ALL FOR US || The Boondock Saints

T W E L V E

Nobody spoke about what had happened earlier that day. It was nagging at Victoria because she so badly wanted to talk about it, but had no idea how to bring it up or what to even say. All she wanted Murphy to know was that it wasn't 'nothing' to her, and she wanted Connor to know she felt the same about him.

Murphy had wanted to discuss it with his brother, to apologize for making a move on the girl even though they had both agreed they wouldn't. He wanted to tell him that Victoria's words had scared him, and he couldn't bare the thought of her leaving them.

Connor simply tried to push the image of them out of his mind. He wasn't mad. He didn't blame his brother for kissing her; hell, he probably would've gone against his own promise himself if the opportunity had arisen.

As the afternoon turned into night time, Connor pulled Murphy and Victoria out of the house to go to the local pub. He and Murphy hadn't been there in years, and after today, Connor desperately needed a drink. They walked down the street, a strange, unspoken awkwardness between them. Luckily, the pub wasn't far from their house, and it wasn't long before they had pushed the large door open and stepped inside.

It reminded Victoria of McGinty's, and it made her miss home. The pub wasn't overly busy, but the twin's presence garnered a chorus or cheers and greetings from the patrons. They hugged and shook hands with nearly everybody there. They also made a point to introduce everybody to Victoria, both of them feeling a sense of pride at having this beautiful girl here with them. Once they had finally seated themselves at a table, someone brought them over a round of drinks as a welcome gift. Connor immediately downed his, earning him surprised looks from Murphy and Victoria. He quickly got up and wandered over to the bar to order more drinks. Murphy and Victoria looked at each other, confusion on both their faces. They didn't voice their confusion, though.

Murphy watched Victoria as she sipped her drink and looked around the pub. With his eyes on her lips, he wanted so badly to lean forward and kiss her again, but he didn't let himself. He didn't even know how she felt about him right now.

Connor took a quick shot of bourbon up at the bar before returning to the table with another round of drinks. He felt the liquor burn as it travelled down his throat, filling him with a quick warmth. He sat down and noticed Victoria looking at him, concern in her eyes.

"You okay, Connor?" She asked cautiously.

"Aye, my love." He said, taking a deep gulp from his new drink. "It's good to be back."

As the night went on, people came and went from their table, saying their hellos and introducing themselves to Victoria. The bar was becoming busier, and there were now plenty of people the boys had never met before. Some people had come in, already having gotten drunk and kicked out from other bars beforehand.

Connor and Murphy were very aware of how some men were eyeing off Victoria whenever she left the table to go to the bar. Murphy felt the same urge he had earlier that day when he kissed her; a primal urge to claim her as his, especially in front of all the other men who were looking at her in that moment. But he knew he couldn't, because she wasn't his.

Connor felt a similar feeling within himself, but it seemed to stem from jealousy after what he saw today. His brother had gotten to act on how he felt about the girl, so why couldn't he? But, even through his slight drunkenness, he knew he'd never want to kiss her without being sure she wanted him to. She didn't belong to neither he nor his brother.

As the brothers sat at the table, drinks in their hands, they watched yet another guy approach Victoria up at the bar while she waited to order the next round of drinks. She was always friendly, smiling up at whoever she was speaking with, but always keeping a distance. They both watched as the man put his hand on Victoria's lower back, and before Connor could let himself get annoyed, he pushed his chair out from the table, stood up, and walked towards the front door. Even Murphy had wanted to jump up and strangle the guy who was talking to Victoria, but Connor's abrupt departure had distracted him. He glanced back over at Victoria who was now looking at him, confusion on her face.