Freaks
This one is set five years after Papa's Goods. This is Tig/Venus, so if that pairing bothers you please move on. Probably a short little one-shot, but it could morph into something longer. This one seems to have a life of its own.
Tig nuzzled his old lady's hair and smiled. She was the third to wear his crow, and she'd stuck around even after she'd begun to understand how utterly broken he was. When he saw that she loved him for who he was, not in spite of it, his closed, stony heart had grown soft and broken open. It was hers now, such as it was. He still had the occasional romp with a crow-eater or Diosa girl, but those were just sex, and his Venus understood that. She still had her clients, so it balanced out. She was, after all, a professional dominatrix, a fact that Tig both appreciated and enjoyed. He wore her collar now, a heavy sterling bracelet with a small rectangular tag etched with a single "V." It was between them; no one else knew its significance - well, except Happy, who'd eyed it the morning after Venus had gifted it to him. "I know what that is," Happy had said with a smirk, then never mentioned it again. Come to think of it, Tig had caught Chibs eyeing it with a weird smile a few times as well. Those two both seemed to have a little kink going on, so it wasn't too surprising they'd picked up on it.
He was thankful his brothers had been supportive when four and a half years ago he'd decided to give Venus his crow. Happy had offered to do her ink even before Tig has asked, and the others had all stepped up to congratulate him, although a few had done so with strained smiles. Every one of them had stepped up to welcome her into the family, though only Chibs had given her a warm embrace. The rest had either shaken her hand or given awkward little side hugs. Thankfully they'd grown more comfortable with her as time passed, and much of that was due to Venus herself. She'd stepped up as club Mom, dispensing comfort, advice, and home-cooked meals as if she had been born into the life. She also had some medical knowledge, along with a degree in nursing that she'd sadly been unable to make use of professionally; her numerous prostitution arrests had made her unable to find a hospital willing to hire her. Chibs had been delighted to have someone to help him with his medical duties, although these days most of those involved patching up injured Mayans. The Mayans had no club doctor of their own, so they'd been grateful to have them to turn to when the need arose. Relations with the Mayans had warmed greatly since Jax's death, and that was due in no small part to the improbable friendship that had formed between Chibs and Marcus Alvarez. The Scot was a frequent guest in Alvarez's home these days, and the two club presidents worked together to make life better for both Sons and Mayans. The impact of their efforts had spreaded to other charters of both clubs, and these days even SAMTAZ, a charter with an especially ugly history with the Mayans, had warmed to the idea of an alliance. As SAMCRO's peace had grown their numbers had done so as well. They'd attracted new prospects, most of whom had earned their patches, and they'd had six men patch in from other charters as well. Things were good for SAMCRO these days, and they had been that way for a while.
Venus stirred, then turned to face him. She wore no makeup, her hair was rumpled, and her face bore the beard stubble that every morning brought; she was still as beautiful as ever. "Good morning," she smiled.
.
He stroked her cheek, then kissed her. "Good morning," he whispered."You're looking especially beautiful this morning."
She giggled. "You say that every morning."
"Mmm-hmm. Maybe we can stay in bed a little longer, maybe get waked up a bit more…" He trailed off, then moved his lips to her neck.
"You say that every morning as well. Oh, Alexander…."
Several hours later Tig sat at their kitchen table sipping coffee as Venus cooked breakfast. "I love you more than I ever thought I could love a woman," he said quietly. "You look into the darkest, ugliest parts of me, and you love those parts too."
Venus just looked back at him and smiled. "I love you too, my sweet Alexander. You're the bravest man I ever met. You risked everything to make me yours. No one has ever loved me enough to do that."
"You've changed me, you know - helped me stop hating myself, given me the courage to open up my gentler side. For a long time I thought the darkness was who I was, who I'd become. You set the other part of me free."
She set his plate in front of him then sat down across from his. "That part was always there. Your kindness towards animals for instance."
"Animals were safe. People weren't. You gave me the courage to let it be seen with people." He took a bite of his eggs and frowned. "Now, I can't imagine life without you. I can see us growing old together." He covered her hand with his.
"Now, Alexander, we both know we're already old."
Tig chuckled. He was happier and more at peace than he'd been in a long time. For a man like him that was gold. Life was good, he thought with a sigh.