Private Finished Breakfast, Beer, and Brawl

Alaude had turned the tables and Lochlann was now the one on the floor, gritting with teeth and trying to shield his face for just a second, while his other hand grapped the floor to try and get a grip so he could push back up.

When Alaude reached for the stool Lochlann had his chance. Lochlann twisted, draping his arm over Alude's shoulder and hooking his leg behind the other man's knees. He was already on the ground, but Lochlann modified it was best as he could, throwing his energy hard and fast to getting up onto his knees and then falling backwards and flipping Alaude over with him. It was a haphazardly done suplex and a move that clashed with every single thing that fit into the category of Lochlann fighting. He was not a skilled fighter. He shouldn't have been able to do it.

But he did.

Fucking thank you Guinevere, Lochlann thought.

Unfortunately, because he was not a skilled fighter, Lochlann slid right across the floor and whacked his shoulder hard off of Addy's metal bat. His ear was ringing really badly and he rolled onto his side, spitting blood out onto the floor, and blinked up at Addy.

He had no idea what she'd just said.

"Siarad eto caru?" Lochlann slurred.

He wasn't even speaking English now, which probably had something to do with how hard Alaude hit him.

"fynedfa chi fy," he slurred at her again, and Lochlann just laid there while Alaude picked himself up. He'd get up in a moment. He wasn't going to let the other man have the victory of picking himself up off the floor like nothing had happened. He at least managed to roll himself up into a sitting position.

But fucking christ he hurt.

He rubbed his face in his hands, which were already starting to bruise around the knuckles.



He was watching Addy with curiosity now, still jerky and twitchy from the adrenaline. She looked...fuck, she looked scary, which was also insanely fucking hot, which was the exact thing that Lochlann shouldn't be feeling.

he wondered if she'd hit him with the bat if he tried to kiss her.

"Byddwn yn priodi chi," he blurted, and he shook his head, which was a mistake. The ringing in his ears was finally starting to abate but Lochlann was still disoriented. He picked himself up, walked passed Alaude, and circled back around behind the bar. He filled up another glass for Alaude, slid it over, and then poured himself one as well.

Lochlann came back out and sat on the other side of the stool that Addy had been sitting on previously. One of his back teeth felt loose and Lochlann tongued it.

He took a deep breath and said, "Mae'n ddrwg gen i."

He frowned, as if realizing for the first time that the consonants and vowels weren't aligned up in English the right way. Fuck.

"I'm sorry," he said, and this time the words came out in English instead of his native tongue. They were still with with his accent, but it was fading quickly. Lochlann pressed his beer glass against his face.

Lochlann could actually hear Addy this time, which meant that the ringing had either subsided or was only limited to his right ear.

"Yeah," he agreed. He did know that he was an idiot. She wouldn't look at either of them, and that was fine with Lochlann, because he pretty much felt like mashed potatoes right now. The beer on his cheek was cold and Lochlann took a heavy swig of it and swallowed.

It took most of the blood out of his mouth, so that was fine.

If anything good had come out of this it was that Alaude had shut his fucking mouth. Not that Lochlann would do anything about it now. They both knew where they stood. Lochlann might have gotten the last move, but it was only dumb luck.

"On the bright side," Lochlann attempted. His English sounded weird to him, which he wished he could attribute to a swollen jaw, but it hadn't started to become inflamed yet. His accent was still lingering. "The biscuits are pretty good, aren't they?"

It was a feeble attempt at pretending this was normal.

Addy might have wanted to pretend the kiss never happened.

Lochlann wanted to pretend he wasn't bleeding on a barstool next to her.

He closed his eyes and folded his arms over the counter. He rested his head on top of them with the beer still pressed up against his cheek. It was almost half gone.

"This is the first beer I've had in a while," Lochlann admitted, and he took another drink of it before returning it to his face. He rubbed at his neck where she'd bit him and then stretched back, listening to the sharp pop of--

yup, now his shoulder was back where it was supposed to be.

"Do you want another, Addy?" he asked.

Addy eventaully nodded at Lochlann and offered him some.

he shook his head and put up his hand.

"No thank you," he said, and he offered her a smile in return, though it was maybe not as reassuring since he had a busted lip. Lochlann was skipping as many meals as he could in an attempt to try and control himself. He wasn't sure if it was working.

Addy slid her cup down to him and then so did Alaude, so Lochlann picked himself up from the stool and walked around the bar to the other side. He took their glasses and started to refill them.

Alaude was still frowning, but maybe because he already had, but this time Lochlann didn't have the urge to punch him in the face. He reached down for another cup and filled it with ice, sliding that one to Alaude after the beer.

It wasn't exactly a peace offering but it was something.

Why did he even jump him?

Lochlann swallowed and gave Addy her beer instead while he tried to think of an answer that wouldn't be insanely embarrassing to express.

He didn't make eye contact with either of them as Lochlann filled up his own beer.

"If you're going to say things like that to Addy, don't do it in front of me," he said. His voice was very, very quiet. It wasn't a threat so much as it was a promise.

It was very rare that Lochlann appeared scary as a human but for a moment, something of his otherness crept into him, as though by saying that he'd just cast a spell.

He would do anything for her. Even if it was stupid. Even if she didn't ask him to.

Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he realized it probably was a stupid thing to do. God, what was wrong with him? He hadn't been fighting like this since he got back to school. Well, okay, he'd had a few but...it wasn't like it was when he was in the states.

Addy could handle herself, he knew that. So why did he still want to grab her and hold her against his chest and fall asleep with her in his arms?

Fuck.

With the adrenaline fading, Lochlann was starting to feel the effects of working a full shift and getting punched hard.

He walked back around and slid back onto his barstool. He leaned heavily against the bar which was, for the most part, doing much of the work at holding Lochlann up. But he'd be damned if he showed weakness here.

He fished a cigarette out from his coat pocket and held it in his hand. He didn't light it immediately.

"You two should come back one evening," he said. "Sometimes, on Thursdays, we'll get a really good stout if Paul's ship brings any in from Ireland. It's well worth the noise it brings him."

This was...sort of a peace offering.

It was an invitation. An acceptance that if Alaude was so important to Addy, Lochlann would do his best not to punch him in the face again. He just...wouldn't make any promises he couldn't keep.

Lochlann was relieved about the idea of seeing again.

If Addy had a mixture of sadness and glee when she spoke about him, the same look would sneak onto Lochlann's face whenever she spoke to him. His face softened, the corners of his lips would twitch as though it was hard for him not to smile whenever she spoke. But there was a slight pinched look around his eyes, barely discernible, as though he was holding something back and it hurt.

Of course, that look could also be there because Lochlann did hurt. He needed to drink a lot more than this to numb anything, so after he finished this glass rater quickly he just reached over the bar and filled it up again. It was obvious to him that Alaude had meant what he said about killing people. He suspected the only way he wasn't in worse shape was because he came at him first.

Alaude directed his gaze and tone to Lochlann, and Lochlann shifted his face from Addy. Whatever softness he had was reserved for her and her alone, because his jawline clenched and his eyes narrowed.

"It looks like we have something in common then,' he said, his voice level.

But the threat of before was gone. Lochlann wasn't going to do anything else.

But then Alaude asked the other question. His face went blank.

Lochlann glanced at Addy too quickly.

Lochlann could not forget about the kiss. He could not forget the please of her teeth on his neck. He could not stop the rush of want from coming over him at just the thought of it.

Lochlann took a large drink of his beer.

"What would we gain from lying to you?" he asked instead.

Lochlann had lost his ability to lie. The less human he acted, the more fae he became. Lochlann picked up a napkin from the counter and dabbed the inside of the beer glass, then applied the napkin to the cut on his cheek.

He was surprised at how much it hurt to even think the words, we're just friends.

I can't lie to you, brother.

The words surprised Lochlann. He picked his head up off the bar for a moment, She was looking at her brother and Lochlann was looking at her, remembering that Addy had met Lawrence and Lilianna before.

But surely they wouldn't have told her about...

No. It was just a coincidence. But it was disorienting to hear Lawrence's words from Addy's perfect lips. He swallowed and returned his head to the bar top.

He pretty much stayed like that while they ate. His breathing slowed to the point where it might have appeared that he was sleeping, but he was awake and alert, watching them, occasionally picking his head up to check on the rest of the bar. But it was that point of the day where the people who worked nightshift had finished up and were going home to sleep, and the other people just waking up figured it was still too early for breakfast.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Lochlann said, offering her another smile. "It is pretty heavy, isn't it? I can't even finish it some days. But it's good."

"Do you want to go see Lamby with me this weekend?" Lochlann asked. "If the weather is nice?"

The last part meant because they'd talked about taking a motorcycle, but Addy would know the other implication of why Lochlann would cancel if it rained.

Smiling hurt.

Lochlann wasn't sure if it it was because he kept thinking about what it felt like when Addy kissed him...

....or if it was from Alaude punching him in the face.