𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 | the boys 1

xiv. 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐑

~𝙒𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩, 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢, 𝙊𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩~

Being back here after everything that had occurred since last time was something incredibly strange. Both Rowan and Butcher stood on the deserted sidewalk in the dark, mindlessly staring ahead with their backs to the road. This was where they met -... it was where they barely shook hands, at least.

Their knuckles grazed against each other, prompting Butcher to finally speak under the flickering street lamp, "You should probably get the bag and go now, eh?"

"Probably." Rowan agreed, but the two of them remained dead still. Stood here all rigid, looking over her 'fuck supes' sign, her mind couldn't help but wander. Sometimes, she wished she could let go of all the maturity over what happened and kick her legs, screaming like a toddler about the unfairness of it all. Just the thought of it made her arm jerk, her hand brush against his. As soon as the opportunity was there, a powerful grab squeezed her fingers together, as if on impulse.

"I'm assuming you've got somewhere safer to camp out, what with 'em getting onto Frenchie." He uttered whilst glaring down the dark alley. Butcher bowed his head and let out a rumbling groan as she dislodged her hand and shifted away out of embarrassment. "Rowan," He started just as she bolted ahead to pack up her things from behind the dumpster.

"I'll find somewhere." She huffed as a wide shadow fought the light over her.

"Yeah, well, as long you're sure. Fuckin' hell." He grunted. "Didn't give it another thought in the car, then?"

"Sorry, no. I was too busy trying to cry in front of you again." Rowan's retort was cold, made him believe he probably deserved to be guilted for that one. Ouch. Once she had finished packing up, her head bowed, allowing her hair to hide her face from him.

"Where are you gonna' go?"

"...I don't know." She sighed. Where to hide tonight was on the bottom of the list inside her head. She couldn't bump it up no matter how hard she tried. "Can I go with you?"

Butcher almost instantly turned his head away. Flaring his nostrils, he nodded, "Yeah." The swiftness of his response caught her by surprise, "Come on, then."

"R-really?" She pushed herself up from the knelt position and pulled the old satchel over her shoulder.

"Well, it'd be a bit of cunt move otherwise, now wouldn't it?" He reasoned, only to be met with a quiet little shrug.

____________________

"It smells the same." Rowan almost smiled, looking around the apartment as the lights flicked on, illuminating the tanned floorboards and minimal furniture.

"Charming, as always."

"I didn't say you smell like shit." She shrugged defensively.

"Well, you ain't sayin' I smell like roses." Said Butcher, "Naturally, I'm entitled to take great offence."

Rowan sucked her stomach in to prevent any kind of display of entertainment from his stone cold sarcasm. She wanted to. She wanted to every time he would make an immature face in her direction on cue to anyone mentioning anything overtly 'adult'.