Hostage to you | B.E

34 in bed

The sun is barely leaking through the blinds when I feel Billie shift beside me.

Her hand is already on my stomach, skin warm and familiar, and her breath fans the back of my neck. I must've turned in my sleep again — I always do when I'm stressed — and without saying anything, she just curled into me like I'm still whole.

We haven't said anything yet.

It's that kind of morning. The kind where the world feels quieter than usual, like it knows something's hanging in the air between us that neither of us wants to disturb.

She presses a soft kiss between my shoulder blades. Then another. And another. Lingering, like she's afraid I might vanish if she stops.

"You're awake," I murmur, not turning around just yet.

"I was watching you breathe," she says, voice gravelled and low. "You twitch in your sleep. Like a dog chasing squirrels."

I snort and roll onto my back, catching the way her lips twitch at the corners. "You're lucky I like you."

"Am I?"

She leans over me now, hair falling in a soft curtain around our faces. Her fingers drag lightly down my ribs like she's playing a familiar melody on an old piano. I swear she knows my body better than I do — the places that make me laugh, squirm, sigh.

"I didn't sleep," she admits.

"Because of yesterday?"

She shrugs, but I feel the tension before I see it. Her jaw tightens. "Kind of. Your dad's still in town."

That pulls me further awake. "Did he... say something again?"

"No. Just showed up. I think he thinks he can just insert himself and you'll fall in line." She pauses. "And I know I should probably let you deal with it, but I swear to god, Raven—if he hurts you again..."

Her voice shakes just slightly at the edges. That's what gets me. Not the words. The effort it takes for her to keep them steady.

I reach up, cupping her cheek. "You being here is enough. You don't have to go full CIA on him."

She cracks a smile, small and fleeting. "I'd be such a good spy, though."

"No. You'd wear platform Jordans and give yourself away immediately."

"Rude," she whispers, and kisses me. Just once. Slow and sweet and quiet.

It's not a kiss that asks for more. It just says I'm here. You're safe. We've got time.

I pull her fully into my arms, and she lets me — draping herself over me like gravity's pulled her into place. One of her legs finds mine beneath the covers. Her arms circle my waist. I breathe her in.

For a second, there's no dad. No press. No headlines.

Just us.

Her lips press against my collarbone now. "We should probably get up."

"We should," I echo.

We don't.

She settles back down with a sigh, cheek resting against my chest, fingers tracing idle shapes against my skin.

"Do you think it'll always be like this?" she asks softly. "Us, fighting to have normal mornings?"

I think about it for a second, then answer honestly. "Maybe. But I also think we're worth fighting for."

Her whole body relaxes against me. "Good answer."

"I have my moments."

"I love you, you know."

It catches me in the ribs every time she says it. Like she's giving me something fragile and precious, and trusting I won't drop it.

"I love you too."

She shifts slightly, kisses the space beneath my jaw. "Good. Then I can keep doing this."

And she does. Small kisses trailing along my jawline, soft sighs filling the space between us. Her fingers tangling in my hair.

We stay in bed a while longer. Eventually, we'll have to deal with Fred. And the press. And whatever comes next.

But not yet.

Right now, it's just her. And me. And the kind of morning that makes even broken things feel like they still belong.

A/N: short chapter to feed yall
I'm very busy with school so I can't update as much as I'd like
X 💋