Title: Furious Exiles : Three
Rated for: T
Genre: Friendship, Family
Fandom/Universe: The Fast and the Furious
Characters: Dominic Toretto, Letty Ortiz, Han, OC-Galena Ortiz
Pairings: Dom/Letty, Han/Galena
Spoilers/Warning: None Yet
Disclaimer: The Fast and the Furious and all related characters are Written by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, David Ayer, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas and Chris Morgan Based on Racer X magazine article by Ken Li. No infringement intended.
Summary: It's the kind of perfect you only dream of and very few actually get to have.
Status: In-Progress
Author's Note: I have a series in the works here. This is just a glimpse and I'm going a bit more AU. I'll post a follow up to this piece since I wasn't done yet.
Chapter: We Started With A Promise
Its more than a little time apart. Galena hardly has any time off the base and its messing with their relationship. For once, she's behaving like a typical girl.
'A horny damn girl.'
The upside is that Han doesn't mind.
The horny part, he likes.
"I don't know if I should feel used." Han muses the next time he gets Lena to himself.
"Used?" Galena doesn't see how that's possible. "You complaining?"
Han shrugs a shoulder, that smirk playing about his mouth that turns to laughter when she smacks him. "That's abuse!" And its the kind he likes.
Later, Han watches her sleep, enjoying the silence though his mind spins trying to make sense of what he feels. Its not something Han knows how to deal with. His life is lived fast, inside a car – where everything is clear and the goal just ahead. But Galena is different. She is a sweet girl, like Han told Dom. Of course, Han has gotten glimpses of the angry she-devil Dom warned him of but it's never been directed at Han. At least, not yet…
Galena is a contradiction. Just when Han thinks he's figured out what she will do, Lena does the unexpected. What he likes about her doesn't change- she's just as bad a speed freak as he is. She's adventurous, maybe a little too enthusiastic when it comes to having a new adventure but she isn't afraid to try something new or out of the ordinary.
'She's with me.' Han muses. The kind of guy a nice girl hides from her parents and friends…
"And one more thing." Galena glares at their parents, yanking Han out of her way. "This is my boyfriend. His name is Han and I'm not a virgin anymore. We've been having sex the last few days."
Yes, that memory can always make him laugh and this nice girl he's somehow been blessed with is not ashamed to claim him as hers.
'Am I?'
That's the unsettling part of what he's feeling.
They've had a few days of 'quality time' but as usual, Galena has to get back.
"It's just a few weeks, Han." Galena promises but she can see it doesn't soothe him at all. He's getting fed up at being 'abandoned' and while that might be a sign that he really does care more than he will say, it doesn't mean he'll stay or wait around indefinitely.
Right now, Galena regrets ever teasing Letty for her 'infatuation' with Dom.
'I'm such a damn girl.' Galena sighs.
"Be ready to go." She says and steals a kiss before slipping out of his car or she'll change her mind about returning to the base. "Because I'm not unpacking until we get to Tokyo."
She smiles. And there's a promise; the shop she's' convinced him would be a smart investment not to mention a good way to bring in some cash other than racing, is going to be the surprise Han will spring on her.
He finds the perfect building- it just feels right. One tour of the property has him convinced and there's a perfect area for the cars towards the back with wide doors he can roll up and out of the way. Han's picked the area for the paint and where the lifts will go- he has a plan still forming for what the rest of the building can become but that's where Galena is going to come in.
It's got more than a coat of paint by the time Galena finishes her commitment to the US AirForce. But there's a lot still to get done.
The blindfold doesn't scare Galena. But she can't sit still for long and the drive with just the radio softly buzzing for background noise is driving her nuts. "Alright." Galena shifts in her seat so she's facing Han (even though she can't see him).
Han has a smile on his face – he doesn't need to hide it- because this is going to be great.
"I'm about to take off this blindfold, Han." She threatens. He didn't want to stop at their apartment. Literally took her at her word about not unpacking once her service was up because they weren't staying long.
"It's a surprise, Lena." Han tells her yet again. he takes her hand in his, their fingers lacing together.
"Oh, yeah." Galena nods. "I really get that." She waves her free hand at her blindfold, lips pursing in amused annoyance when he just laughs. "Come on. Give me a clue?"
"You're going to be busy." Is all Han says. He tugs on her hand until she rests on his side and Galena decides to wait him out but if she can't take in the scenery they are definitely going to play 20Questions and learn more about each other.
The 'surprise' goes better than Han expected. Galena is more than happy about the building, walking through it and seeing all the possibilities. She has more than a few ideas which coincide with Han's initial thoughts about the locale. And there's much better than he'd planned.
"And that's why you'd be lost without me." She's teasing him but Han doesn't let her get away.
He pulls her into his arms and smiles, then has to lean down to kiss her. She's not any taller than her little sister but he finds Galena is the perfect height for him. Always having to say goodbye was a strain on their relationship. Now that she's done with the US AirForce he wonders if her teasing wasn't partly true.
"Think you'll get tired of me? Now that we have more than just a few days to spend together…"
She looks at him, her smile teasing but he can see there's some concern in her dark eyes. "Maybe you get tired of me. I do have bad habits, you know."
"As long as I'm the only bad habit, I can be okay with this." he smiles and they run around like kids in their new playground.
They argue about money. Not about who's it is to spend or how or a lack of it. Han has a nest egg of his own, what he doesn't want is Galena's money.
"Ah pero que macho." she scowls and smacks his arm. "If this is going to be my place then I can damn well put my money in. Or didn't you mean it."
"Damn it, Lena." Han sighs, more annoyed that she's winning the argument using his own words. "Its your place too. This is for us, I just don't want to use the money-."
"Because its mine." she nods like she completely understands but he knows its nothing like that. "Because I'm a girl and you're the man and you don't want to accept money from your girl. And why not, Han? Mmm? Some stupid guy pride? Are you that insecure? I don't even get why this has to be an issue! We are supposed to be partners. 50/50 so we get this squared away because I am not going to argue this with you again. Ever!"
And she doesn't. He gives in because she has a point even though he wont admit it. Getting the place up and running takes a few months and permits. Those, Han insists on taking care of personally. She doesn't argue with him about it, even though she knows there's something Han is hiding. She lets it go and focuses on her end of the business; the books and inventory and the orders and the money…
Letty's never been anywhere besides south of the border with family.
"You should come visit. I bet you'd even like it here." Galena does, she likes everything about Tokyo. "I'll take you racing…"
"I can race here." Letty laughs.
"And keep an eye on Dom." Lena sighs, drops the pen in her hand and forgets about the ledgers she's going through. "Leticia… are you still happy, chiquilla?"
"Yes." there's a scowl in those words that bring a smile to Lena's face.
"Of course you are. I think you like chasing off those girls. And I think Dom gets a kick out of you chasing them off. That's why he doesn't bother-."
"You're stupid." Letty snaps and that makes her sister laugh.
"Just bring your bald street racer. I kind of miss him too."
"Is this you inviting me with the boyfriends permission?"
Galena laughs like maybe her sister forgot who she was talking to because… "Like I need permission. Letty, I already know what Han is going to say."
"Say about what?" he's smiling when he closes the door to their office.
"My little sister thinks you have me on check." Galena snorts and puts the phone on speaker.
"Only in the bedroom."
"Gross! I don't need the details."
"Sometimes in the office too." Han adds with a laugh.
"She's drama." Galena laughs too. "And probably afraid of flying."
"Am not!"
"Who's not?"
"Hey, Dom." Han sits on the edge of the desk and leans towards the phone.
"Hey, what's-."
"Dom, stuff my little sister in a suitcase and send her to me. I miss her." she ends with a teasing whine to her voice completely ruined by her laugh. When she cuts him off.
"What about me?"
"You wouldn't fit."
"Lena! Why'd you piss her off?"
"So you can go put a smile on her face. Then call us when you decide to visit." she hangs up on Letty's threats and stands up. "So…in the bedroom, huh?" she runs her hand up his thigh smiling like the cat that are the cream.
"Office too." Han grins and when he lunges for her she's surprised.
He saw the books on the desk and knows he cant let her catch the discrepancy. Distraction worked just fine. Again. Not that he minds distracting Galena but he knows this secret is going to more than bite him in the ass. They've been to the racing scene, taken a few laps each just to get a feel for things in their new home. Galena's already been noticed, not that she can blend in and there's a new friend. A pretty dark haired girl just happens to be the foster sister of the DK, nephew of a mob boss…
"Leave it alone, Lena." but Han can see its not going to be easy.
"She's just a kid, Han. They're not even related to her so what's their interest?" Galena doesn't get it and she feels… 'Guilty.'
"She's not your sister." Han gets a glare and silence the next two days. But that's exactly it, he knows it is. That game of 20Questions worked both ways. He knows she feels guilty about the krap her parents blamed on Letty. She feels guilty for keeping quiet and even though it doesn't make sense to Galena, part of her feels like she abandoned Letty when she joined up.
He brings her ramen, from her favorite place. She wakes up covered in petals with Han fanning the steaming bowl towards her. He knows the fight is over when she smiles at him. And when she ignores her ramen to pull him in bed, Han knows she really feels bad about their sort of 'fight'.
"We should take a trip out of the city." he brushes his mouth over her bare shoulder, a little nervous because this plan hinges on her agreeing to get out of town.
"Where?" she rolls onto her back, a soft smile on her lips and lazily stretches beside him.
"It's a surprise." he's nervous about that part too.
"Are we buying something else?" Galena laughs thinking he said the same thing when he brought her to Tokyo.
"Not unless you want to." Han tugs the blanket out of the way, gets comfortable and waits for Galena to decide.
She traces her fingers over his face, she's happy and all the little things that feel off are so easy to ignore when its just the two of them in this quiet. "I'd go anywhere with you, Han."
The shop is closed. There's no answer and the recorded message is the only thing he's heard. DK isn't happy about the vacation, something he's going to make sure is clear once Han gets back. And a text message? Oh that's another thing DK's going to bring up.
It takes a day to reach their first stop. Galena wonders what's gotten into him, what the trip is hiding but she's enjoying their little vacation after all the hard work they've done getting the shop up and running.
She's laughing when he pulls her down and they end up staring at the sky with the sound of the pond and its little waterfall filling the garden.
"Galena…" he sounds so serious, he can see the slight concern on her face when she looks at him. "Are you tired of me yet?"
"What?" she moves so she's lying on his chest and stares down at him. "Are you okay?"
"You tired of me?" he asks again, more insistent and sees her concern turn to worry.
"No. Not at all." she kisses him, her hand caressing his face when she draws back and looks at him. "I love you."
Han smiles. "Good."
"…good?..." Galena sort of laughs at his relief.
He doesn't say anything, but that laugh dies out and she's staring at the shiny sparks of light from the stone of the ring he's hoping she'll accept.
"…umm, I need you to speak…" she looks at him and then at the ring and at him again, not sure if what she's thinking is actually happening.
"It's a yes or no question."
They find a shrine surrounded by sakura trees. It's a small village and the people are so welcoming… Galena finds the path from the home she was gently forced to the night before covered in leaves and flowers, like a carpet leading to the shrine. She was presented with her wedding dress that morning. A gray box with a fuchsia colored ribbon and bow. The white lace and silk soft to the touch.
Han is waiting, wondering if she liked her surprise. He called a friend, gave them a description of Galena, maybe he talked too much or maybe not enough, he's not even sure anymore. They haven't exactly been traditional.
She sees him waiting and smiles, walks faster and then he takes her hands. She follows the ceremony in a daze, much too happy to really notice anything other than Han. And are they really doing this?
He wonders if she's having second thoughts. The people are having a blast, they've just hosted a wedding for strangers.
Galena laughs. She looks at Han and he laughs then leans into her ear. "We should run away together."
"But I've just gotten married…" she kisses him, happy.
"Are you sure that was wise?" Han is serious though he's grinning.
"You'll never be a mistake for me." she means it, completely certain this was exactly how her life was meant to be.
They send the next 3 days in a cabin away from everything and everyone. He likes to watch her try and figure out the cabin. Its nothing like she's used to in the States but then Galena has never been camping like an American kid.
"My Dad didn't know the first thing about camping. We kinda thought it was like on TV and bugged him until he was fed up. Told us to get our shit and we hit the road." She laughs and he can see she's a little sad.
"No tents?" he pulls her close and waits for her to tell the story.
"Are you kidding? Not even a sleeping bag." she scoffs. "My Dad laid out a blue tarp and we made a huge bed with every blanket we owned. At least I think it was all of them. My Mom wasn't happy with Dad either. She didn't get why he'd rewarded us." she laughs again and shakes her head. "Letty hated it. We had roasted corn cobs instead of s'mores. We ate burnt hot dogs because neither of us could get our sticks out of the fire… Oh! Dad said we couldn't have toilet paper either. We were supposed to be camping and if we had to go then we'd best find a tree with lots of leaves."
Han laughs. "He really didn't…"
"Uh, yeah." she scoffs. "Letty had to go real bad. Me? I went before we left the house."
He keeps laughing. But then its time to get back. Time to work and they drive the long road to Tokyo.