//𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 (Lee Christmas x Reader)

fifteen.

He turned around.

You hurried as fast as you could on a broken body, and after a moment of shock, he was hurrying to meet you halfway. He was faster than you for the first time since you had known him. The thought made you laugh, but the laugh came out as a dusty cough. The smile pressed your bruises aside and ripped open your lips, pennies filling your mouth. It didn't matter. It didn't matter at all.

"Barney," you said, reaching forward as he neared, a few steps away. You collapsed into his arms and he held you, face buried in the crook of your neck, hands pressed firm against your upper back. You let out a cry as you felt him, the smell of his cigars and expensive cologne permeating the air around you. He supported most of your weight, clinging to you, his chest heaving against your own.

"Y/n," he said, and you heard tears in his voice. "Come on baby. Come here."

He pulled back from you and looked at your face with a frown, but the relief behind it was immeasurable. Your body shook as you realized you were finally safe again. You slouched forward into him, taking him by surprise, and he held you and guided you towards the ground as you began to fall.

"What is it?" He asked, flustered. "Come on, hon. Talk to me."

"I'm so fucking tired, Barney," you cried, holding onto him, looking up at his face. "I want to go home."

"We're going," he said, brushing hair out of your face, which was sticking to the blood coating your skin. "We're going, babe. Come on."

"Barney," you said again, crying because you were so happy, so relieved that you had made it.

"Sh," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of your head, which was on fire from the sun beaming directly down onto it for hours. "I got you, baby. Come on. Stand up- Let me help you. You did it. You did it."

When Barney had turned around before he ran to you, he had cursed to himself. The sound had traveled through the open cargo doors and to Trench, who was still floating on the adrenaline of fresh loss. He stood and barreled out, half expecting a war, but hesitated when he saw Barney sinking to the ground.

He was holding you up almost completely against his side, arms wrapped protectively around your abdomen. He was covered in blood now, too. He turned you around, back towards the plane, panicking and crying and shocked because holy hell what the fuck was happening?

Your head wobbled, unsteady, but you saw him standing by the plane.

"Daddy?" You cried, pulling yourself from Barney with a strength he hadn't expected. He blinked, reaching after you as you stumbled towards Trench. "Dad?"

Trench took a step, worried that he had finally went and lost his damn mind. After all, when was the last time you had called him daddy? You had to be eight or nine, dirt caked under your fingernails from mud pies after a storm. He saw the woman hurrying towards him, and he walked forwards too.

—-

Trench held his arms out in front of him, bent down.

You struggled for a second, finding your balance, and then one step- two steps- holy hell, you were heading right for him.

—-

"Y/n?" He called back, voice loud and carrying across the tarmac. Barney was still following after you, bloody footprints sizzling on the pavement.

You cried and hurried for him. He heard the dry sobs burst from your throat and he felt his heart break. He moved faster, arms swinging at his sides.

—-

It was dark and you were crying, standing a few feet in front of him, older now, pigtails frizzy on your head. A bad dream.