This was inspired by the song Bones by Ginny Blackmore. Absolutely gorgeous song, and the title comes from a line in the title. Hope you guys enjoy it, and I apologize for any mistakes. Maybe I'm feeling a little mushy, making Dom all sweet and shit ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, or the song.
"Well, what do we do now?" Leon Eppes asked, his voice sounding concerned. However going by the boys expressions, they were more concerned about the pain they could be in for interrupting the crying girl, rather than the crying girl herself. Not that they didn't care, as soon as they had heard what had happened between Leticia Ortiz and her boyfriend, the four boys had been in their cars, speeding over to the condo in an instant. But now that the adrenaline rush was gone, they were now as nervous as a chihuahua on crack.
"You guys are fucking useless," Mia Toretto growled.
"What you on about, girl?" Vince Martin glared at her. "That guy is going to be breathing awkwardly for the rest of his life!"
"Oh, so you broke his nose," Mia sneered. "Good for you." She rolled her eyes. Dominic Toretto had been quiet during the exchange, and now he stepped forward.
"She would fuck you all up if she knew you were all talking about her just outside her room," he said, his voice low. "Go do something—anything—somewhere else." He took a deep breath and clenched his hands into fists. "I got this," he muttered, mainly to himself. He went to open the door, and then glanced back where the team was still huddled. "Scram," he growled at them. They quickly did. Dom took a deep breath before pushing open Letty's door. His eyes skimmed around the room until they landed on his favorite Latina, who was laying down on her side on her bed, facing away from him. "Letty?" He began uncertainly.
"You don't need to talk to me like I'm some little bitch," Letty's words were gruff, as they usually were, but her voice sounded thin, as though she had been crying. Dom rubbed the back of his neck nervously before walking hesitantly over to the bed. "Just leave me alone, Dom." This time he heard a distinctive sniff and his protective instincts kicked in.
"Fuck, no, I'm not leaving you here alone," Dom replied, lying down on the bed next to her and putting a large hand on her hip. Her body was tense, and Dom sighed, tuggig gently at her hip, trying to get her to turn over. When she did, Dom felt anger wash over him as he took in her tear-stained face and bright red eyes. "Shit, Let..." he breathed.
"I'm fine," she muttered, dropping her eyes. "Just fucked off, ya know?" She sighed and swiped angrily at her eyes, sniffing again. Dom propped himself up on his elbow so that he could look down at her properly, his arm resting over her waist. "It's fucking disrespectful. And feeling like this is just fucking pathetic—" her voice was beginning to rise and Dom tightened his arm around her, pulling her in close against his body.
"Sh, sh," he murmured. "He's an asshole. A complete fucking idiot. And any girl he goes to after you is a complete and utter downgrade." Dom fully believed what he was saying, and it was evident in the flashing of his dark colored eyes. Letty sighed and her voice was muffled as she spoke against his shirt.
"You're obligated to say that," she grunted.
"No, I'm not," his tone was stubborn.
"Yes, you do," she shot back.
"Babe," Dom pulled himself away from her so that he could look at her. He reached a hand out and gently pushed away a strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes. "You are one of a kind. There is no better girl that Owen can find out there—she would not even begin to compare to you." Letty narrowed her eyes at Dom, clearly trying to figure if he was just kissing around with her, but his expression was earnest. His thumb that had brushed away her hair rested on her cheek and swiped away a tear that had gathered under her eye. "What do you say we all go out for a drink? Or dinner? Or just something to get you out of the house?" He tried to go for a comforting smile but he knew he was falling short when she raised an eyebrow at him.
"I think I'm just gonna have a shower then crash for the night. I'm pretty tired," Letty replied.
"It's eight-thirty on a Friday night," Dom pointed out.
"Bro," she pulled away from him, fixing him with a narrow look. "I said I'm tired." Do held up his hands in defense.
"Yeah, yeah, okay," he quickly said. She continued to glare at him and he sighed. "Aight, girl, I'm going." Dom reached forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead before getting up off the bed. As he walked away, he pretended not to hear the sharp in take of breath and hiccup he had been hearing far too much this afternoon.
Letty could have kicked herself for how pathetic she felt right now. It was a week after she had walked in on Owen Shaw with some girl bent over his kitchen bench with his cock buried inside her. He hadn't even seen her, he had been too focused on the blonde whore in front of him. Letty's first instinct had been to punch out both of their teeth, but then there had been a strange tickle in her nose and her eyes had misted over. She had gotten out of there as soon as she could when she realized that she was tearing up. And now she was walking around as though she was in a trance, unable to focus on anything for too long.
"Let?" Leon had repeated himself a couple times although the Latina seemed completely oblivious, away in her own mind. She finally blinked a couple of times and her gaze came back into focus. "Can you hand me the torque wrench?" Letty handed it over silently before turning around and walking toward the back of the garage. Dom stepped out of her way as she headed toward the small bathroom. Inside she braced her arms against the sink, staring at her reflection.
Owen was a good guy—well, she thought he was a good guy. He wasn't flirty, when she had first met him he hadn't been covered in racer skanks. He got on well with the boys, was good behind the wheel of a car and had his own business. When they had first started going out casually, he hadn't gotten over protective when she wanted to stay home with the boys, and they never ran out of things to talk about. The sex was good—maybe a little too comfortable rather than fiery and passionate but it was good, and he always made sure she came first before he got off. He had been safe, and that was what she needed. She was twenty-three and had never had a proper boyfriend. She knew that Owen wasn't going to be the guy that she settled down with, hell, she was too young to be thinking about forever. But he made her happy, and so she had gone with it.
And then this had happened.
Letty breathed in deeply, turning on the tap full bore and splashing her face with cold water. She took one last look at herself in the mirror before walking back into the garage.
"Babe? We're heading out for the night," Mia licked her lower lip as she stared at the closed door of Letty's room. Silence was the only response. "You sure you don't want to come?"
"Mia! Fuck off! I don't need a babysitter!" Letty shouted. Mia growled under her breath, her hand going to the door handle but Brian O'Conner's hand reached out and snatched her wrist.
"Leave her alone, Mi, you know Let just needs her space," Brian murmured.
"What the hell are you doing, Mi?" Dom tilted his head to the side. Mia looked over her head guiltily to her older brother. "I told you to leave her alone." Mia grumbled and let her boyfriend lead her down the hallway. Dom looked at the closed door before sighing and walking back to his own room, getting ready for the races tonight. He could count on one hand how many Saturday night races Letty had missed, and now this would be the third in a row. He guessed she was doing it to avoid the possibility of seeing Owen, even though he hadn't been there the last two times. Honestly he had thought that Letty would do the opposite—wanting to shove it in the mans face that she was so much stronger than this. And he knew she was. Clearly she just needed time, and even though it killed him to let her sit in her silent pain, she was just the same as him. Didn't matter how much they were prodded or coddled, if they weren't ready to talk about their feelings, they couldn't be budged.
It had been a month, and Letty was getting back to normal. She didn't talk to anyone about how she was feeling, and even though Dom wanted desperately to know where her head was at, he didn't want to push her. She was still at the garage, even though it was half past eleven. Everyone had gone to bed over an hour ago, but Dom had a bit of waiting up for her, sitting in the lounge with the TV turned down low with a Corona in his hand. He heard the purr of her engine outside and waited for her to come inside.
"You don't have to wait up for me every night, man," Letty's voice was strained, tired.
"Wasn't tired," Dom lied.
"Bullshit," Letty called him on it, like she always did. She sat down on the couch next to him, taking his Corona from his hand and drinking from it.
"Just making sure that you come home," Dom muttered, his eyes trained on the TV.
"Where would I go?" She snorted. Dom was quiet, accepting his beer back from her and swallowing the amber liquid. "I'm over him, ya know," her voice was barely audible. Dom's body tensed next to her, although she didn't seem to notice. He pursed his lips and tilted the neck of the bottle in her direction, offering it to her. She took it and breathed out heavily through her nose, folding her legs up onto the couch underneath her.
"Then what's up?" He said quietly. He turned his body slightly to face her, taking in her profile. She was wearing a hoodie, one of his grey ones that was too big for her, and a pair of leggings, which hugged her toned thighs and calves.
"I just..." Letty locked her jaw, tapping a finger against the beer bottle. "I just wonder if I did something wrong, or—"
"Don't ever think that, Letty," Dom growled. "There is never an excuse to cheat on someone." Letty raised an eyebrow, all her thoughts conveyed in the long look that she gave him. Dom shrugged sheepishly. "There isn't. I mean, technically I've never cheated on a woman, I've never given anyone my word. I get that some girls think we're together, but we never have been. When you give someone your word, you're making a promise to them, and that's something you should keep. Especially when it's to a woman like you." Letty felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle at that last sentence, liking the sound of it falling from his lips in his deep voice. She shook her head quickly, eyes dropping back to her lap where she was holding the beer bottle.
"But I mean, that's the thing, right? A woman like me. Like, my thing is...I hate dresses. I like makeup, but not all that shit girls plaster on, just the basics. And there's no point in hell in me spending hours doing my nails like Mia does coz they just get all fucked up and covered in shit when I'm working on the cars," Letty barely took a breath between sentences, and Dom's eyes were wide. It was clear that she had put a lot of thought into it. "I know that I'm not the prettiest girl out there, and I'm definitely not the most girly, and shit. But I thought that was what Owen liked about me. I always thought that the reason that I had never had a serious relationship was because I didn't want it, I didn't want my happiness to depend on someone else and how they felt. But maybe it's because I'm just not the kind of girl that guys want. They want a girl who needs them, and I don't think I can ever be that kind of girl." When she finished, her head was ducked lower, and her cheeks were scarlet with embarrassment. Dom had no idea how to answer her, and uncomfortable silence filled the room. Finally, he slid off the couch next to her, to his knees in front of her. He waited patiently, until eventually she lifted her chin slightly and her dark eyes met his. He took the beer bottle from her hands and laced his fingers with hers.
"Letty," he began, his voice raw with emotion. "I think that you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen—"
"Shit, Dom..." she whined, trying to pull her hands away from him. "You don't need to say this—"
"Yes, I do, and fuck up, you've had your bitch, it's time to let me talk," Dom interrupted her. Her mouth snapped shut in surprise. "You are the prettiest girl I've ever seen." His clarification of his original wording made her narrow her eyes slightly. "And I love the fact that you hate wearing dresses because I don't think there's anything you look better in than my shirts or hoodies and those ripped jeans or shorts you wear. When your hair is a complete mess and you're up to your elbows in oil and you're leaning over the engine of my Charger? I could die a happy man watching you."
"Dom..." he was breaching dangerous territory and Letty was nervous.
"When you were sixteen and you first started giving me those fuck-me looks? You have no idea how many times I would have to disappear into the shower to actually get through the day. And as you got older it just got harder and harder to ignore," he took in a shaky breath. "And you know the sexiest thing about you, Let? It's that you don't need a man! You're independent, and you're strong, and you hate it when someone tries to fight your battles for you. That Owen can't see that, that he can't appreciate that? That's his fucking loss. But it's your win. Because you deserve someone who does see that." He hadn't realized, but somewhere through his speech, Letty's fingers had started tightening around his, and now as he looked down, her knuckles were white from how hard she was squeezing. They stared at each other for another long moment, neither of them knowing what they were supposed to say, what they were supposed to say. Dom searched her eyes, looking for something, anything, that showed him she felt the same way he did.
But then she was pulling her hands away from his, rubbing them against her thighs repeatedly.
"I have to get up to bed," Letty muttered. "I'm exhausted." She pushed past him and quickly left the room. Dom stayed on his knees in front of the couch, his chest aching, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
Days passed, and Letty made no reference to their late night conversation. Dom let her be—he had nothing else that he could say. It was the first time he had ever laid things out on the line like that, and her utter lack of response was more than a little disconcerting. She barely even looked at him, and she came home with everyone else so he had no reason to wait up for him and give them time alone. It wasn't until Tuesday the following week that Dom got his response. He got out of the shower, wearing only black briefs and a loose pair of sweats, his towel slung around his neck, walking back to his room. He closed the door and flicked on the light, starting slightly when he saw Letty sitting on his bed.
"Hi," he grunted.
"Hey," she replied. He stayed by the door, not trusting himself to go over to her. It was just after ten and she had showered long ago. Now she was clearly ready for bed, wearing another one of his white wife-beaters that brushed the top of her thighs, and revealed just enough for him to realize she was only wearing underwear. "You knew since I was sixteen?" She raised an eyebrow at him, a small smile playing on her lips. Relief flooded through Dom and he shook his head, a smirk relaxing his features.
"You were no where near as subtle as you thought you were," he grinned, leaning against his door, his eyes never leaving the lithe Latina.
"Why did you never say anything?" She asked, tilting her head to one side, her hair falling to one side.
"Well," Dom pushed off the door, throwing his towel into the corner of the room and approaching her slowly. "What you said the other night? That's not the first time you've said that to me." Letty looked confused. "Not sure about being in a relationship?" Letty realized what he was referring to and nodded slowly. "I knew that if anything was ever going to happen between us, it couldn't be something casual, it would never have worked. If something was going to happen, we both had to want it to work." He finally reached her but didn't bend to her level, forcing her to look up at him, her head tilted all the way back. He put his hands on her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing at the smooth column of her throat. "I got nervous when you got with Owen...And I ain't going to be no rebound, Let," his hands rested around her throat, massaging the sensitive skin there. Her eyes drifted closed for a moment before opening and focusing once more on his face.
"I don't think I'm ready just yet," she admitted softly. "But you're always the one my heart goes back to." It was mushy, and completely opposite everything Letty always said, but it made Dom grin like a lovesick teenager.
"I've waited over six years for you, Let," Dom smiled. "I think I can wait a few more months." Letty nodded, and his hands moved from where they were resting on her throat to her shoulders, and then trailed down her bare arms. Guessing that Dom had concluded their conversation, Letty stood up. But Dom didn't step back to give her room, so she was pressed against his chest, their bodies hard up against each others. Dom's hands went to her hips, holding her firmly in place. "But just in case you decide to change your mind? You know, think that maybe a relationship with me isn't something you're ready for just yet? And I need to wait another six years for you?" Letty's heart was tightening her chest at every word he said. "I need to know what you taste like..." his lips came down on hers. Sparks flew from every nerve ending in Letty's body as his tongue pressed against the seam of her mouth, not asking for permission, taking her mouth as his own, invading her senses. He bit and nipped at her lips, his fingers digging into the skin of her hips before they dipped down to cup her ass. He kneaded the flesh, and she responded, rolling her hips forward against his, grinding against his quickly hardening crotch. He sucked on her tongue, feeling his mind flying high as he got drunk on the taste of her.
She had definitely been worth the wait.
"Shit, Dom..." Letty moaned, finally breaking away from him. "We need to stop..." Dom's mouth dropped from her lips, brushing over her jawline, and then down the column on her throat.
"Do we?" He mumbled against her skin, breathing in her scent as he nuzzled her neck, and then flicked his tongue over her collarbone.
"Yeah," Letty sounded regretful but she pushed him away. "Coz you're right." Dom moaned but took a small step back. "We need to wait until we are both ready. And right now, my head just ain't in that space." She ran over tongue over her lower lip, heating up all over as she saw the way Dom's eyes flashed as he followed the motion. "But when I am, you're the first person who's gonna know." She stepped around him and headed to the door. She opened the door but before she walked out, Dom called out to her,
"Let? I wasn't just trying to make you feel better the other night...In one of my shirts working on my car? Your the prettiest damn thing on this planet."
Let me know what you think!