Lila Rousseau
The garage was half-dark when Lila pulled in showing how much time had passed. Her jaw clenched lightly as the hum of the car engine faded into a low growl before dying completely.
For a moment, she just sat there. Breathing quietly, thinking. Pretending her pulse wasn't still chasing the echoes of gunfire. Pretending Matthieu wasn't gonna question her and that was if he didn't even know already.
Then she opened the door.
Matthieu was already there, waiting. He leaned against the hood of another car, jacket unbuttoned, tie loose like he'd been pacing for hours. The second she stepped out, his voice—sharp, quiet, dangerous—cut through the air.
"Tu es folle" His voice came, low and clipped
You're insane
"I see you've been practicing your greetings. Good evening to you too."
"What'd the heck did you think you were doing?"
Lila shrugs "Nothing. I didn't start it, you know that. "
Matthieu sighs, exasperated "I know-"
"Then why in the world do you keep screaming at her every chance you get?." She snarls " I get it that you might not fancy my way of doing things but you're stuck with me as your boss for now until I get killed or something so you better suck it up. Sucks to be shouted at every damn time like it's my fault y'know?"
He pushed off the car, closing the distance between them, hands massaging his brows, voice abnormally soft. "You were followed again. You fought again." His jaw clenched. "Do you ever think—"
"Nope." she interrupted, throwing him a blank stare. "It ruins the whole aesthetic."
His eyes flared, frustration evident in his tone. "I was worried sick, y'know?. I didn't want a repeat of last time."
She rolled her eyes, slipping past him toward the stairs. "If you're about to start nagging, mon cher, let me shower first. I'm too tired for your lectures."
He caught her arm—not roughly, but just enough to make her stop. "Is this a joke to you? You could've been—"
"Dead?" she finished softly, glancing back at him. "I know. But I'm not, I'm alive and you're still nagging like an old hag. I'm fine so you can stop looking like the world's about to end."
For a heartbeat, neither spoke. The low light painted his face in gold and shadow, his gaze searching hers like he was trying to confirm she was real.
Then she tilted her head, mischief slipping back in. " Seems you were waiting up for me. How sweet."
He blinked, thrown off. "I—well—someone had to make sure you didn't destroy the car. You took mine, y'know? ."
"It won't kill you to admit it." she teased, stepping closer, coming nose to nose with him. "You worry about me."
"Je m'inquiète tout le temps." Matthieu muttered before he could stop himself.
I worry all the time
Her breath hitched slightly. "Did lil ol' Matthieu just confess to me?. Cause it sure sounded like one ."
He froze, his ears red. Silence wrapped around them, too fragile to touch. His throat bobbed, but no words came.
She smiled then, soft and a little sad. "Don't look so terrified, Matthieu. I'm not asking for anything. I was pulling your legs."
Her voice gentled, the fight finally bleeding out of it. "I'm just… tired. Of pretending I don't feel anything. Of losing people. Of being the one left standing."
That cracked something in him. The anger drained away, leaving only quiet concern.
"Lila…" He said, softly.
She exhaled shakily and leaned back against the stairway. "Can we not talk about this tonight?. I can't do this right now," she said softly, finally meeting his eyes. "I'm tired, Matthieu. Really tired. If you start nagging, I might shoot you too."
That pulled a small, reluctant smile from him. "Toujours dramatique." Always dramatic
"I learned from the best." she murmured.
He hesitated, then reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The touch was careful, uncertain—like he wasn't sure if he had the right. But she didn't move away.
They stayed wrapped in silence until they reached the hallway, Lila paused and glanced back over her shoulder "Matthieu?"
"Yes?"
"Merci."
Thank you
For what, he didn't know. For waiting. For caring. For not walking away when she almost made it easy to.
He only nodded once, voice low. "Toujours."
Always
Lila turned slightly, her hand still on the railing, her breath a little uneven from everything she refused to say.
Matthieu should've walked away. Should have given her space, but he didn't.
Instead, he lingered, too close, too still, his presence wrapping around her like something she could fall into if she stopped resisting for half a second.
"Lila" he said again, softer this time. Not questioning. Not scolding. Just… there.
She swallowed, looking at him from under her lashes. "What now? Another lecture? I thought we already went past this?" She sighs " Go on, I can take one more before bed."
But his expression had shifted. The frustration was gone. The worry too.
What replaced it was something warmer, darker—possessiveness… something that made her pulse trip over itself.
He stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him.
"You scared me today." he murmured.
She chuckled lightly trying to defuse the tension strung tightly between them. "Mon Dieu, Matthieu, everything scares you when it concerns me."
My God
"That's the problem" he said quietly, eyes dragging over her face like he was memorizing it. "You don't care enough. And I care too much."
That landed like a punch to the gut.
She opened her mouth, maybe to shove him away before he got too close to the truth—but he lifted a hand, gently tilting her chin up with his fingers.
Not rough. Not hesitant.
Just… there.
Her breath caught and she hated that he noticed.
His thumb lingered at the corner of her mouth, wiping away a smear of dried blood she'd missed. A small touch, quick—yet it set off a spark that traveled straight down her spine.
"You shouldn't have made me worry," he murmured.
"And you shouldn't look at me like that," she returned, voice low.
A beat.
Warm air between them.
"Like what?" he asked quietly.
"Like you're about to do something stupid."
His gaze dipped briefly to her lips, just a flicker, barely there—yet enough to steal her breath.
She shifted back against the railing, pretending the move was casual. It wasn't and he noticed.
"I was worried," he said simply. Too honest.
That honesty undid something in her chest. She reached, searched for humor deep within but nothing came. No sharp edge. No banter. Just silence.
Just her name on his lips nearly undid her "Lila…"
She swallowed hard. "I can't talk about any of this tonight. Please."
He nodded once, but he didn't move away. Instead, he stayed exactly where he was—close enough that she could feel the warmth of him, close enough that the breath she exhaled tickled his jaw.
The silence tightened between them, pulling them closer without either of them stepping forward.
Her hand lifted before she could stop it, gripping his tie lightly, tugging him just a fraction closer. "You really waited up for me.. Such a good boy." she whispered.
He didn't answer—not with words anyways.
His hand slid to her waist, fingers spreading slowly, as if grounding her. The touch was careful but not hesitant, like he'd thought about it far too often for it to feel unfamiliar.
Her pulse stuttered. "Matthieu…"
He exhaled sharply—a sound between restraint and surrender.
His forehead touched hers, and he breathed her in like he needed it.
"If I say anything right now," he murmured, "je vais vouloir plus."
I'll want more
The confession hung hot between them.
She tugged his tie again—gentle, coaxing. "Then don't talk. Show me."
His breath hitched.
That was all it took for him to snap. He leaned in with the quiet certainty of someone who had finally stopped fighting himself. Their lips brushed once. Just once. A feather-touch that stole her balance more than any hit she'd taken tonight.
The second time, he didn't miss.
His mouth met hers in a deep, heated kiss—slow at first, then sharper when she answered with a soft sound that punched straight into him. His hand tightened at her waist, pulling her closer; hers slid up his chest, curling into his shirt like she needed something to hold onto. (A/N: which she did 😹)
He kissed her like she was breath he'd been holding for years. (Ps: he had😭😹)
She kissed him back like she was tired of running from the truth sitting right in front of her.
When they finally broke apart, their breaths tangled in hot, uneven rushes.
His voice was rough when he spoke. "Lila… if we don't stop—"
She cut him off with a shaky smile. "I know."
They stayed there, forehead to forehead, breathing the same air, neither daring to move first.
The moment burned.
And then softened.
And danced between them like a secret too sweet to be shared.