Timere

during • do re mi

It's silent for all of a minute, with me shocked into it because there's a knife at my-!

Lana growls, low and guttural, and I almost turn to look at her because it's something I've never heard before but the knife-

"Doe, Ray, if you don't back up right the fuck now, you will not see tomorrow morning."

The threat sends chills down my spine. Is that- Is she bluffing? I hope she's bluffing but the way the person behind me - the person holding the knife, holy shit - stiffens, they don't think so.

I'm suddenly reminded of a supressed memory of Lana beating the shit out of the poor sods who'd tried to rob our apartment complex.

Yeah... she's definitely not bluffing.

"So this is the little mermaid you haven't been able to keep away from. I wonder if she can actually sing."

The voice is taunting. Feminine, coming from the right. Oh- That's the one with the gun.

"Un... deux... trois..." Lana starts to count in French.

The person behind me shifts, uneasily, causing the knife to move a bit and I realize-

That's the blunt side. I let out a shaky breath.

"Doe..." The one behind me starts. Young male? Sounds like it. He's afraid.

"Shut up," Doe barks.

Newly identified Ray flinches back, pressing the knife deeper in. A whimper escapes before I can help it.

"Sept-" Lana gives a full body twitch at my whimper, and lashes out. Before I can even process anything, Ray is gone and my girlfriend is standing over Doe, her foot on the woman's skull.

"Don't fucking move," Lana hisses at her, then turns to me.

Me, who is only standing because of the adrenaline. She catches me as I tip over, carrying me bridal style and checking my neck. Whatever she sees must relieve her because some tension seems to leave her frame.

"You'd better thank your fucking God your partner didn't mark her," is what Lana says next, only to turn around and find Doe gone. She scowls. "Freaking typical."

She really looks at me this time. "Tesoro?"

And that's when the dam breaks, and I'm suddenly coughing and gasping for air and fucking crying because oh my God I almost fucking died this was not a prank-

"-oro! Baby, baby, breathe!-"

Who is-?

"-baby, you have to breathe. You're safe, I've got you-"

Lana?

"I swear I'll never let anything happen to you again, I'm so sorry-"

"Lana," I manage to choke out, lurching forwards to all but bury my face in the crook of her neck.

She smells like coffee, mint, honey and it's calming.

She smells like home.

My legs are wrapped around her waist now, and she's holding onto me like a lifeline.

"I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have brought you here, I could've just taken you to a gym, I-"

I cut her off with a kiss. Although it's less kiss and more smashing my mouth against hers to get her to stop talking. There's clacking teeth and wrongly positioned noses but it's grounding enough that she doesn't pull away until we both need air.

"You have so much explaining to do," is the first thing I say when we separate.

She grimaces, but doesn't deny it.

-
Right in the nick of time too. Shit is still getting very real.