#david labrava

The door swung open, and the noise stilled like someone had turned down the volume.

She stepped inside, hood up, clothes clinging damp from the mist outside. The light caught her face just enough to show the fading shadow of a bruise along her cheekbone and a fresh cut on her lip. Her arms wrapped tight around herself — not from the cold.

Chibs was on his feet, brow furrowing. “Evenin’, lass. You lost?”

Her eyes flicked to him, then to Jax. “No. I just…” She hesitated, shifting her weight. “I just needed somewhere… safe. For a bit.”

Jax set his beer down, studying her with the same caution he’d use on a stranger at the table. “You in some kind of trouble?”

Her shoulders rose slightly, defensive. “No.”

The word was too quick, too clipped.

Chibs’s gaze lingered on the bruise. “You hurt?”

She shook her head, looking anywhere but their eyes. “It’s nothing. I just need to sit for a minute. I’ll go after that.”

They exchanged a glance. Neither of them knew her, but the tension rolling off her was as familiar as the smell of gun oil — someone carrying a fresh wound, whether she’d admit it or not.

Jax gestured toward the bar. “Alright. Sit. Get warm. You want a drink?”

She opened her mouth, but the door behind them groaned open again.

Bootsteps — heavy, unhurried — crossed the threshold. The room seemed to narrow.

Happy stepped in, kutte over a white t-shirt, the black leather creasing as he moved. He barely glanced at the table until his eyes landed on her.

The air changed.

The cigarette between his fingers hit the floor without a sound.

He crossed the room in three strides, stopping close enough that she had to tilt her head back to see him. His voice was low, rough, but carrying something in it that Jax and Chibs had never heard from him before.

“Mouse?”

Her eyes softened instantly, lips parting and her voice barely a whisper, as if anything louder would make him disappear. “Happy…”

Happy’s jaw clenched. He reached out, slow, his calloused fingers pushing down her hood, her damp brown hair falling loosely, his fingers curling under her chin — gentle in a way that seemed almost foreign on him. He tilted her face toward the light, his gaze tracing every bruise, every mark.

“Who did this?” he asked.

She swallowed, voice trembling. “My boyfriend. He’s… Mayans. Said if I ran—” She cut herself off, eyes dropping. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

“You came to the right place,” Happy said. And there was nothing soft in the words — only a promise.

Happy’s fingers lingered under her chin, thumb brushing lightly against the unbroken skin as if he could erase the damage with his touch alone. His eyes didn’t leave hers, not even for a second.

Behind them, Jax leaned toward Chibs, his voice pitched low. “You ever seen her before?”

Chibs shook his head once. “Nope. But he definitely has.”

It was obvious in every line of Happy’s body — the stillness, the intensity, the way the rest of the room ceased to exist. They’d seen him violent. They’d seen him cold. But this… this was different.

She let out a shaky breath, as if the tension holding her upright was starting to give way now that he was here. Happy’s hand shifted from her chin to the side of her neck, the weight of it grounding her as his thumb gently brushed the skin.

“When?” she asked quietly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“Tonight,” he said. “I’ll deal with him tonight.”

Something flickered in her expression — relief tangled with fear.

Jax caught Chibs’ eye again, giving the smallest shake of his head. Whatever was going on here, it wasn’t for them to press. Not right now.

Happy finally looked away from her, just long enough to speak to them without raising his voice.

“She’s with me.”

The three words, final as a gavel.

Neither of them argued.

Chibs stepped back, palms up in a subtle gesture of surrender. “Aye, then. She’s yours.”

Jax just nodded, reaching for his beer again, though his gaze stayed locked on the pair for a beat longer. He’d seen enough to know one thing — if anyone tried to touch her again, Happy wouldn’t just hurt them. He’d make them disappear.

Happy turned back to her, his voice dipping into that quiet space meant only for her ears. “You’re safe now, Mouse. I got you.”

Before she could answer, his arm slid around her shoulders and pulled her in. It wasn’t careful at first — it was instinct, like his body moved before his brain had time to weigh it. But once she was there, his hold changed, tightening just enough to tell her she didn’t need to stand on her own anymore.

Her forehead found his chest, the leather of his kutte cool against her skin, the solid warmth beneath it steady and unyielding. She didn’t care that half the room could see them; for the first time in weeks, her pulse slowed.

Happy’s chin came to rest lightly against the top of her head. His hand, still splayed over her shoulder, shifted in small, grounding circles.

“You’re safe,” he murmured again, like he needed her to believe it. “I’ll take care of everything.”

Jax and Chibs didn’t speak — just exchanged a glance that said we’re staying out of this.

In Happy’s arms, the fight drained out of her in a slow, quiet surrender, and she let herself breathe.

Happy didn’t let go until he felt the tremor in her shoulders start to settle. When he finally eased back, it was only far enough to guide her toward the hallway with a hand firm at her back.

“Come on,” he murmured. “Let’s get you out of here.”

The room stayed quiet as they slipped past. No one followed.

He led her into the small back room off the garage — cluttered desk, battered couch, the faint smell of oil and leather in the air. Once the door clicked shut behind them, he shrugged out of his kutte without a word. The creak of worn leather filled the silence.

“Here.” He draped it over her shoulders, the weight of it settling heavy but warm. The scent of smoke, motor oil, and that faint spice that was just him wrapped around her instantly.

She gripped the edges like she could pull the comfort deeper into her skin. “You didn’t have to—”

“Yeah,” he cut in, his tone leaving no space for argument. “I did.”

Happy crouched in front of her where she sat on the couch, his eyes scanning the damage up close. He tilted her chin again, the pads of his fingers rough but steady. “Tell me where else you’re hurt.”

She hesitated, her gaze darting away. “Just my face.”

“Don’t lie to me, Mouse.” His voice softened, but the edge beneath it was real.

Her eyes closed briefly. “Bruises. My ribs. He…” She shook her head, not finishing.

Happy’s jaw tightened until it ached. He exhaled slowly, forcing his voice to stay even. “You’re stayin’ here tonight. No arguments. I’ll deal with him.”

Her throat worked as she swallowed. “You can’t—”

“I can.” His gaze locked on hers, unblinking. “You know I can.”

Something in her eased — not because she thought he’d be gentle, but because she knew he wouldn’t. Not with the man who did this.

Happy straightened but stayed close, one hand on the back of the couch, the other brushing over the kutte on her shoulders like he was making sure it stayed put. “You hungry?”

She almost laughed, a small, broken sound. “I can’t remember the last time someone cared enough to ask me that.”

Around midnight, Happy finally decides to call it a night and head for the dorm rooms, dodging his space completely before joining you in yours. The second you hear him cross the threshold and close the door behind him, you’re pulling back the bedsheet as a silent invitation, and Happy accepts it without saying a single word.

Kicking off his boots and sliding off his kutte, Happy strips off completely before crawling onto the mattress and pulling the bedsheet over the both of you. Today has been one of the most stressful days he has ever had, and skin-on-skin contact with you is the only thing that’ll soothe him.

“You want to talk about it, baby?”

His voice is muffled against your ear as he holds you tighter. “No, I just need you.”

The cuteness only lasts so long. Soon enough, the cuddling stops and you’re riding his face before getting railed into next week non-stop for hours, leaving you with deep red hand prints on both ass cheeks and a limp that you blame on an accident at the gym.

Of course, no one believes you.

Okay, but you know that scene in 101 Dalmatians when Pongo tangles around Roger and Anita and sends them both into a pond to start their meet cute??? That, but with Happy and Opie and the cute teacher who just moved to Charming after a divorce, bringing her Pitt bull, Lady with her.

Hap's a busy man and hasn't noticed you around. You run in different circles, have different hobbies, and hang with different crowds, and would have never, ever met...if it were not for Opie who has certainly noticed Lady around town. And Happy has noticed the dog's odd behavior, constantly looking for something and trying to slip away, Happy scolding him every time.

But eventually, he gets his way, half-dragging Happy through the park and, in his haste to meet his lady, tangling around the both of you and sending you tumbling into the rose bushes together.

"Oh! Oh my-"

"Son of a bitch!"

"I think I'm stuck on you-"

"Hold on, I-"

"Lady!"

"Opie!"

It was quite the first meeting wasn't it, you and Happy sitting on a park bench while you picked out the thorns from his back and cleaned up the cuts (he was almost happy that you'd handed on his chest and he'd taken the brunt of the fall), Happy covered in pretty pink band-aids by the end of it.

"I really am sorry, I've no idea what's gotten into her the last few days."

"I do," Happy replied, pointing to the two Pitts as the cuddled closer in the grass, Opie nuzzling and nipping Lady rather sweetly.

And that was how a biker fell in love with a school teacher.

It was a relationship that made no sense on paper, polar opposites in every regard.

You're soft where he's rough, sweet where he's bitter, innocent where he's depraved. Everything about you is pretty and good, your house full of books and kids drawings (gifts from your students), a garden full of flowers, eyes full of happiness whenever you looked at him. He knows why he loves you, you're too easy to love and he's too jealous to let you go, unable to stand the thought of another man having you even if he thinks himself unworthy. But why you love him is still a mystery.

"Oh, it's no mystery to me," you tell Tara one stormy night, when you're making conversation. "I haven't had the easiest life and when you've...when you've suffered in the way I have. you look for something strong. Something that makes you feel safe. That's why I came to Charming, even when it was all the way across the country from all I knew. And that's why I love Happy. I'm never scared when I'm with him. Never."

"The man's got blood on his hands."

"And I trust those same hands completely."

Little Things:

🌷 Your first "dates" are just the two of you hanging out in the park so that Opie and Lady can play together. Neither of you dared to call them dates but...he was always putting on cologne and cleaning up just to see you. And you did the same, wearing pretty dresses and skirts, making certain your makeup was just right. Anyone could see how much you liked one another except the two of you.

🌷 Because of your love of reading, Happy starts to love it too. He reads your favorites just to have something to talk about, but really, he prefers when you read to him. Those late nights when he rests beside you in bed and you read aloud, the pups laying at the foot of the bed as your voice drifts through the bedroom.

"...she wondered if she were to seem fair in the eyes of this Lassiter, this man whose name had crossed the long, wild brakes of stone and plains of sage, this gentle-voiced, sad-faced man..."

🌷 Matching collars for the pups, of course. Opie wears black or red and Lady wears pink or white, his with spikes and hers with flowers. Opie's obsessed with his Lady, following her around and stepping in front of her when he sees something he doesn't like.

🌷 Happy decided he wanted to marry you on the first real date, the one he finally asked you on. You went over to his place and made him dinner, watching a movie he picked and cuddling on the vouch together. Falling asleep in his arms, he stayed there all night, wondering how it was even possible to feel this happy and in love.

The next morning, he went out to a jewelry store and bought an engagement ring.

🌷 The club knew he was serious with you before they knew he was seeing anyone. Happy had stopped messing around with other women, suddenly had plans on Tuesdays and Thursdays (the little park dates), and was spending a lot of time out back, smoking and talking on the phone with someone. It wasn't until the two of you ran into Jax and Tara on a night out that they suddenly put everything together.

🌷 you know that bit about reading to Happy? Yeah, the club found out about that and teased him for it, leading to you taking up for him and pointing out that it's a good book. Which also leads you to reading aloud to a few of the members and, what do you know, it IS a good book and they DO like it. And now it's a tradition, every Wednesday Happy takes you to the club and you read aloud to a bunch of bikers.

It earns you a place in the club's heart, something Happy loves. I don't know who all is there but I think Chibs definitely is, he likes sipping on some whiskey and listening to you read.

🌷 His mother adores you and he's so pleased to have brought home a girl she likes so much.

🌷 The wedding is a small little thing but it's perfect. You're wearing a pretty white sundress and carrying flowers from your garden, Happy drives you to the courthouse on his bike. You have a party with the club afterwards and he takes a couple weeks off to drive off somewhere with you and just love.

🌷 It's a rather charming life...a little house, two dogs, his pretty wife waiting for him. Even if Happy doesn't understand how he got so lucky to get a girl like you, he doesn't question it too much. You're here, you're his, and you love him.