𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 ↬ [𝐄N]

𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 - 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝟮

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

╰┈➤  𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘉𝘈𝘉𝘓𝘠 𝘖𝘕𝘓𝘠 𝘞𝘏𝘌𝘕 𝘙𝘈𝘍𝘌
and I stopped in front of the chateau. I thought to myself if everything would hopefully go well. That I would have no rejection from my family and my only home.

“Hey,” Rafe cupped my face in his hands, “I don't care if they like me or not. The main thing is that they accept your decision and your actions, yeah?” I nodded a little unsure, took his hand from my cheek and kissed it briefly before we walked towards the porch.

So far none of the Pogues have been seen. As soon as he was called, however, my brother pushed open his door and trotted out, and close behind him was not only JJ, but also Sarah.

"Emma!" she said happily and immediately beamed at me. "The others told me about your trip yesterday and that you didn't get here in time. We were all worried.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. "That's why I am here. Can we talk?" Sarah looked a little confused and glanced at John B.

JJ stood by and spotted Rafe first. "Wait, wait - what's he doing here?", he hissed. There were mainly negative emotions in his voice.

Rafe was pretty good at defending himself though. “I come in peace, man. Honestly.”

JJ wasn't pleased at all, and my brother just had his arms crossed listlessly over his chest. "Well then. Let's go. We're listening, sis.”

It was probably one of the most important moments for me. Not knowing what could happen and that the opinion of others was important to me after all. Skillfully I tried to put my words together.

Rafe gave me a gentle nudge and I simply linked our hands. He gave me so much support that my whole heart was showered with warmth.

"Just because you are my family and I love you more than anything, I wanted to let you know that I was out with Rafe yesterday," I began, ignoring the initially suspicious and slightly hateful looks Rafe received. "And that's going to happen more often now that we're officially a couple-"

Sarah grinned and spun around briefly, then pointed at me and her brother. "Oh my God. I definitely saw that coming!”

John B broke his stance and looked at her in bewilderment. "Yes? And it doesn't occur to you to let me know?"

She shook her head cheekily. "Thought your twin senses were strong enough."

The two quarreled affectionately for a while and any blind man would have noticed how in love they are. Only JJ was unusually quiet. Prickly calm. He gritted his teeth a bit. "Great." He threw up his hands theatrically. "Do you want to pick up the blessing for your wedding right now? To keep the family united.”

Of course, not all reactions could be positive. One always had to swim against the river. I felt Rafe tense through our hands, making me let go and want to take a step toward the blonde. Rafe held me back and looked deep into my eyes. "Let me do it, Em. I'm his problem."

I nodded in agreement and the two boys walked away from us. I brought my attention back to Sarah and my brother. We girls grinned at each other, thought exactly the same thing, and then hugged tightly. I picked her up a little and she laughed.
"You're 6'1" too tall for a girly hug."

Giggling, I hugged her and set her down. "Little different from my brother. So it can't be that bad," I said and John B just grumbled that he had heard all that well.

I could easily see that he was still struggling to maintain the facade of the strict twin. But at the same time, I guess it just made his heart happy to see me happy. Because with Rafe - after all this time - that was more than anything.

JJ'S PERSPECTIVE

Actually, I could do well without talking to the Kook Prince. But at the same time I was too interested in what he wanted to say. Maybe he came out with the fact that he wasn't serious about Emma and I could smack him for it.

I stopped in front of him grimly and looked at him. "Listen," he demanded, taking a deep breath, "I don't give a damn how much you hate me, do I? But if Emma's upset cause of you, because she feels judged by you, I swear to god I'm gonna kill you."

"Oh," I nodded wryly, "a threat then. Why don't you pay me right now for not telling her the truth, huh?” I took a step toward him. The fact that he was a few centimeters taller than me didn't intimidate me one bit. I'd fought him before and I'd like to do it all over again.

Rafe fixed me questionably with his gaze. "You hate us Pogues as much as I hate you Kooks," I told him. "Why would you be in love with one, huh? And then the Pogue Princess.”

He unceremoniously rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly defensively.
“Emma is different. She... probably evokes the most beautiful things in me, so that I could almost be satisfied with myself. You wouldn't understand," he said sharply, wrinkling his nose, but I just stood in front of him in refusal. Didn't want to admit what I wouldn't be able to change anyway.

“You don't deserve her. She's way too good for you, man. You'd only hurt her," I let him know, and anger flashed in the other person's eyes.

"You think I don't know, huh?" He pressed his palms to the sides of his head and when he looked up at me again, his eyes were tearful. “There are moments when she smiles at me, JJ, and I feel guilty that she does. I could never forgive myself if I hurt her. And everything ... EVERYTHING I do, I do for her. Fuck, man, I'd do anything. Anytime.”

He lets out a breath, almost hyperventilating, glancing behind me at her—I think—as I observe the change in his face. His facial features are so damn soft. He looks like he's in a trance and his eyes are so full of affection that I can also see the morbid obsession in them, which I don't like at all. On the one hand, they seem made for each other and on the other hand, broken as they are, they can only be doomed to failure. I got that now.

"You love Emma. All you do love is her. There is nothing more. And you're not afraid that she might break your heart. Why?” Then Rafe looked at me again, and while I wasn't the smartest person, I could have figured it out myself.

It would probably have the worst ending.

He would be so full of emptiness and pain that he might kill her, and then himself.

Rafe locked eyes with me. "No, not Emma. No one has ever responded to me with so much fulfilled love. Except for her.”

Then he added something else. “We're a lot more alike than you think, JJ. More alike than you'd like."

"Yeah, that we both grew up on the Cut, huh? Never had any money and always lurking on the edge of the cliff because we have nothing to lose. Because we end up in the cell anyway,” I told him that there is nothing that connects us. There will never be anything either.

The only connection we had with each other was through Emma.

His Emma.

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜