#nysmxreader

It had been about a week since Lula had joined the team. They were putting the finishing touches on their plan to destroy OCTA. Sutton was still skeptical of the new addition to the team, not sure whether it was safe to get too close to Lula just yet. 

On quite a few occasions, Sutton saw Lula hitting on Jack. He would give her his signature heart-melting smile and brush her off. If only Jack knew what that was doing to Lula. Merritt, on the other hand, was doing the opposite. Much like he always did to Henley, Merritt threw little compliments and weird comments her way. Sutton would roll her eyes, laughing to herself, remembering Merritt had been out of practice for some time now. Dylan seemed to be enjoying his newest addition. He constantly had side conversations with her. It seemed Lula’s role in the heist grew each day.

Then, there was Danny. Her Danny. Sutton watched Danny closely every day, seeing as his eyes lit up every time he spoke about the heist. His lips seemed to have a permanent curl to them now. However, every night, Danny went back to their apartment, and Sutton went to Merritt and Jack’s. The feeling of not knowing what he was doing there haunted Sutton every night. Was he hurting too? Was he with someone else? Was he thinking about how to get Sutton back?

“Sut!” Jack’s voice knocked her out of her trance. “What do you think?” Sutton stared at him blankly, praying no one else would notice. Jack did and quickly saved her. “You think you can take Henley’s place in the flirting department?”

Sutton let out a heavy sigh. “Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. I’m not sure if my flirting skills will fool anyone.”

“They always fooled me,” Danny murmured, looking up at her and giving her a side smirk. Sutton blushed, wanting so badly to kiss the smirk off his face as they held their gaze.

Lula cleared her throat, dragging Danny and Sutton’s attention from each other. “So, we’re all set, right?”

“I think we’re ready,” Dylan nodded. “Meet here bright and early tomorrow morning.” The five groaned as they left Dylan and walked out of the Horsemen Hideout.

“Hey, Sutton,” Lula peeped up, grabbing hold of her arm. Sutton spun around to face her. “It’s still early. Want to get something to eat?”

Sutton looked back at the others. “Go have a guys night. Talk about what you did before…” She trailed off, realizing what she was about to say.

Danny cleared his throat. “Yeah, okay. Have fun, Sut.” They gave her a smile, then the three of them walked off as Sutton watched.

“So, what’s your poison?” Lula asked, rubbing her hands together. “Sushi? Chinese? Italian?”

Sutton smiled. “Nah, I’m a burger and fries type of girl.”

Lula looked at her in shock. “Really? You don’t seem like it.”

Sutton sighed. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Lula.”

Lula smiled. “That’s why I want to hang out with you. I know you aren’t comfortable with me quite yet, and I get it. Danny told me it takes a bit for you to let your guard down.”

Sutton chuckled. “Danny told you that?” She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling her face heat up.

“He did,” Lula stated, taking note of how Sutton acted at the mention of Danny.

The pair went to a nearby restaurant and called their order in. Lula went and retrieved it, the two walking a short distance to Lula’s apartment. By the time they sat down, Sutton’s walls had started to crumble. Lula wasn’t that bad, just a little crazier than Sutton was used to.

“So, what happened with you and Danny?” Lula asked as she ate a fry.

“W-What do you mean? Sutton stuttered as she squirted ketchup in her to-go container.

“Oh, come on!” Lula laughed. “It’s pretty obvious something happened between the two of you. I mean, every time Danny talks to you, you get this look in your eyes and a goofy smile. Hell, I catch Danny full on staring at you whenever you’re doing something, especially if you’re helping Jack. He looks like he wants to tackle you and tie you down.”

Sutton bit her lip as she dipped a fry in the ketchup. “It’s… complicated.”

“Complicated how?” Lula asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she bit her burger.

Sutton contemplated her options- to tell Lula or keep her in the dark. She took a bite of her burger and decided it wasn’t fair not to tell her. “After our first show in Vegas, we slept together,” Sutton blushed, Lula’s eyes growing. “I had been falling for him for almost a year before that. Apparently, he had been too. We hid it from the others, until after our last show, when Jack and I met the others in Central Park at the-”

“Lionel Shrike Tree,” Lula stated. “Jack mentioned how it led you all into hiding.”

Sutton chuckled. “Right. Well, after we went into hiding, Danny and I were officially dating. I was living with Henley and he was living with Merritt and Jack. He would visit just about every other day, and I would visit him. When Henley left, he moved in with me.” Sutton let out a sigh. “It was amazing, to be living with him, to wake up beside him every morning.”

Lula giggled. “You were living a fairytale. You know, if thieves had such luxuries.”

Sutton smiled. “Yeah, I guess we were.”

They ate in silence for a moment, Sutton reliving the beautiful moments she had with Danny. Suddenly, Lula asked the question Sutton had been dreading.

“So, what changed between you two?”

Sutton sighed. “Let’s just say Danny did something that made me not trust him.”

“Damn,” Lula groaned. “That’s awful. You have no choice but to see him every day now. Break-ups suck.”

“It’s not really a break-up, just a break,” Sutton clarified.

“Look, Ross,” Lula joked, “it sounds to me like Danny fucked up. How can you forgive him?”

Sutton sighed. “It’s hard to understand, I know. Jack and Merritt are still confused. But, I just have this feeling that Danny is going to fix everything. He’s going to fix us.”

Lula scoffed. “Danny’s one lucky guy for you to just wait for him to somehow fix things.”

Sutton chuckled. “You just don’t know Danny like I do. No one does.” She smiled, feeling as though her heart was in the right place with her decision.

Lula shrugged. “So, tell me- Is he a control freak in the bedroom?” Sutton snorted. “Did he tie you up? I can totally see him having a kink for that!”

Danny looked up to see Sutton standing there, caught between wanting to stay and wanting to go. Her eyes wandered the room as her fingers twiddled.

“Sutton, please,” Danny started as he ran towards her. “Please don’t go.” He took her hands in his.

Sutton looked at their hands, then up at Danny. She looked into his eyes- filled with pain and uncertainty. She cleared her throat. “Um, Danny, I should really-.”

Danny squeezed her hands, forcing Sutton to go quiet. He sighed, shaking his head. “What do you know, Sutton?” Sutton didn’t look at him. “Please. Tell me what you know and I’ll explain.”

Sutton chewed on her lip, contemplating how much to tell him. She decided on the truth. “I followed you, through those tunnels.” She looked up at Danny. He gulped. “I couldn’t get in, obviously, but I know it was The Eye, Danny.”

“Sutton, I can explain everything,” Danny told her, his voice straining through the pain. “There’s a reason why I did it- why I needed to do it.”

Sutton scoffed, tears in her eyes. “Really? You just “needed” to go behind our backs? There is no good reason for betrayal, Danny.”

“Dylan said you aren’t as focused as you once were!” Danny blurted. He breathed in heavily, relieved to have the truth finally out.

Speechless, Sutton sat down on the couch. Her face was frozen in confusion. “Why would he say that? When did he say that?” she asked Danny as he squatted in front of her, holding her hands once more.

“About a week ago,” Danny confessed, moving to his knees. “I went to see him, to explain that Jack, Merritt, and I decided to give Dylan one more month. If he couldn’t find a way for us to perform, we were going to find a way ourselves.”

“So, no one thought it would be okay to talk to me about this first?” Sutton questioned.

“Sutton, I was afraid that if we waited any longer, you would leave too,” Danny admitted. “I couldn’t risk that. I told Dylan exactly that. That’s when he said that you loved the Horsemen too much, that you caring too much would cause you to mess up in your performance.”

Sutton breathed out. “If that’s how Dylan feels, I might as well leave.”

“No, Sut. That’s why I did what I did,” Danny explained, now sitting beside her on the couch. “After I left Dylan’s that day, I received a message. It clearly was from The Eye.”

“But why, Danny?” Sutton interrupted him. “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?” Her eyes began to water.

Danny shook his head, ashamed of his actions. “I don’t know, Sutton. I guess I was afraid that you would just be upset that I was trying to go over Dylan’s head.”

Sutton sat, again biting her lip. She bit hard, knowing exactly what she needed to tell Danny. “I’m upset that you went over Dylan’s head, yeah, but, I feel betrayed that you went behind my back, Jack’s and Merritt’s too, to meet who you thought was The Eye. For all you know, the person behind the voice could have killed you.”

Danny scoffed. “That’s pushing it, Sutton.”

“No, it’s not!” Sutton yelled, standing up and pacing the room. “You could have exposed us, you idiot!” She took a deep breath. “Danny, I think we need a break.”

“W-what?” Danny stuttered, standing up and moving toward Sutton. “Sutton, you don’t mean that. You’re just angry.”

“Yeah, I do mean it, Danny,” Sutton admitted. “I saw that text message the other morning. I thought you were cheating on me. Can you believe it?” Sutton scoffed. “Honestly, I wish you had been, because this feels so much worse.” Sutton walked to their bedroom, pulling out her backpack and throwing clothing into it.

“Sutton, please,” Danny pleaded with her. “I messed up. I admitted to it. What else can I do?”

Sutton rolled her eyes. “You know how I feel about liars, Danny. Start telling the truth. Every chance you get. With me. With Merritt. With Jack. Hell, even with Dylan. Until you can do that, I can’t be with you. I can’t be with someone I can’t trust.” Sutton zipped up her backpack. “I’ll see you at the Hideout tonight.”

“Where are you going?” Danny asked, his voice cracking. “Merritt and Jack’s?”

Sutton sighed, her hand on the apartment door. “I don’t know, Danny.”

With that, she left. Danny’s knees hit the hardwood floor. His breath caught in his chest, a sharp pain erupting within his heart. “She’s gone,” Danny croaked. He felt his breathing go ragid. Suddenly, he felt hot tears rolling down his face. Danny’s greatest fear was coming to life, and he helped it grow into a reality by betraying the woman he loved in the worst way possible.

~~

Sutton breathed heavily as she stood in front of the door. To say she was nervous was an understatement. Despite her fears, she lifted her fist to the door and pounded.

“What the hell is with people-” The door swung open and there stood Dylan. “Sutton? What are you doing here?” He stood to the side, allowing her space to walk inside.

“Not much,” she said, her voice obviously still off from her encounter with Danny. She sat down on the couch as Dylan took a seat opposite of her.

Dylan studied her for a moment. He sighed. “What happened with you and Danny?”

“A lot, actually,” Sutton admitted. “However, it all seems to have stemmed from something you told him.”

“Me?” Dylan gasped. “What did I do?”

Sutton huffed. “Dylan, you know I hate confrontation. It’s the last thing I ever want,” she admitted. “But what Danny told me you said, well, it hurt. And if I don’t get to the bottom of this, I might just leave.”

“Sutton, this is crazy!” Dylan shouted.

“Danny told me you think I will lose focus,” Sutton told him. Dylan looked at her, his face contorting. “He said you think I care too much which will end up affecting my performance.”

“Sutton, I didn’t mean it how it sounds,” Dylan said. “I just meant that sometimes a big heart gets you into some big trouble, especially in this line of work.”

Sutton bit her lip. “Maybe you’re right,” she told him. Sutton cleared her throat. “Danny and I are taking a break.” Dylan’s eyes grew. “Don’t worry- I’m not leaving the Horsemen over something like this. I’m just taking a break to see if I can trust Danny again. I’ve challenged him to become the best version of himself. I know he will fix us.” Sutton side-smiled at her own words. She was starting to believe it, because she believed in Danny’s love for her.

Danny jumped a bit, startled by the door’s sudden closure.

“Welcome, Daniel Atlas,” a voice which sounded animatronic boomed around him. 

“Who am I speaking to?” Danny asked the voice as he walked to the center of the dark room. “I asked to see the face behind all of this.” Out of habit, he sat his phone down on the ledge of what appeared to be a bowl. Looking inside, he saw his reflection a number of times in broken pieces of glass. It was almost poetic, if he was being sentimental.

“You’ve asked many questions and registered many complaints,” the voice responded. “You can be rest assured that we’ve heard you.”

“Have you?” Danny replied, his anger starting to take over. “Because I don’t-”

“Trust?” the voice questioned. “Your leader? Your fellow Horsemen? Perhaps even us?”

Danny shook his head, knowing fully well what they were trying to do to him. “I don’t like that we’ve been living in hiding for a year. I don’t like that every message we get from Dylan is, ‘Wait! Be patient. The Eye has a plan.’”

“Wait!” the voice mocked him and Danny let out an annoyed chuckle. “Be patient. The Eye has a plan.”

“This is games,” Danny complained, “and it’s not working for me.” He turned for the door.

“You feel it is you who should be leading the Horsemen, not Dylan.” Danny froze, his body slowly turning around. “If that is what you desire, stay the course. Trust that your unique talents and remarkable mind will not go unrecognized.” Danny couldn’t help but smirk to himself.

“We have a new mission for the Horsemen. Dylan has a plan and will gather you together soon.” The lights dimmed around Danny, the only visible light coming from his phone. “Now leave.”

~~

Sutton left the tunnel, the hood of her sweatshirt wrapped tightly around her face, hiding Sutton’s delicate features from the rest of the world. Aimlessly, she began walking around New York City. The sun was just coming up when she took a seat on a bench.There she sat, alone with the one thing that scared Sutton the most- her own thoughts. What was she going to do? How could she even pretend to look at Danny like she knew nothing? Hell, she didn’t even understand why Danny would ever go behind her back to seek out The Eye.

The vibration from her phone knocked Sutton out of her trance. She wiped her eyes, unaware that tears had fallen down her face. “Hello?” Sutton sniffed.

“Bonjour, mon amour!” Henley’s voice cooed through the phone. Sutton smiled, happy to hear her cousin’s voice for the first time in days.

“Henley!” Sutton laughed through her pain. “It’s so good to hear your voice.”

“It’s so good to hear yours too, ma beauté.” The way Henley could speak French words almost made Sutton fall in love. “Tell me- what’s wrong?”

Sutton scrunched her eyebrows and looked around her, unsure of how Henley knew something was off. “What are you talking about? Nothing’s wrong.”

“Then why did I get a frantic phone call from Jack?” Henley questioned. Sutton sighed, placing a hand on her face.

“Damn it,” Sutton whispered. “I totally forgot we were supposed to go for a run before dawn.”

“Mhm,” Henley responded, wanting more.

“It’s just been a crazy morning, Hen.” Sutton forced out a laugh.

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” Henley insightfully guessed.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Sutton explained, “It’s just that I’m really confused.”

“It’s Danny, isn’t it?”

Sutton sighed. “Yes, but-”

“Say no more. I’m coming back.”

“What? No, Hen!” Sutton fought back. “That’s crazy. You can’t come home every time I have a problem.”

“Like hell I can’t!” Henley responded. “What did he do, Sutton? Did he cheat on you? I swear to all that is good in this world, if he did, I will cut off hi-”

“Please don’t finish that sentence,” Sutton begged her. Sighing, she said, “No, he didn’t cheat on me.”

Henley sighed. “Sutton, what happened?”

“Like I said, it’s just really confusing right now. I need to talk to Danny.”

“Okay, but if you need me-” Sutton pulled her phone away from her ear as it began to vibrate. Seeing it was Danny, she ignored it. “Got it?” Henley’s voice rang out.

“Yeah,” Sutton smiled. “You’re always there for me. Thanks, Hen.” Sutton sighed. “So, how’s Paris? Prettier than when we robbed the bank?”