully, Tessa had done a pretty terrible job at staying in touch with Micah since her return to town, but she always made sure to have Sean fill her in. She couldn’t have been more excited for the pair, especially with what Sean had told her about proposing. When Micah surprised her by showing up to her hospital room the day after her surgery, Tessa was thrilled to see the familiar face. “Seriously, I owe you. That tasted so much better than any of the food they’ve been serving me.” Plus, she was seriously missing her green iced teas from Orchard. “I’m glad you were able to come by. I’ve missed you, and I feel sort of awful we haven’t gotten together. What’s been going on? How are you?”

Micah showed up at Tessa’s bedside armed with a lot of food and some sweets to brighten her friends days in this shit hole. Doctors were great, but hospitals were pretty gloomy no matter how you put it. “Nah, you don’t owe me. Just make sure to return the favor if I ever end up here. You know I won’t be able to eat that gross cafeteria food,” she said with a shudder, always dramatic. “I don’t hold it against you, you clearly had a lot on your mind. I missed you too, though, I just wish we could’ve seen each other under better circumstances. I’m doing great and I have no thing much to report. How have you been doing?”

‘‘We’re never past pleasantries–’‘ He shrugged, muttering more into his chin than really at her. But Micah had a point– if she was the one to get shot, he would’ve probably lost his damn mind. Not that many had seen him that way before, but when Rose got– it was then that he realized he was comparing her to Rose and shook off those thoughts as quickly as they flooded his mind. ‘’I guess I’d be a little worried,’’ He responded instead, the corners of his lips twitching into an inevitable teasy grin. ‘’Yeah I mean– not sayin’ it couldn’t have been but… that’s the reality, y’know? So calm down, sit if you want, but it’d be better if you made me some breakfast. I’m wounded after all and also starving. I deserve it.’’ He grinned.

“We are when somebody goes and gets himself shot,” she told him with a pointed glare, despite him clearly not expecting or wanting an answer. Micah couldn’t help but smirk obnoxiously when he confirmed her suspicions. She hoped he was downplaying it when he said little, but that wasn’t what was important right now. “Exactly, so stop acting like I’m overreacting. It’s only pissing me off.” She couldn’t help but laugh at the mention of breakfast, questioning his sanity a little bit. “Do you have a death wish? That bullet might not have finished you, but my cooking will,” she said with a scoff, glancing at the kitchen. “I can do eggs and toasts and even then I can’t be blamed if you get sick.”

MICAH.

         As the conversation progressed Syd forgot about baby clothes, babysitting, and teasing Micah entirely. She’d grown too distracted by questions without any answers. After the faintest sigh her fingers dropped from the clothing rack. “I dunno. Am I?” At that point her guess was as good as any. “‘Cause I’m pretty sure Lucas is the only one who knows, and if you decide to try 'n ask him? Good luck.” Silent laughter sparked in her eyes. They both knew how well that’d end. “Whenever we’ve talked I haven’t gotten the impression anything’s changed.” And even if it had, could she see them getting back together? A second passed, then two, before Syd swallowed. “I’ll never be able to shut the door on us completely, but it’s just not as simple anymore.” It wasn’t just a matter of whether or not she could get passed what happened with Aubrey - it was knowing this time they both played for keeps. “I’d rather stay friends if all we’d be settin’ ourselves up for is another game of back and forth.”

Micah wasn’t an experienced matchmaker, but she knew better than to tell Sydney that she’d had conversations about her with Lucas and that he hadn’t reacted nearly as bad as even she thought he would. “I think I’m not the one who should be asking him that. It’s clear you’re still interested with all your vague answers and shifty eyes. You’re probably about to tell me you don’t wanna ruin the friendship or some shit, but do you really think you can be just friends with him? After everything?” The blonde asked her skeptically. She could never be simply friends with Sean after what they’d been through because she was so in love with him. Friendship would never be enough. Sydney and Lucas, well, they struck her more as the epic romance type than just good buddies. “I don’t know, Syd, I won’t pretend to know all the inner workings of your relationship, but it feels like you’re both just... pretending.”

“I’m doing what I wanna do so you can relax” And for the most part that was relatively true. He was still in charge of the tattoo studio, which he loved, and he was also running the dark skulls. Every job came with pros and cons and Lucas told himself whatever issues he had internally weren’t big enough to make a fuss over. “Really? Because I feel like I really fucked her over” Lucas shrugged his shoulders, “… Bree and I still talk, too. We’re friends. Syd isn’t gonna like it” That much he knew for certain, but Lucas had always remained fairly loyal to his friends no matter the circumstances so his choice was already made. “Well, thanks for lunch. And I’m serious, beach day soon… for the dogs” If she wanted to invite her boyfriend then so be it.

“I’m perfectly calm, thank you very much. I just worry about you,” she said with a roll of her eyes. Just like she worried about Caine and just like she worried about Mateo. It was hard no to when she knew what they got up to in their free time. “I mean, you did fuck up pretty bad, I’m not going to lie, but I don’t get the vibe that she’d be completely against trying again.” The two of them were just so damn stubborn, but it was pretty easy to see they both cared about each other a lot. “You would have to ask her that, I guess. She’d have to decide if she can trust you enough to be okay with it or if it’s a dealbreaker,” she said with a shrug, standing up and moving to give him an obnoxious kiss on the top of his head. “Thanks for not kicking me out. Love you and be safe on that road trip of yours.” 

“It can? Very glad to hear that,” Sean quipped, as if the way Micah tightened her arms around her neck hadn’t told him the same thing. But that was part of the appeal; the teasing banter, the way he couldn’t seem to shut up until he found more interesting uses for his mouth. He’d save those for when they were alone, though, safely out of the potential eye-line of her brother— “You tellin’ me to duck if I see him?” He felt undeniably cold, despite the quick peck she’d pressed to his lips, without her arms around him. Still, he let her lead the way, following close behind her, only her hand in his connecting them for the moment.

But away from the noise and the crowd of the gym, the music reduced to a dully thumping bass line, Sean didn’t want to waste any more time. “God, I love you.” He could feel the warmth of her hand on his chest even through his shirt, and though part of him was tempted to say fuck it, and slip her dress off right there … he wasn’t quite that desperate. Taking her hand from his chest, he took the lead — around the corner, and down the hallway to the weight room. Reaching to the frame above the door, he snagged the keys with a grin, opened the door, and locked it behind them.

“You’re gonna be the death of me one of these days.” It would be a good death, though, Sean was sure, as he closed the space between them, kissing Micah soundly. His hands skimmed from her waist around to her back, searching for the zipper to her dress, as he backed them further into the room.

“I’m telling you to run if you see him. I mean, I’ll do what I can to slow him down, but there’s a significant height difference, so I don’t know how useful I’d be really,” she said with a laugh that was definitely not appropriate for the subject matter. She knew things between her brother and Sean were still tense, but it was better to laugh about it, right? If she didn’t laugh about it, she would be crying about it. “I’m sure he didn’t see us sneak out, he’d already be here if he had.”

“Running away isn’t an option. Wilmington’s all I know, it’s my home” And he liked it here. He liked his friends and he liked his shop and he never really thought about leaving. “Sydney?” Lucas nearly scoffed at the idea, “There’s no working things out. I slept with her best friend. She’s not getting over that any time soon” And more importantly, he hadn’t gotten over it either. “I’ve been in the club since I was sixteen. It’s who I am. Nothing’s ever going to really change that” Whether he quit or not, the club would always be part of him. Their name lined his arm in ink and he couldn’t imagine a world where he wasn’t in the Dark Skulls. “Okay cool, well you’ve got the entire weekend to think about it.”

“I know. I don’t actually want you to leave, just so you know. I just don’t want you to be stuck doing something you don’t want to do.” Micah didn’t want anyone she loved leaving town, let alone Lucas of all people. One of the first people she trusted, someone she considered a brother. But, selfish reasons aside, she wanted him to be free if that’s what he wanted. “I don’t know. Maybe she could. I don’t get the vibe that she’ll never be able to get over it,” she said with a shrug, staring at her food a little too intensely. “I know that. It can be part of you without being who you are too. I don’t know, I probably don’t really understand.” 

         “So… does that mean now would be a bad time to bring up the bags of baby Red Sox gear I’ve already got stashed away in my apartment?” Only the sound of tittering laughter let Micah know she wasn’t serious. For the most part. “But honestly takin’ care of a baby is a lot easier than you’d think.” Once you realized they wouldn’t break if you so much as sneezed in their direction the rest came pretty quick. Then again, with an extended family like hers, she’d clocked in plenty of hours among the two and under crowd. Eyes shifting sideways, she decided on the spot, “If you’re really that worried and ever want some practice just say the word. I’ll steal Abel right out from underneath Owen’s nose.” She wouldn’t utter a single complaint about more time with her baby cousin, either. Kind of like how she wouldn’t reveal too much where Lucas was concerned. Did she still love him to that day? Yes. Had she thought about what it’d be like to try again? Absolutely. Was she beyond petrified to just voice it, let alone act on it, only to end up losing him all over again? You bet. Syd shifted uncomfortably, teeth digging into bottom lip, then sighed. “I dunno, Micah. It’s— it feels stupid to even think about when you already know you’d be the only havin’ those thoughts at the end of the day.” The ability to move past what happened with Aubrey didn’t matter when he wanted to keep things as is.

“Why am I not even a little surprised?” Micah said with a laugh, finding it in her to laugh only because it was clear Sydney was kidding. She was not ready to even think about baby clothes. “Is it? You have to feed it, bathe it, know what it needs when it can’t even communicate. Sounds pretty damn complicated to me.” Right about now, she regretted not going the traditional route and getting some babysitting hours under her belt as a teen. “Owen said I could babysit, but I’m worried about not bringing back the baby in the same state it was in when I picked it up.” She kept a close eye on Sydney while she thought about her answer, so it was hard to miss how uncomfortable she seemed to be. It made the answer to her question that much more obvious. “Are you the only one having those thoughts?” She asked innocently, pretending to look at the clothes in front of her attentively. 

Owen gave the blonde a sour look at the mention of his cousin, immediately becoming irritated. “I’m sure Sean would be happy to hear your tryin’a fight his battles for him,” he pointed out, brows arched knowingly. “What goin’ on between me and him don’t concern you. Glad to know he’s runnin’ his mouth ‘bout family business.” Maybe that was a bit of a harsh way of looking at it, seeing as Micah was essentially family – and, besides, he’d told Penelope about the argument, but at least he knew she wouldn’t run her mouth about it to his other relatives. At least, not in front of him. “Ain’t the first time I’ve heard that, ain’t gonna be the last.” He shrugged, giving her his trademarked shit-eating grin. “I’ve got an army full of Fitzpatricks at my disposal, I think I’m good,” he snorted. “You’re welcome to take him off’a my hands anytime the two of you wanna play ‘house’ though. Who knows when one of us is gonna knock another girl up – you might need the practice.”

Micah shrugged, not too worried about Sean finding out about this conversation. “If Sean didn’t want me to run my mouth about this, he wouldn’t have said anything. He knows me, he knows I say what’s on my mind and you giving my boyfriend shit is on my mind right now,” she told him with a shrug. He had to know she would say something the second she was in Owen’s presence. She wasn’t exactly the type to a. mind her own business and b. let people get away with calling the people she loved pussies. “I am family, dumbass. His family. And family tells each other shit. It’s healthy.” Or so she was told. All she knew was that the only time there had been secrets between them, the two of them had broken up for months. “Of course it’s not because you’re insufferable. I’ve got Caine at my disposal which definitely beats your army. Have you seen him when he gets all protect Micah at all cost? Scary.” Taking care of Abel was another thing that was inexplicably scary to her. “Maybe. I’ve never really taken care of a child before. Sean would probably have to do most of the work.”

         A grunt rumbled through Caine’s chest, but it wasn’t clear whether it had to do more with the mention of Owen, itself, or the idea that she knew how to defend herself alright. “I don’t give a shit who else tried to teach you. If it ain’t me it didn’t count.” Because when it came to his sister? He didn’t trusted very few people to make her safety a top priority - especially over their own - as well and willingly as he would. The beer to his left found its way to Caine’s mouth while he waited moments later, then damn near slipped from his hand when she didn’t immediately fess up. “Micah—
” He only made it so far before her laughter finally shed light on the truth. “Somewhere along the way you went pure fuckin’ evil, kid.” His eyes narrowed, if only for a second. “Some kinda stupid, too.” His objections had nothing to do with her at all and he made sure she knew it. “You’re gonna make a fine mom— some day. Like when you’re forty-five. Maybe.”

Micah couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of Owen teaching her anything. Both of them would be dead by now if he had even attempted it. “Not what I meant. I meant that one of my favorite pastimes was beating the shit out of him. No one actually thought my anything. Until you that is,” she said with a dramatic sigh. She could pretend she would’ve liked to be left alone all she wanted, but they both knew she’d been wanting to someone to care for her like Caine now did her entire life. “I would say it happened pretty early on in my childhood. Right around the time I realized getting people to be irritated with me was way easier than getting them to like me.” The blonde’s eyes narrowed, his dumb rules make her making her want to do just the opposite and have a kid now. “Forty-five? Way too late, there’s no way. Do you want me to have a risky pregnancy? And I’m the stupid one...”

As soon as the blonde hair came into view – without knocking, he knew exactly who he was going to have to deal with. ‘’Mornin’ to you too, sunshine,’’ He responded to her abrupt nature of letting herself in without any warning. ‘’Dunno, sounds like a fuckin’ accomplishment of the year,’’ He joked about it because that was about the only real thing he could do in the moment. ‘’Sounds like you’re worried,’’ Mateo commented with a grin, even though that much was obvious. Fully expecting her to hug and hit him afterwards, he almost braced for that, given the fact that despite the pain meds, he still had to deal with the pangs of pain. ‘’It’s okay, though. It’s gonna be a solid few weeks until shit’s healed, but it’s not serious.’’

“Oh, we’re way past pleasantries, Teo,” she said with a scoff, taking a step back to get a good look at his arm. “Of course, I’m worried. Wouldn’t you be worried if I got shot? Dumbass.” She was still trying really hard not to punch him right in the shoulder, wipe that stupid smile off his face. He was obviously not taking this seriously enough. Clearly she was the only sane one in the room. “Stop acting like this isn’t a big deal because it is. It is serious, it could’ve been so much worse.” 

         “Okay, but am I honestly expected to even try to deny it?” Again, her fingers paused on a random hanger while she shot Micah a cheeky grin. “Of course I’m itchin’ for a whole baseball team of nieces and nephews to spoil. It’s my thing.” In the absence of her own kids Sydney just doted on those of her family and friends. “And look at is this way—-“ not one to hold things back she delivered another pointed glance in her direction—- “you might’ve been dealt shit parents but at least now you know what not to do.” Her gaze softened. “Now or ten years down the road? It doesn’t make a difference. Y’all are gonna do great.” She’d stand by that opinion, too. “Me on the other hand? Pretty sure I’m just stuck with the role of best aunt ever.” Because when it came to rekindling things with Lucas? “Didn’t realize anybody ever said we were.“ Wishing for something and expecting it to actually happen weren’t the same thing. “Talkin’ to each other again doesn’t mean his mind ever changed. We’re just… friends. Tryin’ to be, at least.”

“Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but Sean and I haven’t even discussed the possibility. You’ll have to wait a little longer before you start shopping for baby clothes.” Sydney had probably already started said shopping and had a little shrine for Micah’s unborn baby in her closet, but that was a discussion for another day. “That’s a good point, I guess. I’m more worried about what I do need to do. Like, changing diapers. Holding the damn thing correctly. It’s just so much responsibility.” Not responsibility she didn’t want to deal with necessarily, but responsibility she wasn’t sure she could handle. “Shut up, you and Lucas are going to have little leather jacket wearing babies one day. You can quote me on that.” Micah glanced at her friend, trying to gauge how she felt about him not having changed his mind. “It starts with friendship and ends up with you making up in ways I don’t even want to think about. Would you get back with him?”

Lucas immediately regretting saying too much since it always seemed to boil down to the same question: was this what he really wanted? The truth was, he didn’t know any other way and it was too late in the game to make the change. “Yeah, this is what I’m gonna be doin’ for the rest of my life. It’s part of who I am” And there wasn’t much changing these days. “I can assure you he doesn’t,” Lucas said with a scoff, not even realizing he was fighting for the right for better insults. “Well, since it is still my birthday I choose not to listen to any of it, so better luck next year,” he said, forcing a smile and using her logic against her.

It was obvious he didn’t want to give to much away, but in a way he already had. He’d said enough for her to guess at his level of happiness. “You could run away. With Sydney of course since we all know you two will work things out eventually,” she said with a grin, wanting to make sure he knew she was just joking. “Seriously, though, I don’t know if I’d say it’s part of you. There’s the club and then there’s Lucas. You’re your own person.” Micah was weirdly proud of the fact that he seemed to want her to use her insults on him so bad. “Alright, turd, I’ll consider it. I’ll work on the perfect nickname for you and get back to you. I’m feeling the pressure now.” 

“Yeah, I am. How could I not be?” It was funny that if someone had asked him that question when he was twenty-two, Lucas wouldn’t have answered quite the same. But now that he was off drugs, survived five years in prison, and managed to deal with the weight of the club on his back, that answer changed. “It doesn’t matter. We do what we gotta do to keep goin’” And that would never change. “Still annoying, actually” Lucas chimed in with a smirk, a little curious about those colorful words but figuring it was best he didn’t know. “Pretty sure I’m the one who’s supposed to make requests since it’s my birthday, not the other way around” Despite his words and despite being an only child, Lucas could easily say that his life was better with Micah in it.

“Of course it matters. What you think matters a lot. Are you gonna kick me out if I ask you if you still wanna be doing this? Like, the club and everything it entails,” she said hesitantly, knowing this was probably dangerous territory she was walking right into. She wasn’t telling him to quit, but she’d honestly never considered if he wanted this life or not. It felt kind of stupid that she hadn’t now that they were having this conversation. “Nope, not gonna work. I reserve my more creative insults for Caine, he appreciates them more.” Micah groaned, biting on a cold fry. “I don’t like these terms and, since you didn’t even bother texting me on my birthday, I choose not to abide by them. Better luck next year.”