#dog mouse

MINNIE:

If Minnie had to be particularly honest with herself…. She didn’t have much of a plan as to what she was going to do when she actually got to the prison itself. This has been part of the journey where she was to go alone. Raksha had stood in the Asphodel fields and both Sally and Violet had stood somewhere Minnie was left unaware of. They had split once they reached the city, Minnie following a grungy seward path Sally had told her would lead her to the prison.

It felt awful having to do the ending alone.

Luckily, her father had appeared for this part of the journey and through some minor bumps Minnie had made it to her destination.

The only problem was that upon reaching close to the prison she had gotten caught and ended up a prisoner herself. Funny as this may sound… while speaking to her father she came to the conclusion that her grand master plan was to simply get caught.

Look she was exhausted!

At the same time, Sally had suggested such an idea. She promised Minnie that all of this will soon be over and so all the brunette wanted to do was stay in the prison and rest in Dodger’s arms. So, she had done her fist part of the plan: became a prisoner. Her eyes scoured around the small area. The heat was unbearable clinging on to her skin making it itchy from the mud that had dried out. She saw a couple of people, others hidden in the shadows, and was there… a naked pair there?  

It didn’t matter… her eyes were growing heavy and all they were looking for was Dodger. She stepped a little further into the prison managing to bump herself into someone. “Oh... I-I’m so—” Minnie had turned around to see who she bumped into and long and behold it had been Dodger himself!

All Minnie did at that point was simply throw herself on him wrapping her arms tightly around him as she cried.

DODGER:

Prison sucked. That was it really.

It fucking sucked. Of course, Dodger expected the whole prison thing to not be fun in the slightest, but come on, it was Dodger. He never really thought that he was going to get caught, or even that he’d be able to sneak his way out of jail if he did get caught.

That was not on the agenda in hell prison.

He tried, boy did Dodger try hard trying to get out of that goddamn cell. Not to mention the fact that he wanted to get as far away as possible from the assholes that managed to get stuck in prison with him. (They didn’t fucking shut up). It left Dodger bruised and battered and burnt, the bars of the jail cell not budging even an inch, scorching hot to the touch.

Dodger needed to get out. He needed to make sure that everyone up on the surface was okay. God fuck, Minnie. Hadn’t he literally just gotten done promising Minnie that he wasn’t going to get caught? And the second he walked away and to the temple, what happened? He fucking got dragged into the ground. He had to apologize for going back on his word, tell her that it wasn’t going to happen and prove that he could get out of this for her.

He moved towards one of the other ends of the cell, one of the ones that was less crowded to see if he could maybe find a secret passageway or maybe even a small area he could start digging into to make a little tunnel when he bumped straight into someone. Dodger was frustrated at this point though and it began to show in his voice when he spoke out, “AYE! WATCH WHERE YOUS GO-” but then it hit him.

Quite literally.

Because the person he had run into was none other than Minnie herself. Dodger was completely and totally shocked, but he didn’t even have a second to think about how the hell Minnie got down here or what happened that got her sent down here, she had thrown herself into his arms, balling. His arms went around hers in an instant, keeping her close half because she was crying and he wanted to be there for her, but half because he still couldn’t believe that she was standing right in front of him.

“What the hell is goin’ on Mins? What are you doin’ down heres?” He spoke out, still holding her close as his hands trailed against her back to try and calm her down somehow.

MINNIE

Minnie only continued to cry. She knew that she should probably say something, but all she could do was allow tears to fall from her eyes. A huge portion of it all stemmed from how exhausted she felt.

She could truly fall to the ground right now and stay there passed out to the world.

She was dirty from the mud that coated her skin and her eyes were heavy and puffy from the crying that had happened in the Doors of Judgement. Her legs, muscles and arms were so sore and as Dodger held her in his arms softly rubbing her back Minnie just wanted to close her eyes right in his embrace.

And she had for a small moment, closed those eyes and continued crying burying her face into the crook of his shoulders. She felt the sobs beginning to settle in her chest threatening to break through her lips.

Minnie looked up then through the thick veil of blurriness in her eyes.

“I-I came down…. I found out you were here and I… I came down.”

Her head fell back on the crook of his neck. Minnie hardly realized when she started hiccuping the sharp forced grasp of air feeling like blades in her chest. She knew that in hindsight this all had to appear embarrassing. She was filthy from head to toe, sobbing, felt exhausted and now she was hiccuping. Yes, very embarrassing but the tiredness felt so heavy over her bones that none of that mattered as much as being inside of Dodger’s arms.

DODGER:

As Dodger held her, all he could feel was the utter exhaustion that she had to be feeling. The cries, the way that her body felt almost heavy in his arms, the mud that was caked to her arms, and even the look on her face when she pulled her head away from his shoulder to look up at him. It absolutely ate at him knowing that she felt like this, and all he wanted to do was make sure that she felt better. To make this better because he didn’t know what the fuck had happened to get her to this point.

But then she spoke, and Dodger was at a loss for words for the second time in a matter of a minutes.

She found out he was in prison and she came down.

He couldn’t have heard her right. There was no way that Minnie traveled through hell just because he was in prison. No, there was no possible way. He...he wasn’t worth that. Why the hell would she do that?

Because if she had come all the way down here just for him…

Well, even thinking about that made something in Dodger’s chest tighten, and he couldn’t put a finger on what it was, but it was something and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. But that wasn’t important right now. What was important was making sure that Minnie was alright.

When she looked up to him, Dodger removed one of his hands from her back, making sure the one that remained was firmly around her so that she wouldn’t fall, before reaching up to try and wipe a couple of her tears off of her cheek. Though when she finished speaking, her face was buried right back into his shoulder, and Dodger wrapped that arm right back around her. Whatever had happened to her must have been serious, he had never seen Minnie like this before and it was breaking his heart. She needed to rest, or sit or something just to at least get her off of her feet. Dodger gently kissed the top of her head, giving her back a few more rubs before scooping Minnie into his arms, much like how he did the night she showed up at one of his gigs. He leaned against the wall for support before slowly lowering himself onto the ground, keeping Minnie on his lap as her back pressed against his chest.

“Aye, you’re okay now, alright? I’m here, I got yous. I ain’t gonna let anythin’ happen to yous down here.”

MINNIE:

Minnie hardly realized when Dodger had picked her up, but she really hadn’t minded. She had curled up in his arms and when he sat down she only curled even closer to his body. The journey down to the prison had been unlike something Minnie had ever done in her life and it had come with some hardships that had literally broken her apart.

But it had all been worth it.

Dodger was safe, healthy and she was curled in his arms. She would re-do her whole trip in the underworld all so that she could be right where she was: inside of Dodger’s arms. She didn’t know what that meant, how deep everything ran now that she had internally come to that conclusion.

Maybe if she didn’t feel as exhausted as she was she’d be able to analyze everything and put a word to all that she had done simply to make sure that Dodger was alive. In all honesty though, all Minnie could think about was the softness in his voice, and being so glad that she could hear it in the first place. She had been so worried when she first found out that he had been sent to the prison.

Worried enough that she came down.

Now that she knew he was okay, could hear him speaking, hear the strong beating of his heart so very close to her owns…. everything felt right, even if they both were within a hell prison.

“I’m sorry… I-I don’t even know w-why I’m crying.” She was still hiccuping and her words sounded so slurred and worn out that Minnie hardly knew what she was actually saying. She was speaking without a thought to anything that left her mouth.

“A-and I’m okay…. I-I’m just so, so tired…. But I’m g-glad you’re okay… I w-was worried that you w-wouldn’t be… you are though, okay… right?”

DODGER:

As Minnie curled into him, Dodger wrapped his arm around her even tighter than it had been before. There was absolutely zero way that he was going to let anything happen to her while she was down here. Nor was he going to fucking leave her while she was like this. It just...Dodger wanted to help. He didn’t want to ever see Minnie like this again, and he hated to think about something that could happen to her again to cause this.

But he couldn’t just shake what Minnie had said. That she had heard that he was in prison and came down because of that. To make sure that he was okay. No one...well, no one had ever really done something like that for him outside of his little crew. Maybe not even them. Yeah, they always had one another’s back, but coming to the Underworld just to make sure he was okay?

That was on another level.

“Shh, you don’t have to apologize,” Dodger spoke out, keeping his voice low as he smiled own towards her. “Yous just need to rest, that’s all.” God she had to have had a long journey here in the first place. He wanted to know about it. About what exactly Minnie had gone through to get to Dodger, but at the same time, it only made him angry. Because he wasn’t there to make sure she was okay.

It only proved how strong she was though. Dodger had heard some other stories from some of the people in the prison of what they had to go through to get there, and if Minnie went through the same shit? God, she’d have to be one of the strongest people that he knew.

He nodded at her question though. “Yeahs, I’m okay. Betta now that yous here.” He lightly teased, though he would have rather her stay safe up on the surface than go through hell to find him. Speaking of, he had to know for sure. “You really came down all this way just because I got sent down heres?”

MINNIE:

Minnie smiled a small little thing of a smile hearing Dodger tease even when the both of them were in the Underworld. She had been scared that she would never get to hear him tease at her, see his smiles, hear him laugh or even get to look into those dark brown eyes that she loved so much.

She had turned her head to look at them now, remembering how Raksha’s son’s eyes had reminded her of his and the ache of not knowing how he was.

That ache was gone now, replaced by a general warmth that didn’t make the stuffy heat worse. She laughed a little although it almost came out in a raspy whisper. Her throat felt dry and her head was slightly pounding from all of the sheer exhaustion that befell her, but she was happy enough to laugh.

Happy that Dodger was holding her and was so glad to have her in his arms. She couldn’t ask for anything else in this moment, nothing else would compare.

“Good…. it’s the same for me…. that I’m here….” She hoped that made sense she wasn’t so sure…. but it was fine surely Dodger would understand her.

At his question, Minnie just blinked. Did… did it look like there was disbelief behind his eyes? Did… did he not think that she wouldn’t come down here for him? “Yes…”

She answered quietly more so because she was far too tired to speak any louder. “I-I couldn’t stay up there… not-not knowing if you weren’t okay…. it was eating at me… I-I needed to know if you were okay… I-I had to make sure you were….” She paused then for a moment.

“I saw my mom…. she likes you.”

DODGER:

At the confirmation that, yes, Minnie did fact come to the Underworld just to make sure he was okay, he was hit with that feeling once more. It was strong in his chest, felt like it was clutching at his heart, ripping it down to his gut. He hadn’t know what it was before, but now he did.

It was love.

Minnie had come all the way to the Underworld, probably battled off monsters and demons and ghosts all just to make sure that he was okay. She showed so much strength and so much courage that Dodger couldn’t even bare to understand it all. All he knew though was that he wasn’t going to say shit. He couldn’t. Who was he to spring that sort of shit on her after all she had just gone through. Especially when he wasn’t even completely sure what the hell was happening in his life anymore. It was...it was so soon. They hadn’t even defined what they were yet and now Dodger was fucking realizing just how much she meant to him.

That he loved her.

Then she spoke again though. Talking about how her mother liked him, and Dodger knew exactly what that meant. Her mother had visited Minnie on her journey here. A while ago, Minnie had shared with Dodger the story of her parents’ accident. He knew that they had died, and that she had been without parents for over half of her life. Her words now only meant that her mother had managed to come in contact with her though, and that maybe just maybe, she had been keeping an eye on Minnie in the afterlife. How else would she know about Dodger.

It made his gut sink once more though, having the knowledge that his mother liked him. It made him feel like maybe he wasn’t as big of a piece of shit as he thought. Though it also worried him that maybe he was just fooling everyone. But no, what he felt for Minnie was real. He realized that now. He’d do anything for her.

The words had threatened to escape his lips as well, but Dodger held back. He couldn’t say that to her now. Instead he smiled, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen in front of Minnie’s face behind her ear, “I don’t know why the hells you would do somethin’ like that, but thank you.” He spoke softly, leaning down and kissing her forehead gently. He wanted to ask her to tell him about her mother, but she already sounded so tired and Dodger didn’t want to emotionally drain her anymore than she already was. So instead he settled with a short, “Does she now?” Leaving it more open to her as to what she felt comfortable saying.

MINNIE:

It was funny that even though Minnie was extremely fatigued and all worn out, she could tell that Dodger had been thinking about something in the back of his mind. Normally, she would have been worried that she might have spoken something wrong, but as it was, she hardly remembered what she said.

Her eyes were still looking at Dodger when he spoke. She knew that he didn’t believe he was worth the trip she had taken, but Minnie disagreed. He had been worth every bit of it. All the terrors, the cold, exhaustion and trials she had to face. She would repeat it all again exactly how it had been all to know that Dodger was okay.

Even if she didn’t end up right in Dodger’s arms, all she needed was to see that he was alive and well.

Dodger had been the only person whom she had been with who actually cared about her. He took care to make sure she was safe, happy, and well. He sought to make her smile, make her laugh. He made her feel like she was worth something to someone… no one had done that before to her save her parents.

And for that he was worth coming to the Underworld.

“Because I wouldn’t be okay i-if I didn’t know that you were okay…. or at least alive… I-I don’t think I’d ever be okay… but I’m… I’m okay now. If you’re okay… I’m okay...”

She laughed a little then. “Sorta like Titanic… you know? ‘I jump you jump.’” Her words were mumbling a bit now almost slurring all together.

Minnie loved the soft feeling of his lips pressing over her forehead. He can do that gesture over and over again and she would love it all the same each time. She wanted to kiss him too, press her own lips to his cheek, even intertwine her fingers with him, but she was so tired… even talking felt so tasking.

“Mhmmm…” She nodded slowly. “She told me so herself…. she said t-that you’re good for me…”

DODGER:

God, see, this is why Dodger didn’t do this shit. Because he didn’t want to bring someone close enough to the point where he felt this. Where he felt this strong sense to just...love. To love and hold and keep her safe as long as he possibly could. For fucks sake, she told him that she wouldn’t be okay if he hadn’t been alive. To the point where she had to just come to check to make sure that that wasn’t the case.

Not wait until later, when it would show up in the goddamn paper.

He wanted to tell her. God, Dodger wanted to fucking tell her just how much she meant to him, but there was no way that he could say it without letting those three little words slip right out of his mouth. How could he tell her? That he was so thankful that she had come all this way down to make sure he was okay. That he was proud of her for making it as far as she did and for literally going through hell to get here. For showing him that maybe he was worth something. That his life wasn’t meaningless.

She helped give him meaning.

Hell her fucking mother was even able to see that. See that he was good for her.

“I’m glad I got your mother’s approval then.” Dodger teased with a smile because that had never fucking happened before. Not that he ever got close enough to someone to actually meet their family for real, but the ones that had walked in while Dodger was in their house...yeah. That never went over well.

He wanted to still make sure that she was okay before she closed her eyes and went to sleep in his arms though. “How was that...seein’ your mom?” Dodger didn’t want to bring up something terrible for her, but he didn’t want to let her sleep with a potential nightmare brewing from what she had witnessed and come in contact with.

MINNIE:

It felt nice to be held in Dodger’s arms. Minnie had probably thought this thought a hundred times already, but it was. It made everything simply disappear. Right now, she could close her eyes and just drift away comfortably forget about the darkness, the stuffiness of the heat, and the things she faced getting to where she was right now.

Back in the marshes while the girls had been wading through thick murky waters filled with the souls of the damned, Minnie had closed her eyes, yes, but hadn’t completely slept. How could she? How could anyone?

But here in Dodger’s arms she knew that she could.

Minnie didn’t know when it had all transitioned, when her feelings for Dodger had grown to the point where she would go through the Underworld without giving it a second thought. No thought towards her safety, what she would face and well…. her life really. She just knew she had to find him that nothing would be okay anymore if she hadn’t.

A part of her could say that that was simply who she was, because it was. Minnie always gave all of herself away if it meant being there for another. She would exhaust herself, bleed herself down if she had to, but to go to the Underworld?

She didn’t know when it had all began. When everything had grown had grown and she couldn’t place what it was, not when she was so, so tired. What she could place is that she wouldn’t be okay if anything were to happen to him, that she wouldn’t want to be with anyone else but him, that his arms were her absolute favorite place to be in, and that even with all that she went through Dodger was worth all of it and more.

Minnie was taken from her slurred thoughts when she heard Dodger speak. Her eyes were slowly becoming heavier, lids dropping in their heaviness.

“Hmmm? Oh…. my mom. It was…. it was really nice. I missed her…. I missed her so much…. but it was….” It was hard. The trial was something Minnie never wanted to experience again. “It was hard too…. really hard…” She shifted a little in his arms remembering the anger she had so secretly harbored for her mother and how she was made to see it’s ugly head at the Doors of Judgments.

“But… she’s okay… she’s at peace. I’m happy about that.”

DODGER:

You know, this moment really would be one that Dodger wouldn’t mind staying in for a good while. It felt...perfect.

Well, except from being locked in a prison in the middle of Hell.

Other than that it was great.

Dodger never ever, in a million years, thought that he was going to find someone as special as Minnie was in Swynlake. Never. He wasn’t exactly a fan of the entire magic spells springing on the town at the drop of a dime when he first arrived, but it was starting to seem like it might not be all that bad. Especially when it was because of one of those crazy spells that he even met her in the first place.

That gorgeous, shy little Puff that couldn’t find her damn quill.

He glanced at her periodically in the library that day, he remembered. Seeing her frantically look around for something instead of just using the one thing that made the most sense. She was frazzled, much like she had been after they first kissed. It brought a smile to his face just thinking about both.

When he looked down to her now though, he could see her struggling to keep her eyes open. Minnie was exhausted, he knew that. She needed to sleep despite how much Dodger wanted to just keep talking to her. Because it made this all feel so much more real. “You can go to sleep you knows. I ain’t gonna be mad at yous.” He adjusted his grip on her so that it was just a little looser, so that she had room to move if she wanted to to get comfortable. “I’m real glad that yous got to see her again though. You’re so strong, Mins.”

MINNIE:

Minnie instantly felt the adjustment in Dodger’s arms and it was as if her body moved all on it’s own inching just a little closer so that she was as closely cuddled as she could get. It felt so comfortable, even against the heat, it all felt comfortable and right…. Like she belonged right where she was.

One could also argue that Minnie herself was so beyond exhausted that dirt would feel just as comfortable, but thankfully she found herself being held and not having the option of dirt.

You’re so strong, Mins.

Minnie felt the words blur through her head, her eyes tiredly looking up at Dodger. She didn’t know if she would consider herself…. bold. She never felt as though she was. In fact, she often felt scared more so than anything. That’s what had her stray slightly away from Dodger when she had initially met Rita: her fear. Out of all four women that went down in this journey, she could easily tell she was the weaker link even when Violet was younger than she was. She wasn’t sure if bold was the correct word for her….

But she was so tired she couldn’t even think to argue against it. Instead, she smiled softly using the little energy she had left to lift her head a bit and place a small kiss on Dodger’s cheek. She had been wanting to do that since she had seen him if she was honest with herself.

“Thank you….” Was all she said in a small whisper as her head fell back onto Dodger’s shoulder.

You can go to sleep you knows.

Hmm, she wanted to. Minnie wanted nothing more than to drift far, far away in her sleep, allow the soreness and the heaviness of her muscles to lull her to unconsciousness. She didn’t want to leave Dodger alone though awake in this hell prison. She had come here for him, not to just leave him.

MINNIE:

Minnie had been suckered into this.

That was exactly what had been crossing her mind as she entered through the doors of Pixie’s. She had been thinking the same thing too as she got ready back at home. While she slipped into her snug little laced black dress, placed on some red high heels, dawned on some make-up, and allowed her hair to fall all loose in pristine wave ringlets.

Suckered, suckered, suckered.

Because Minnie couldn’t say no to Lily’s pouting lips, she couldn’t say no to Kristi's whining pleads, couldn’t say no to Aria’s sweet begging eyes.

Minnie just had a hard time saying no in general. It had been a hard week anyways. A flooding influx of patients coming in and out if the ER, gross short staffing, some patients even died on her. Her co-workers simply wanted to unwind. They wanted a night away from all the hectic, all the crazy and running around like chickens without heads.

And so, Minnie had been suckered into this and that was how she found herself here at Pixie’s with the music beating loud against her eardrums, throngs of bodies moving in and out, others mixing close together dancing on the center of the floor. Lily was one of them, her head of blonde hair dancing up against some random bloke. She was already more than a couple drinks in. Kristi wasn’t so far behind her bobbing red hair dancing with herself as she stood standing by a stool where the bar was. Aria, she was the tempered one sitting beside Kristi at the bar, that’s where Minnie went.

She managed to find a seat beside her friend because Aria was the leveled one, and Minnie she hardly trusted herself when it came to drinking. The last time she had gotten far too drunk well….. She hoped to never repeat that mistake ever again and Aria would keep her from doing so. Lily she wouldn’t. As if right on cue, the blonde made her way over a drink ready in hand that she handed to Minnie.

“This one is for you! A strawberry margarita made very nice.” Her words were already slurring. “I told the very hot, gorgeous bar tender over there, the one who’s been staring at you, that if this hits you juuusstt right, you’ll be right over there flirting with him, so drink up! It was on the housse!” She clapped ecstatically, Minnie simply shaking her head as she grabbed a hold of the drink. 

“And this is why I hardly go out with you.” Was all Minnie replied in a slight tease. She did start to drink the alcohol given to her though, even though she knew she shouldn’t because she was a terrible light weight, but with the week she had and the avoiding game she’s been playing with a certain somebody she couldn’t seem to get out of her head…. Minnie could use the drink.

DODGER:

Dodger didn’t know what the fuck was going on if he was speaking honestly.

He had thought that him and Minnie were cool. It’s how it seemed anyway considering how they left things after his last visit to the hospital, you know, considering she had accidentally spent the night at his place after they agreed to try...whatever it was that they were doing. Dating? Just hanging out until they figured out what it was? It was fine, whatever it was, it was fine. Dodger just knew that he wanted to keep up whatever it was because he did like her.

Then the dumb snow storm hit, and Minnie stopped answering him. Okay, to be fair, she wasn’t completely ignoring him, but she certainly wasn’t responding the same. It didn’t feel light and fun, even when Dodger would purposefully send shit to try and get a laugh. But nothing. And Dodger didn’t know what he did to warrant that, but he knew that he fucked up somehow.

Only problem was that he was finding it very difficult to get ahold of her long enough to actually talk about this shit.

So yeah, that was definitely at the forefront of his mind when he went in for his set at Pixie’s that night. He had to at least try and push it out though because otherwise he was going to have a shitty set, and yeah, Dodger wasn’t about to have one of those.

He took the stage with all the swagger he could muster. The crowd erupted into a roar as he took his spot in front of the mic, adjusting it so it was just the right height before shouting into it. “Yous guys reading to have a good time tonight?” The crowd that had gathered immediately responded back with a cheer, causing Dodger to rip the pick that had been placed in his mic stand out, now pulling the mic closer. “Let’s fuckin’ do this!” And without missing a beat, he wailed down on his guitar, turning away so he could jam out the opening of the song.

Any thought Dodger had once had though about getting through this show quickly vanished after he turned back to the mic. Because standing there, at the bar, was none other than Minnie herself.

Fuck.

MINNIE:

Minnie was about two and half drinks in at this point. She was still okay, maybe a slight bit off, but okay for the most part. Aria was holding steady as well. Lily was drunk, Kristi had caught up. It was quite comical actually. Lily was always the giddy drunk and there she was laughing up a storm at the center of the dance floor, Kristi following suit as she swayed back and forth in sync to the music with her invisible dance partner.

At least they were having a good time, one they really needed, and Minnie was too, she just didn’t like the dance floor. It was too many sweaty bodies all on top of one another. She only liked it when she was drunk and she wasn’t there just yet.

But she was feeling the alcohol already. It swirled in her head in a slight buzz and that was a cue enough for the brunette that the current drink in her hand should be her last one. She was almost done with it while speaking with Aria when she felt a tap on her shoulders. She turned around seeing some stranger. A guy, taller than her, light brown hair with hazel-ish eyes? Minnie wasn’t so sure because of the skewed lighting and quite frankly she was already tipsy so.

She did notice the grin that tugged on his lips and the way he sorta lit up the moment Minnie had actually turned around. This was bad.

“I was wondering if the seat beside you was taken? And if it wasn’t, if you’d let me buy you a drink?” Well, he was straight to the point. He still wore that grin as Minnie cocked her head at an angle, her eyes still looking at him, brow arched and lips curving into a slow sly grin of her own. She was going to tell him no though, to the alcohol question because she needed to stop, when she caught a voice that threw her completely off.

Minnie knew that voice anywhere.

Gosh he was everywhere! He was always in her head and now he was actually here. Minnie hadn’t turned around, she already knew it was Dodger. God, she forgotten that he worked here. She had been avoiding him, not entirely, but enough. Ever since that lock down, Minnie had been off. The thing was…. she didn’t know if she had the strength to get hurt again. She didn’t know if she was just being used to help forget some girl from the past, and she didn’t want to know. It would hurt too much, and even with all that hurt in mind, she still turned around.

And it was him, and Dodger looked amazing on stage. The crowd loved him, they roared and screamed and with good reason. He was amazing with his guitar had a beautiful talent and for the moment Minnie really couldn’t pull her eyes away. And she hadn’t for a good while, she just watched him play, heard him sing watched as the crowd only roared louder for him. Eventually, she did pry her eyes away, turning so she could address the guy she had completely forgotten about.

“I’ll take you up on that drink if the offer is still available.”

DODGER:

Okay so normally during shows, Dodger would pick out a couple people in the front that he would focus his attention on during the set. Walk up to them, reach out and grab their hand when it would eventually get extended out, sing to them a little bit, and even strategically throw his pick at the end of the night in their general direction. You know, try and make them feel special.

Not this night though. Not when he saw that Minnie was in the crowd. (Well not the crowd, but she was at the bar). His eyes would be on her the entire...fucking...night.

And even with the way the lights were shining, flashing in his eyes and keeping the majority of the crowd hidden from his vision, he could still see that she looked fucking amazing. The light from the bar illuminating her enough that he could see her. The short, black dress that he could tell hugged her in all the right spots without her even having to stand up. The fucking red heels that honestly probably made her as tall as him (and really? With the red?) so that he wouldn’t have to stretch his neck down to kiss her if she was next to him. He knew without even having to be close to her that she looked amazing, and that fucking hurt.

What also fucking hurt was how after just a couple of moments of her entranced with him (yeah, he could tell from this far away that he had grabbed her attention for a good while), that she turned back to the skeezy ass dude that had made his way over to her. What the fuck was he doing?

Dodger had to try and remain cool though. Minnie was gorgeous, so he couldn’t blame guys for wanting to go up and try and talk to her. Didn’t mean that it didn’t piss him off a little bit, because yeah it did. And Minnie was her own person, she could make decisions on her own, but he sure as hell hoped that it didn’t end up turning into anything.

Because if that were the case, and this guy did try to make a move on her, then Dodger wouldn’t hesitate to jump off the stage and smash his guitar into the guy’s fuckin’ skull.

He continued playing though because the show had to go on. One song transitioning into the next seamlessly before a break naturally slipped its way in. “Yous havin’ a good time?” Dodger shouted, ripping the mic off the stand and holding it out to the crowd that yelled in response. To be fair, this was a good night. It was a good crowd that definitely was vibing off of his music, but right now he only cared about one person thought. So he was going to pull out all the stops.

“Alright, this next one is one that I wrote abouts someone special ta me. Let me knows what you think.” He spoke, placing the mic back on the stand before turning his back, strumming out the first few chords to the next song.

MINNIE:

Minnie had been rather shocked that the guy had still been around. She had all but forgotten about him, truthfully, and only remembered because when she turned around he was still there. The guy did have hazel eyes, she could see them a little clearer now and they were really nice, so nice, very attractive in the way things were when the room was a little spin-y from alcohol.

Not in a clear way though. Not in the way Minnie looked at Dodger’s eyes when she had him close to her, when she could see that deep chocolate brown and find herself so easily smiling, light, airy and playful. She loved looking at his eyes, loved that she could have him so close to her and get completely lost in them. No, these were hazel eyes, gorgeous yes, but they didn’t give her the same feeling. They were just hazel eyes that left her slightly… flirty?

No, that was the alcohol.

That she knew was hitting her because she was thinking about eyes, and internally sulking that she wasn’t staring at brown ones. Even still she perched a playful smile on her lips as the guy handed her the drink that grin still wide on his lips, his hazel eyes looking at her as if he had won a prize by gaining her attention. She took her drink, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Thank you.”

The guy liked the classic hair tuck, what had been his name? Minnie didn’t remember she didn’t even know if she had caught it. He had started talking, she wasn’t paying attention, her eyes had fallen back over Dodger. He belonged on that stage, amping the crowd up and strumming his guitar as smooth as a natural breeze. He was so bloody good. Minnie didn’t realize when she had started smiling, she had made the mistake to turn around and watch Dodger and she had gotten as lost as when she did when she looked into his eyes. She was enamored and with or without alcohol in her system she knew she would’ve been.

Minnie had finished her drink. The guy was still talking, she turned again. He asked her name. She paused, trying to collect her thoughts before pulling that same playful smile on her lips. “Minnie. Everyone calls me Minnie.” He liked the name and extended his hand. She took it, but had missed what he said his name was. She was distracted. Dodger had started speaking and her eyes fell right back on him.

He had begun singing a new song, a song he had apparently written on his own for someone special to him. The words were heart-felt, pure and spun around in a manner that was every bit Dodger’s style. Minnie got lost in his voice, in the words, how he seemed to pour all of himself into what he was playing. She was intrigued, but the alcohol was still whirling in her head and Minnie…. she shifted slightly in her seat. Was the song… was it about Rita? It could have been… and Minnie hated herself for thinking that. All of a sudden everything felt a bit too much because she couldn’t stop thinking about the guy who was singing up on the stage. Minnie had gotten up from her seat, hadn’t even realized she was still holding this stranger’s hand as she looked at him. Everything was spinning and she just wanted some air.

“Umm, do you happen to know where the bathroom is?”

DODGER:

He could see that he had gotten Minnie’s attention back somehow. Call it the fact that he was cooler and hotter and just a hell of a lot of a better guy than the schmuck she was talking to (all true, all definitely true), but he had done it and felt pretty damn proud that he had managed to gain her attention.

Dodger was a performer, it was what he did, and he loved getting the approval or seeing the reactions of the people that were in the crowd when they listened to his music. All he needed was that one stamp of approval right now though, and that was Minnie.

She knew that he worked at Pixie’s, knew that he played and wrote his own shit, but he hadn’t actually played for her yet. There was the bet that the two had made and he expected her to either hear his stuff for the first time either then or maybe even another time where he decided to just play his acoustic when they were hanging out.

Not fucking out of the blue like this.

But he saw her smile, and saw how she was actually looking at him instead of just looking right through him like it had seemed when she first caught glimpse of him. Maybe things were alright. Maybe she just was a little weirded out by the sudden realization that he wanted to be with her.

Ha, wrong.

Because as soon as he finished the song, the one that he had wrote specifically for her...about her, she looked like she wanted to throw up, or like she was going to pass out. The smile had faded, the hand of the man beside her in her own (which fuckin’ pissed him off more than it should have), and she had stood up as Dodger said his thank you before transitioning into the next song. There was something seriously wrong, and Dodger needed to know what it was. What had gotten her that upset.

Maybe he had gone too far. He probably shouldn’t have played the song, but he did because he was desperate and needed to get through to her somehow since she wasn’t actually answering him. It was the only way he felt he could in this moment; to sing about how he felt and about how she made him feel.

MINNIE:

The guy had suddenly lost his all so cocky grin and was looking at Minnie sort of off, or was it with concern? She didn’t know. It truly wasn’t on her high list of priorities to go and figure this guy out right now. She just wanted some air so that she could think against the swirl of the alcohol and not have hazel eyes so close to her because he had gotten closer, still holding her hand and speaking now so that she could hear him. “Are you alright?”

Minnie just looked at him, blinking a bit before she nodded her head. “I’m fine. I just need the bathroom and I don’t know where it is. Do you happen to know? Umm where the bathroom is that is?”

The guy eventually nodded his head and lead the way taking Minnie to the bathroom. Once she saw the restroom, she quickly entered closing the door behind her. There really wasn’t anyone inside and the walls as well as the shut door blocked out most of the music from the club. It made her ears ring the sudden switch in the lack of sound, but that was okay. It was something that could help numb her thoughts because she really did hate about all she was thinking of.

Minnie had heard the entire song from start to finish. She had been wrapped in it the song pulling at her heart strings, but that was when she knew she had to get up and walk out for a moment. She didn’t know if the song was meant for her. God, she wanted it to be, for it to have been solely about her. She had loved the song, but it could have been for that gorgeous woman she had met back when they had been locked down. The woman who knew Dodger more so than Minnie herself, who grew up with him and could probably understand him more than she could.

She could probably make him happier better than Minnie could and those thoughts stung. It really hurt because she had truly fallen for Dodger and now this all felt like some sick twisted joke life was playing her with.

Minnie stood leaning against the door just for a couple of minutes. She didn’t do much, she just breathed, closed her eyes while the alcohol was still making everything spin. She couldn’t hear Dodger’s voice anymore, he must have finished. That was good. She could pull herself together… she’ll be fine. She stepped out of the bathroom then, the guy with hazel eyes still out by the door.

“I figured you might need help heading back too.” Minnie just responded with a smile and allowed the guy to escort her back to where she had previously been. She didn’t see Dodger in the stage…. she didn’t even see her co-workers. It was just hazel-eyes (she really should have caught his name). She turned to him, smiling sweetly up at him this time her head tilting slightly and very coquettishly.

“Thank you for walking me back. You really didn’t have to though.”

DODGER:

Minnie left. She had straight up left his set.

Which shouldn’t have hurt. It wasn’t the first time someone had left his set, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. But this? This fuckin’ sucked. Especially because she had gone off with that prick.

What sucked even more was that he couldn’t just stop the set. The DJ that normally played music for the club was given a break during Dodger’s sets, and if he just hopped off the stage and chased after Minnie now, then there would be no music in the club for a solid seven more minutes. Which was too long because people would get pissed, and Pixie’s might just end up burning down again from pissed off, drunk off their asses patrons.

It meant that Dodger had to painstakingly get through the remaining couple of songs. He wanted nothing more than it to just be over so he could go see what the fuck was going on with Minnie, and see if she was okay. Take care of her. Not this dumbass who wandered off with her who probably didn’t even know her name.

So he played, his energy diminishing significantly as those minutes dragged. But the moment, the literal second, that he finished he threw his guitar to one of the techs, snagging his sweatshirt off one of the amps, pulling it over his head, and hopped off the stage so he could find Minnie.

Didn’t even give his end of set speech.

He checked outside first, asking a couple of the guys that were outside smoking if they had seen a girl about “yay-high”, wearing this back dress and red heels with her hair all curled, come out. They hadn’t seen anything, dismissing Dodger inside almost immediately.

That’s when he saw her though. Standing a bit towards the back near where the bathrooms were (bathrooms, duh) with the biggest fuckface in the world. Only problem was that she was staring at fuckface like the stars shined out of his ass.

Dodger wanted to punch this kid.

He couldn’t though because he had gotten in far too many fights, and he was not the type to get this fucking possessive over someone. So instead, he sauntered over to the two, clapping the dude on the back before looking at him with a grin. “Aye, thanks for lookin’ over her while I was up there, kid. ‘Preciate it.” His gaze turning towards Minnie (God, she was as beautiful as he thought she looked), his other arm snaking around her waist so he could pull her close to him.

MINNIE:

Awkward.

At this point alcohol drink number four had settled in and it hadn’t helped that Minnie had closed her eyes in the bathroom allowing all that spinning to simply wash over her. It made the drink kick in sorta quicker.  And now, now Dodger had appeared out of the bloody wood work totally unexpected to Minnie. He had meandered all smug like, up-sizing hazel eyes as he placed himself beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist tugging her close to him.

Minnie really liked that. Minnie liked it even more with the alcohol in her system. Dodger looked so hot being all possessive, puffing out his chest (well he really wasn’t but it was all the same), and having clapped hazel eyes back so casually but speaking with words that had a hint of a bite to them.

Oh, and she loved the chocolate brown eyes that were looking straight at her. She really liked these eyes. These eyes were so much better then hazel eyes, even though hazel eyes’ eyes were very gorgeous.

But, Minnie had pretty much forgotten, yet again, that hazel eyes was there when Dodger stepped in and she had happily stepped herself even closer to him. She wasn’t touchy with hazel eyes, but she loved how close she was with Dodger. She fit in his arms just right and he was so warm, the heat of his body rushing right over hers because that was how close she had practically curled herself right up next to him.

Then hazel eyes decided to speak and ruin her very happy alcoholic whirlwind. Minnie didn’t quite catch what he had said being slightly inebriated and all, but he sounded angry. He looked it too, his body growing tense and that wasn’t good. Minnie did not want a fight and drunk or not drunk, she knew very well that Dodger wouldn’t hold back.

And so, the brunette inched herself a little in front of Dodger, kind of placing herself in the middle of a rather hot sandwich (haha) and she smiled super sweetly at hazel eyes.

“Look, you have been so, super sweet to me and thank you so so much for that. Really, I really do appreciate it and you have gorgeous eyes. I’m sure you have so many women telling you that all the time because you really do have such gorgeous eyes, just in case no one has ever told you that before well now you know.” She wasn’t so sure where she was getting at here and if she was only making things worse…. But Minnie continued on anyways.  

“But, I want to go home.” Because she was rather drunk and didn’t trust herself right now and quite frankly she really just wanted to be with Dodger. “And the guy behind me, he’s going to be taking me home because I would really rather it be him who took me home, no offense to your hazel eyes and all, but he’ll just take me home.” She turned to Dodger then smiling so sweetly up at him. “Right…? You’ll take me home?”

DODGER:

Yeah, Dodger was going to knock the lights out of this fucker.

Because as he pulled Minnie closer and then released his grip on this dickwad, Minnie brought herself closer to him too, and apparently shit for brains wasn’t too thrilled about that because he thought he was going to get lucky tonight

He started mouthing off some shit about watching where Dodger was stepping and to not move in when clearly he was already talking to Minnie, but Doder didn’t care one bit. This guy was an asshole, and he was just going to let him continue to make an ass out of himself as Dodger stood there with the biggest shit eating grin on his face, knowing very well that he had gotten the upper hand because of where the three were currently standing.

Well….were standing because Minnie had taken it upon herself to step in front of Dodger. Which honestly was probably a good thing because if this asshat kept talking then he was 100% going to knock him out.

But then she kept telling the guy how gorgeous his eyes were literally right in front of Dodger, and he could feel his blood begin to boil, his hands tightening up into fists, but he restrained himself once he realized what Minnie was saying.

She wanted to go home. She wanted Dodger to take her home. It was something that she didn’t even have to ask because the moment he heard that she wanted to leave, Dodger was already willing to offer to take her back. But then she looked back towards him with such a warm smile despite the hazy fog that was over her face (he was guessing that she had drank quite a bit that night because of how much she was rambling about this asshole and not in that adorable way she got). “Of course I’ll take yous home.” He smiled towards her, giving her a slight nod. “Let’s go, Mins.” His arm came up around her once more, guiding her past the guy and towards the exit of the bar.

MINNIE:

Minnie was really grateful that Dodger had agreed with her and that nothing worse had escalated. She didn’t want any fighting and surely she wanted no one in the hospital, especially not for this reason.

Not when clearly drunk or not Minnie would have still gone home with Dodger over hazel eyes.

She knew that once she sobered up a bit, she was going to internally cringe at herself for this whole ordeal and for the words she had spoken to the other guy, but right now she was just glad to be leaving Pixie’s. Even though that whole testosterone show had been rather hot, and this was her alcohol speaking, and Minnie did love the way Dodger had gotten so possessive and jealous? Was it jealousy? She didn’t know for sure, but whatever it was it was still so very hot. She allowed him to guide her through the waves of people, her body moving through throngs until the pair of them had made it outside.

The air wasn’t hot and sticky like in the club and Minnie welcomed the slight chilling bite that crawled over her skin. She could see some goose bumps forming over her arms, but she was fine with that, it was sort of numbing, which she needed at the moment. Everything still felt sort of woozy and dizzy like. The alcohol hadn’t completely worked its way out of her system yet, and it was because of the remaining liquid courage that Minnie had paused in her walking making Dodger do so as well, even though he didn’t exactly look he wanted to.

But Minnie really didn’t care if he had wanted to or not. Instead, she just looked at him a moment her eyes steadily studying him. He seemed mad, a bit put off and that only made the brunette cross her arms over her chest.

“You know. You don’t have to take me back home if you don’t want to. I know my way home from here.”

Her words didn’t have a bite to them though. She hadn’t spoken them angrily as she thought she would. They came out soft, and guarded almost as if she was preparing herself to hear that he actually didn’t want to.    

“I’ll be fine...”

DODGER:

The second Dodger and Minnie had gotten outside, he ripped off his sweatshirt and extended it towards Minnie. “Here, put this on it’s too cold out heres, and if yous was drinkin’ that ain’t good.” It wasn’t really an offer the way he phrased it, more like a demand (though his tone was not demanding in the slightest) because he didn’t want Minnie getting sick on top of being hungover.

His arm remained around hers though as they made their way down the street, not entirely sure where exactly her place was, but figuring it had to at least be in the same direction where he lived. It was quiet, and Dodger wanted to break the silence by asking about what the hell was going on between them, but that wasn’t a conversation for a drunk Minnie to be having.

That needed to wait until she sobered up.

Minnie stopped though, and it had taken Dodger a couple moments to realize that she had before he came to a stop too.

He looked at her with questioning eyes, his hands stuffing down into his own pockets as he tried to retain a little bit of warmth (he’d rather be cold than Minnie) when her arms crossed over her own chest.

What the fuck was going on?

Literally though. Where the hell had this come from? The allegations that he didn’t want to take her. First off, yes, he wanted to. Secondly, he was going to take her home if she continued drinking whether she wanted it or not because he didn’t want her getting hurt or taken advantage of by some skeeze. Thirdly, he had straight up told her that he would! So why in God’s name was she thinking that he didn’t want to?!

“Where’s this comin’ from Mins?” A choked out laugh escaping him. “Of course I wanna take yous home. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to.” Which was absurd because that just wasn’t the type of person that Dodger was. “I care about yous, I wanna see yous get home safe. So yeah, I’m takin’ you.”

MINNIE:

Minnie hadn’t spoken a word, she remained quiet allowing the slight cool air to hang silently around the both of them. She still said nothing, hadn’t even made a sound, she just looked at Dodger.

Where’s this comin’ from Mins?

She didn’t know. Everything felt slightly skewed, but she did know didn’t she? Fear, it was fear. She was scared that she’d end up hurt just like she had in pretty much every past relationship she has been in. She was scared that whatever Dodger had in his past with Rita, because Minnie knew there was something there, wasn’t just in the past, but that it was still lingering and would sprout back up into the present. She figured if she could step back, walk away now,  it would be okay… right? It wouldn’t hurt as much… she’d be okay…? It was what she had been telling herself. It probably wasn’t true though. She would end up picking up pieces and not knowing how they’ll ever place back together again.

I care about yous

That made Minnie smile a bit. She wanted to shove down all of the fear and all of her thoughts shove them so deep and just cling to those four little words. He had to care though… right? He was out here in the street in the middle of the night making sure she was okay. He had given her his sweatshirt all so that she wouldn’t end up cold. It smelled like him, she liked that, it made her feel snug even when the sweatshirt looked a bit large on her. He was still here even while she was slightly drunk. He had to care.

Minnie still looked at him. He seemed so confused…. she was confused too. She finally decided to move then walking up to Dodger until she was close enough in where he could wrap his arms around her, her own head falling over his shoulder. Minnie didn’t want to think so much, what she really wanted was for Dodger just to hold her, but her thoughts and the fear… it was still all there pressing and screaming in her head.

“Just… just tell me that you won’t hurt me.”  

DODGER:

Minnie stepped towards Dodger, and his arms instantly opened, not wasting a moment before he pulled her in close and tight. His fingers lightly trailed over her back as her head fell onto his shoulder (he was right - she was almost as tall as him in those heels.) But then she spoke out and Dodger was dumbfounded.

Just tell me that you won’t hurt me.

There was part of him that was worried that she was expressing this to him now. Because it had to come from a place of fear that Dodger would hurt her, and he hated that. Hated that it had even become a thought for her. Or that it had been something she had been sitting on because this had to be the reason she was being so distant. And it all stemmed or started at one point. The lockdown. Something had happened during this lockdown that caused Minnie to think he would hurt her.

Rita.

That had to be it. Minnie had gotten so quick during that entire interaction that maybe there was something she had seen that planted that little seed of doubt. Which really, really sucked because there wasn’t anything there between him and Rita. In the past, yeah, but it was his past for a reason. He wanted to live in the present, and he wanted that with Minnie.

Dodger pulled her away from him slowly, his hands firmly on her shoulders, his thumbs moving back and forth. His eyes found hers, not daring to break their eye contact now. Dodger needed Minnie to hear him. “I would never, ever hurt you.” It was a promise he meant, and whole heartedly intended to keep. “And in the fuckin’ zero percent chance in hell that I would, yous have every right to just fuckin’ nail me in the face.” He had to at least try and keep this a little light. He wanted to see her smile. “But that ain’t ever gonna happen so nos punchin’ me.”

The smallest of smirks playing across his lips as his hands moved to cup her face. Dodger still wanted to have a conversation with her about all of this though. He needed to clear the air of any fear or worry that she could still have, but it needed to wait until her head was totally clear of any fog or haze from the alcohol. Right now, he just wanted to get out of the harsh air. “Come on, let’s get yous home before you freeze, yeah?”

MINNIE:

Dodger must have known that she had wanted to be held the moment she stepped herself closer to him because his arms opened up and she found them wrapping her and holding her tightly. She didn’t know if allowing herself to be held by him had been a good idea because she always felt warm and safe when she was in Dodger’s arms. It felt so right being held by him even as his fingers softly trailed over her back, soothing and comforting. She loved being inside of them and that hadn’t changed even now.

She felt him slightly draw her out of his hold, her eyes falling over him as he began talking. Dodger held her gaze and spoke the words Minnie had so desperately needed to hear. She could tell he meant them genuinely, she couldn’t catch a hint of lying in it. That comforted her made the fear disappear one piece at a time and of course, leave it to Dodger to go and make it light.

He always did, but that had been one of the things that Minnie had always enjoyed about him.

Because, it made her smile, it made her laugh. It did that now, her lips curving up into a hint of a smile as a small brush of a laugh slipped from her mouth. She felt his hand cupping her face the contact gentle and warm. She leaned her cheek into his touch her smile growing a little more. “Thank you...”  Minnie stepped in a little closer wrapping her arms around the crook of his neck.

“It wouldn’t even hurt. I would have to find someone else to do it for me to really make it count.” Her head dropped in a bit of a flirtatious angle, a devious little smirk lining her lips as her eyes glittered mischievously. “Maybe hazel eyes would do it for me.”  She laughed then, unable to help herself more so since she still had a bit of the alcohol in her system.

She drew herself back, unlacing her arms and allowing one of her free hands to intertwine with Dodger’s. “You have to take a left on the next block and then my complex is basically right there.”

DODGER:

She smiled...laughed...brought her arms up around his neck after he spoke.

Things were okay for now...his Minnie was back.

“You’re welcome.” He spoke out softly, the corners of his mouth turning up before quickly turning back down at the mention of ‘hazel eyes’ yet again. But he shook his head, the smirk returning because she had laughed, and probably didn’t mean it out of any ill will. She was trying to keep it fun and make a joke out of it (because his guess was that she could tell he wanted to beat the fuck outta the dude).

Plus he just couldn’t ignore that flirtatious little grin that she was giving him. That was too hard to resist.

“Nah, yous keep that fucker out of it.” Dodger mused. “I’d rather get punched in the face by Roscoe than that shithead that was back there’s.” His head motioning back towards the club. “But it ain’t’ gonna even happen so we don’t needs ta talk about it anymore.” While he had tried to make it a little lighthearted, he didn’t want to instill that doubt once more by continuing to talk about it. About the thought of him hurting her because quite frankly it made him upset to even think about.

Dodger followed her directions though, gladly lacing their hands together as they continued to make their way to her apartment. This was...nice. It was nice, getting to walk with her back to where she lived. Now granted, she was still kind of drunk and had just expressed with Dodger that she was scared over what the future held, but those moments...those quiet moments of just walking were something he enjoyed.

She led the two towards her actual apartment unit once they were in the building; Dodger picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder at this point because he almost guaranteed that it would be ten times harder trying to walk her up the steps to her room. He carried her like that though until they reached her door (careful not to jostle her around too much to the point where she would get sick on him), setting her down gently. “Yous got a key on you or hidden somewheres?”

MINNIE:

Minnie had still been grinning a ruffle of a chuckle slipping from her lips. “You’re kind of cute when you’re jealous.”

Woops, slip of the alcohol, but that was neither here nor there.

She had lead them to her flat and had not thought for even the slightest second that Dodger would go ahead and carry her over his shoulder. The move had caught the brunette completely by surprise and Dodger had held her rather firmly because Minnie couldn’t even kick if she wanted to, because she probably would have. Yes, she had drank tonight, but she was okay enough to make it up the stairs in one piece. She did however huff and when placed down she gave Dodger a glare the best she could muster while still being under some of the effect of the alcohol.

“You’re aware that I’m wearing a dress, right? A dress that happens to ride up, especially if carried.” Which was what Minnie was presently doing, sliding the fabric of her dress down and brushing aside random strands of hair that had gotten all over her face.

A key…. A key yes, she had a key. ...where had it been? She looked around for a moment… Oh! She had one hidden in her mailbox and so she walked towards the thing, turning her head to look at Dodger with an arched brow and a playful smirk on her lips.

“Yes, in my bra.” She teased, taking the key right from out of her mailbox and opening the door to her flat. She stepped in, leaving the door open behind her so that Dodger could follow in. She saw Figaro lazily curled on one of her couches, a smile lighting up her features. She did love seeing her cat.

She turned to face Dodger again. “You can stay if you’d like. I guess I wouldn’t mind the company so much.” She teased again with a bit of an impish smile.  

DODGER:

Yeah, Dodger laughed at that one.

Because ultimately, it wasn’t really all the fun that he was getting fucking jealous over something so little as Minnie flirting with some guy at Pixie’s. Nothing fucking happened, yet here he was getting annoyed at the thought of her potentially liking him. But maybe that’s where this all was coming from with her. The thought of Dodger having something with another girl was making her well….a little jealous.

He would admit that he liked that she thought he looked cute though. “I’m always fuckin’ cute I don’t know what yous is talkin’ about.” He teased back with a huff.

At the mention of her being exposed though, Dodger simply rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, theres was no one behind us up the steps. And if anyones lookin’ where they ain’t supposed tos then yous can bet theys gonna answer ta me.” Keep their eyes where they should be.

Speaking of which.

Dodger’s eyes flashed towards Minnie’s chest for just a moment, it was covered now because of his sweatshirt (which she wore well and it sort of fell over her body because of the size but it….it looked kind of hot if Dodger was being honest), but they still fell. In his mind he went back to how she looked in the dress. The fabric clinging and accentuating every single little curve on her body; it hugging her hips in a way that could be considered criminal; Dodger wanting to trace every inch of the skin that was exposed with hands.

He needed to stop.

But his eyes flashed back up when she reached into the mailbox. “Mins, you gotta think of a better hidin’ spot for your spare when yous sober up.” Mailbox and under the doormat were the two most common places to keep your spares, making it so easy to get in and loot the place. But he followed her into the apartment, smiling down at the cat as he walked over to it, rubbing it’s head as he began to pur. “Oh I’m stayin’, yous ain’t gettin’ rid of me now. In fact…” Dodger walked over to Minnie, picking her up bridal style before glancing about the apartment until he located her bedroom. Once it was spotted, he walked in that direction, laying Minnie down in the bed when he arrived. “Yous, is gonna take a little nap. Sleep off some’a this drunk. I’m gonna gos and get you a cup of water and find yous some pain killers. I’ll be right in theres with Fig though after if yous need me, okay?”

MINNIE:

Dodger had gone ahead and scooped her right up and bit of a giggle escaped Minnie’s lips this time around since she wasn’t thrown over a shoulder. She had instantly curled herself a little closer to Dodger’s chest the minute he had picked her up, snuggling herself against him until he had found her bedroom and placed her on her bed.

The comforter felt so soft beneath her, but it was hardly as warm as Dodger felt, and when he spoke about her needing to take a nap she couldn’t help but internally sulk. She hardly wanted a nap.

“The mailbox is fine. Nothing bad has happened before.”  

That had been her logic concerning her keys. It was better in the mailbox then lost and keeping her locked out of her flat. She was still upset about the nap though.

“I’m really not tired.” Her voice came out in a sweet almost borderline sultry wine. “Do I really have to sleep?” She puckered her lips into an innocent pout, but her eyes were playful, mischievous even. Minnie had caught where his eyes had lingered earlier, hadn’t made a comment about it, but she had seen it nonetheless. She knew she could convince him otherwise and with the alcohol swirling about in her head, she wanted to she really wanted to.

She had really liked when Dodger had looked at her, his gaze made her feel hot and desirable in a way she hadn’t really experienced with other glances and stares.  

However, Dodger seemed determined in making sure she sobered up as he continued on talking. The brunette sighed, moving her legs to crawl over to the top edge of her bed as she slipped herself right under her sheets curling under the softness that welcomed her. Her head fell over her pillow, so fluffy and wonderful and Minnie had practically curled her body so that Dodger’s sweatshirt enveloped her completely. “Fine, I guess I’ll take a forced nap.”

She watched as Dodger left the room, her eyes much to her surprise feeling heavy. The alcohol must have started wearing off and before she knew it she actually fell asleep.

When she awoke, Minnie still had her memory very well intact, so… she had remembered everything. She gave a tired groan to herself feeling well for a lack of a better word bloody embarrassed. The brunette wondered if Dodger was still in the apartment, might have secretly hoped that he wasn’t to save her from the embarrassment, and she drowsily got up from her bed to go check.

Yes, he was still there. She looked at him, a bit of a shy smile now touching her features before she spoke sort of quietly. “Hey…”

DODGER:

As Minnie sort of whined and complained about not being tired and not wanting to take a nap, he already made his way into the kitchen, opening up a few cabinet doors until he found a glass. He walked back into her room to find her finally underneath the covers. Dodger set the glass down on the table beside her bed, brushing a bit of hair out of her eyes as he bent down, kissing the top of her head. “Night Mins.” He spoke, the tiniest of laughs escaping him as he walked back into the living room.

It felt...bizarre being in her place and just sort of hanging out while she slept. Not that it was bad or anything, don’t get him wrong, but it made it feel like everything was okay between the two, and like nothing had ever happened because this felt...serious. Which was weird for him. Nothing ever got serious for him in terms of relationships. Everything always just remained flirty and hot and fast and that was the end of it.

Not with this though.

But Dodger wasn’t about to leave anytime soon though. Not just because he wanted to make sure that she didn’t end up getting sick, but also because he still did want to bring up what had made her so uncomfortable at the lockdown.

So as she slept, Dodger sat there on the couch. Played with Figaro for a bit, dicked around on his phone before he ultimately found a couple of painkillers sitting on the bathroom sink (thank fuck because he did not feel all that great about going through her shit, not now).

And he felt himself starting to doze off too, his feet hanging off the side of her couch as he leaned against the pillows that were propped up along the back when he noticed Minnie appear in the entryway. Her hair was a little messy, but that was to be expected when you crashed as fast as she had (but dammit did she still look beautiful), and she was still wearing the sweatshirt he had given her before they got to her place. “Hey,” He smiled back, sitting up a bit on the couch, “Hows you feelin’? Did yous take those painkillers I left out for yas?”

MINNIE:

Minnie shook her head. She had woken up, remembered the night and just walked out of her room to see if Dodger was still around. In all honesty, she hadn’t even noticed any of the pain medications. “No… I didn’t even see it, but I feel okay.” Her voice sounded very drowsy still, but aside from the lingering sleepiness, she actually felt fine.

She slowly began to move making her way over to the couch Dodger was seated on and taking a seat there herself.

The embarrassment that Minnie had felt when waking up was still very present, but a part of her was really glad that he had stayed even when she fell asleep. She took a good look at him, could see that Dodger appeared tired too, but it made her smile to see him smile. She had missed him, sober Minnie, she had really missed him even with all of the thoughts that have been driving her insane and the pent up fear that had only been building.

She really did miss him.

“You look tired. You didn’t have to stay… You could’ve gone to sleep. I’m sorry… I feel bad that you stood up and it’s so late too…”

Minnie didn’t know the exact time, but she could figure it had to be pretty late in the night. She lifted her legs so that they both curled together towards the side on her couch. She was facing Dodger now her head falling to lean itself gently on the couch. She was kind of still wrapped in his sweatshirt, which she just now noticed. Oh… she should probably return that back to him… her cheeks began to heat up most likely blossoming into a shade of pink. She really had been quite a mess and now she had to face it.  Why did she go ahead and drink?!

“Thank you though… for um for staying… and walking me home too… and I guess helping me up the stairs… and to my bed as well….” Wow, that was a long list. “Oh and for your sweatshirt… I-do you want it back…?”

DODGER:

3:48 a.m.

It was almost 4 in the morning. Dodger’s set had gotten out at about 12:30, which he was thankful for because there were many nights where he had gotten out wayyyy later than that. This was an early start date though meaning he was able to leave early. By the time he had gotten Minnie home and in bed, the clock had read 1:06, and here there were now.

Dodger was exhausted, yeah, he wanted to just crash but he knew he couldn’t. By being here, he had a job, and that was to make sure that Minnie was okay. And even though she wasn’t that drunk, Dodger just wanted to make sure.

He could stay up just a couple hours if it meant that.

Minnie took a spot next to him on the couch and he wanted nothing more than to just pull her closer. This is where the tables turned though, because the nerves were beginning to settle in for him. The conversation that he knew was inevitable would probably be happening within the next few minutes, and Minnie was being a little rambly and thanking him for everything that he had done for her that night., and apologizing for making him stay up.

“Hey, I wanted tos, so no need ta thank me.” He smiled, shrugging his shoulder as one of his arms moved up and over the back of the couch. “Plus it’s what I’m here for, right?” To be there for her. That’s what he had promised those short weeks ago.

At the mention of his sweatshirt though, Dodger couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Nah, yous can keep it.” He reached over, gently tugging on sweatshirt on her body. “Looks betta on yous than it did me anyway.” Throwing a cheeky little wink in for good measure.

MINNIE:

Minnie loved that cheeky thing of a wink, she loved when his lips pulled up into a smirk, when he teased her back, made her laugh and made her smile. He did that now, made her smile and formed that little bout of a laugh.

“You think so? It’s…. very comfy. I like it.” She confessed with a bit of a cute shrug in her shoulders.

But, Minnie could feel the strain that lingered in between the both of them. Even as she looked at him, was speaking with him and had smiled there was still some tension there. She knew that was her fault, and Dodger… he looked pensive as if he was trying to figure out what he was able to do now and what he couldn’t.

She didn’t want that. She didn’t want him not knowing what to do when she was around. And again that had been her fault all because she had allowed that fear to creep up enough so that she started acting distant, slowly taking steps further and further away. Minnie though, she didn’t want this. She knew she wanted to be with Dodger and he had stayed all to make sure she would be okay. That didn’t appear like someone who was with someone else, or was trying to move past another person.  

Minnie did hate her own head sometimes, but it had been a consequence of how she’s been hurt in the past that her head tended to over think when it shouldn’t. “You… you want to talk? I can see that you’re thinking about something…”  

DODGER:

“Yeahs,” Dodger responded, smiling a bit with his finger still tugging on the front pocket of the sweatshirt as Minnie popped up her shoulders. “It is fuckin’ comfy, it’s my favorite one too so yous should feel pretty fuckin’ special.” He quickly teased back, and yeah it may have been one of his favorites to wear after shows, but he could part with it. The air still remained a bit heavy between them though, and Minnie was also pretty quick to recognize that. Who wouldn’t? You could practically cut it with a knife. The fact that the two hadn’t really talked for about a week, and now they were forced (well not forced, Dodger definitely wanted to do this) to come face to face with whatever had managed to get in between them. “Yeahs, I do.” He really just wanted to get to the point because it felt like it was eating inside of him - the idea that he had done something so wrong that she had been upset at him enough for her to just ignore Dodger for a week.

He took a deep breath, grabbing one of her hands, holding it in his own. “I wanna know what happened. Did I do somethin’ ta like, piss you off? Cause I knows that I can be an asshole, but like…” Dodger trailed off a bit, his thumb gently moving against her hand as he tried to put into words what he was feeling; what he wanted to know. “I just want yous ta tell me if I did somethin’ that got yous upset. That way I can make sure neva to do it again.”

Because ultimately, this feeling fucking sucked. He hated the thought of her being this mad at him. Which...thinking about...shouldn’t have made him as mad as it did, but it did. Dodger was slowly, very slowly, trying to be a better person. For himself mainly, but for the people around him as well. To quit his life of stealing and fuckin’ going crazy because it only ended up jeopardizing the people he cared about, and they didn’t deserve that. So clearly he had fucked up again.

MINNIE:

No…. it was eating Dodger up.

Minnie could clearly see that in his eyes, heard it laced behind his words. She had grown to learn how to read people. It was needed in her job when patients wouldn’t tell her the whole story, which was necessary to provide the proper care.

She was reading that off of Dodger now.

And she felt horrible about that. Minnie had never meant to hurt him. In her attempts to stay away a bit so that she couldn’t end up hurt, she ended up hurting Dodger in the process. She had never wanted to ever do such a thing, and apparently she now had. It felt so awful, the emotion sitting so heavily against her chest.

His hand on hers, his thumb softly trailing over her skin that made it feel a little better. He really cared for her…. why had she been so quick to jump to conclusions?

Minnie shook her head trying to think of how she should even start to answer him. “I—no it wasn’t so much you-I… I just…. I” This was proving very hard to place into words.

“I got scared.” Because that’s what it was. Minnie had gotten scared. “I have a horrible history with this stuff… and it… it always ended with me getting the short stick…. Just getting hurt.” She laughed a little then her eyes dropping for a moment before she spoke again. “And when we got stuck in the gym because of that storm… it was… I picked up that there was something there between you and Rita…”

That was the part Minnie hadn’t wanted to speak about because she didn’t want to peg anything against Rita either, she knew that the pair of them had grown up together and because of that Minnie didn’t want to be the cause for any trouble.

“You guys grew up together… she’s family… maybe was more… or is more and I didn’t want to find out if it is more. I don’t know if this is making any sense, but… it’s just… I really like you, Dodger and if it is more that… that’ll really hurt and I-I didn’t want to face that.”

DODGER:

He was right. This was all stemming from that stupid fucking lockdown.

Dodger hated that she had felt this way. That this all came from a place where she thought him and Rita were together and that he was just leading Minnie on, or that she was his side piece or whatever the fuck she was thinking. This needed to just end, Dodger had to clear things up for her.

“Hey, hey, hey, listen ta mes.” He spoke surely, each word she spoke like another fucking stab right in the gut. “There is nothing between Reets and I anymore, okay? Yous right, we did grow up together, she’s like family ta me because it’s all I had growin’ up, but we ain’t nothin’ anymore.” Dodger shook his head, his eyes on Minnie as he spoke.

“I’m gonna be honest with yous though…” This was something he needed to add, because she had been truthful with him. Now it was his turn. “There was a time a few years ago where we were somethin’. We ended it though because it wasn’t good for our little group, we didn’t want to hurt ‘em by fuckin’ shit up. I moved on though, none’a those feelings are there anymore. It was the past, I ain’t livin’ there no mores.”

He took another breath, grabbing her other hand now so that he had both in hers. “I told yous last night, I would never fuckin’ hurt yous. Ever. That's a promise I ain't ever gonna break. Not last week when yous came over, not now, not however long from now.” The corner of his mouth turning up even the slightest bit. “I,” fuck he wasn't good with this shit. “I like yous too. I wouldn't fuck that up by playin’ yous along like that.”

MINNIE:

So there had been something. Minnie had pinned such a thing since the lockdown. It was all in the behavior Rita had portrayed, the tension in her body, her remarks…. she acted angry as if Dodger had done something to her the moment she had appeared. It was what had made Minnie so uncomfortable, what had made her start placing pieces together and think that something had been there, or was still there.

But it looked like what had been there, wasn’t there anymore for Dodger. He had been honest with her, opened up and confessed to everything even when he technically didn’t have to.

Minnie’s chest suddenly felt lighter and when he had grabbed both hands her eyes lifted back up so that she could look at him.

He was being so sincere and Minnie couldn’t help but to find it cute that he struggled a bit to confess how he felt because it had been a genuine struggle, one that sounded like the person was hardly use to saying words such as those at all. It sorta made her heart melt, her lips turning up into a smile.

She squeezed both hands gently, before she moved from where she had been to very softly place herself over Dodger’s lap, her body facing him. Minnie didn’t want that lingering space between them anymore, she didn’t want that tension or sense of awkwardness. She wanted the proximity the same one she had that night of the masquerade when they danced together, back when they had kissed in the hospital, and when she had been in his place and he had held her. She wanted her Dodger back, she didn’t want to push him away.

Minnie realized that… he would be worth the hurt, even if he promised never to do such a thing, he would be worth it. Her hands separated from his so that she could gently trace her thumb over both cheeks. “I’m sorry. I should’ve just spoken with you first before I…. well started jumping to things… I’m so sorry. Why you happen to like me, I have no idea.” She smiled then lightly teasing. “But I’m really glad that you do.”      

DODGER:

Truth be told, Dodger hadn’t known how his little confession was going to go. Not necessarily him telling Minnie that he liked her, but everything about Rita. It had been the source of Minnie’s insecurities the past week, and for him to admit that there was something there in the past...well who’s to say that Minnie would even believe him?

The dynamic that Rita and him had had before they got together and even after was always a little flirtatious in nature. It was just how it was, and from the outside yeah, it probably looked like the two might have actually been together. But like Dodger had told Minnie: they weren’t, his feelings for her weren’t there and he was pretty god damn positive that Rita didn’t feel that way towards him either. He had pushed those down a long time ago and had walked away from it all, leaving it behind him.

Seeing the smile that began to appear across Minnie’s face though made Dodger feel like nothing had ever even happen between them. Every little ounce of worry that had been inside him (and again, we all know that Dodger is definitely not the type to worry) vanished. And well, he beamed. The smile that appeared on his face fucking lit up the room. His arms wrapped around her waist as she climbed onto his lap, his hands sliding up her back to try and pull her closer to him as if that was even possible.

“Hey, stop that, yous don’t have to be sorry okay?” It sucked that she had jumped to these conclusions instead of just talking to him about these concerns, but ultimately, Dodger couldn’t blame her for the worry. She didn’t have to be sorry about it. “Now you knows though that yous always can just come ask me shit. I’m as open of a book as they come.” He never really hid stuff (unless of course he was trying to get shit out of people, then it was a different story), and he wasn’t going to keep that shit from Minnie.

With her playful little tease though, Dodger couldn’t help himself as the smirk already began to appear. “Wells..I could tell yas if you want me to.” His shoulders now popping up into a bit of a shrug as he continued to hold her close to him, the tone of his voice a little teasing in nature.

MINNIE:

Minnie enjoyed the fact that Dodger had pulled her in closer the minute she crawled herself on him. She normally wasn’t the type to initiate such things. For the most part, in the past, she was normally the one that got brought into, but with Dodger it felt so easy to simply be a little impulsive. Besides, she really did like whenever she could be so close to him. It was as if she couldn’t get enough of him.

She dropped her hands from his cheeks to allow her arms to slip around his neck. “I’ll make sure to remember that for next time.” She promised him, placing a soft smile on her lips.

Her forehead gently pressed itself against his. She was glad things felt back to normal, that Dodger was smirking and teasing her without feeling any reservation behind it. She really had missed this and was probably growing far too use to this already.

“I can’t say that I wouldn’t exactly mind hearing your answer.” Her voice was playful a small line of a smirk beginning to tug at her lips. “It better all be nice things.”

She pulled back slightly to give him a threatening glare that hardly looked like such at all and Minnie had practically broken the effect of it by finding herself laughing a bit anyways. She was horrible with such things as it was.

“You know, have I ever told you that I really happen to like your eyes?”

DODGER:

At the compliment, Dodger’s head fell as he let out a breath of laugh. His eyes fluttering just a couple moments as he lifted his head back up to face her. “And heres I thought that this was supposed ta be me talkin’ about what I like about yous. Not the other way around.”

Which speaking of which…

“But,” Dodger began his head pulling theirs apart so he could really look at her face, though keeping them close as his voice came out in almost a whisper. “For starters, I likes that laugh of yours and how easy it is for me ta make you laugh,” his head dipping down so he could place a light kiss against her cheek, “And the way that yous blush so easily too,” now moving closer down towards her jaw, “not to mention the fact that yous is beautiful when you’re blushin’ and when you ain’t.”

As he spoke, Dodger continued to take short, but very planned out pauses, kissing down the stretch of her jaw with each pause as he moved down her neck, listing each of the things that he liked about her. It really wasn’t all the necessary in the grand scheme of things, but Dodger was just way too god damn happy that whatever they had had previously hadn’t gotten fuckin’ ruined that he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to show that affection that he was feeling towards her, that he wasn’t going to let this little bump stop them.

“You’re smart…..one of the best damn nurses this town has…...I could keep goin’ if yous want?” His head lifting back up to he was face to face with her, his lips hovering for just a moment above Minnie’s before connecting them gently.

MINNIE:

“Oh, it is, but since I’m looking at your eyes at the moment I figured I’d let you know.”

It was one of her favorite features about Dodger, his eyes. Even when she had looked at the random stranger’s eyes back at the club, she still couldn’t quite get Dodger’s eyes out of her head.

She started to listen to his answer, her cheeks instantly turning a deep, deep red. His words were so sweet, they formed a run of butterflies in her stomach and made her want to just straight out melt right in his arms. She kept herself together though because it was bad enough that she had already blushed like a schoolgirl with an over obsessive crush. Minnie could feel heat emitting from the skin of her cheeks and wondered if Dodger’s lips could feel it as well as they softly came into contact with them.

Minnie was beginning to find it hard to concentrate on whatever Dodger was still saying, not because she hadn’t wanted to hear him, she did, but when his lips were traveling down her jaw and he spoke with a whisper that brushed over her skin… it left her head so fragmented.

Then his lips trailed down to her neck.... That has always been such a weak spot for Minnie and she found herself closing her eyes against the feel of his lips, her neck craning at an angle that would allow Dodger more access to her skin and her back arching without her even being aware of it. His kisses made her nerves spark under her skin and if he didn’t stop…. Minnie would soon be very lost.

His head lifted, her own straightening to look back at him, her eyes appearing slightly hazed. “You can. I’m not sure if I’ll make it out alright if you do.” She confessed, and as his lips gently pressed itself against her’s Minnie knew she definitely wouldn’t.

She pulled back, shaking her head. “Hmmm, maybe you shouldn’t.”  

DODGER:

That had earned a bit of a chuckle out of Dodger.

Though honestly speaking, Dodger wanted to keep leaving kisses across her body. Until he had traced every single inch. He couldn’t get enough of her. He hadn’t wanted to stop.

But he knew that he needed to.

Because otherwise, he would start to get carried away, and things would go a little farther between the two of them that he would have liked. Now that’s not to say he hadn’t wanted to take her back to her bedroom because he did, he really did. But there were two things that he needed to keep in mind.

One, he didn’t know if she really wanted to. Two, as much as he did want to...it didn’t feel right to right now. He liked her. She meant so much more to him than all the little flings that he had with girls previously; taking them straight home and never speaking a word again. He didn’t want her to be like that (which she wasn’t), and even though that’s not what she would be if they did...you know, it still didn’t feel like the appropriate time.

Especially because they had literally just “made up” two minutes ago.

But he could feel the way that she had moved with his touch, her back arching as he moved further down, her neck craning to allow him better access so that he could kiss her, and fuck he loved that. The way that she so easily just melted with his touch, that he could have that effect on her where she seemed almost high off his touch and breathless.

Putting it simply, Dodger was fucked and he knew it.