The Kingpin

•27•

Goodmorning (it's almost 5 am for me)! This is unedited so feel free to roast me in the comments if you gotta. Much love, hope you enjoy :)

Rafael

  Waking up next to her every day still felt unreal- and it had been at least two months. Kalani had started to come over every week and would stay for a few nights. And while Rafael would never admit it out loud, for he was much too scared, he was starting to warm up to the idea of this family of his.

  He figured making it permanent would scare Amelia away, though. So for now this was a yearning he kept to himself. Besides, he was way too busy with work and he couldn't keep himself energized anymore.

  Amelia kisses his cheek but makes no effort to speak at first as she glides around the room one morning. Rafa can't help but smile as she kisses each corner of his mouth, laughing softly.

  "G'morning," She greets him quietly before disappearing into the bathroom.

  He would be a fool if he didn't know that she got high every morning before he woke up. It didn't seem like it mattered at that point, though. She couldn't stop and he wasn't going to ask her to.

  Grumbling at each new sore muscle and ache, Rafael got himself out of bed and padded over into the bathroom.

  "Shit-" Before he knew it, his head felt like it was spinning and his vision grew cloudy.

  She looks over at him from her place in front of the mirror and furrows her brow. "What was that-" Amelia sets her toothbrush down and rushes over to him, taking his arm and guiding him to sit on the edge of the bathtub. "Get dizzy again?"

  Rafael nods but chuckles and rolls his eyes saying, "Yeah. Must've gotten up too fast or something."

  "Baby, it's been happening a lot lately. Maybe we should check it out?"

  His expression grows serious, just as it always does when they have this conversation once ever few days. "No doctors. I've been working a lot is all."

"But what about the fever?"

"Just stress, Amelia. I'm good."

Amelia tries to push away her doubts as she helps him back up and into the bed for a few more minutes. This had almost become a daily routine. She would help him back to bed, make his coffee, and then they would go on about their days as if nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

He kisses her cheek as she falls asleep in her daze, pupils pinpoint and lips turned up into a lazy smile. She probably didn't even feel it.

••••

Amelia

  The room around her was so quiet she swore her ears were ringing. Amelia woke to an empty bed and aching muscles. She may have overdone her dose this morning but it was officially in the past.

  Forcing herself out of bed, she grabs the throw blanket thrown haphazardly onto the corner chair and wanders to his office. He had gotten less possessive over his space there but still wanted to keep her and his business separated.

  "Less dangerous this way, baby." He would say whenever she asked one too many questions about how things were going.

  All messy hair and tired green eyes, he glances up at her from a stack of paperwork. The glass of whiskey isn't too far from his hand and she isn't surprised.

  "Working already?" Amelia asks gently. He had been more irritable lately, and she was a few steps away from walking on eggshells.

  "Don't have anyone else to do it for me. How'd you sleep?"