Our Little Secret
Chapter Seven
Hey guys, so I got out of doing PE on Monday again, which ultimately improves my week and doesn't depress me (It was a horrible game, and I was only watching!) which means... more updates! :D Just wanted to say an enormous thank you to all my readers out there, I know you're out there and I appreciate you all too! Sorry for the time it took to update, it's been a stressful week after all with all this drama between my 'friends' Ugh. So that's why this update took longer than I wanted it too, but I have a half day tomorrow and no homework to complete so I'll try to write more! :) MASSIVE thank you for all the reviews! I can't believe it! :D
Review Replies:
Things in Ink (Rose) – Awww wow, you really think so? :') Thanks so much! You know, I want him to sing to Natara too in the game, so we can get a feeling of his actual voice, am I the only one who wonders what their voices sound like. Ahh we shall find out soon ;) But yeah the major thing he's ashamed of that's in there was in chapter 3, although I mayyyy include something else if I can think of it when I'm writing this chapter (since I do my Review Replies first).
Umm... when I write/read them, I imagine them as full bodied and sort of drawing form but humanly as well (if that makes sense?) Sometimes, if I get up to do something like get food, I'll think it through in my head and sometimes speak aloud to myself! XD Sad, I know. Anyway thanks so much!
Breezy Fan (Lisa) – Hey Lisa! Haha aww really? Thanks so much! Glad you loved it!
But I Have Promises To Keep – Hehe yep, two chapters I've been a busy bee! ;) Its fine, at least you reviewed! :D
Oryt – Haha I dunno? :D You broke your finger? Like in all seriousness! Your hands have spasms? Is that a good thing? XD Nah you aint a retard, Hahaha. Ohh really? I had no idea, I've only ever heard Ed Sheeran sing it as part of Give Me Love! That's super cool to know, I love that tune! ;)
Anonymous – So sorry that I haven't updated, my bad, but here you go a new chapter, and I have no idea who you are, it's rare that I get Anonymous reviewers, so Hello! :) Thanks for reviewing and so happy you like it!
Anonymous (Kelly) – Awww hello there! Wow, thank you so much for your kind words, they make me smile so much! Nice to meet you my silent reader! Awww, QOMF! :D Thank you so much!
Natara awoke to a fluent and gentle rocking motion that reminded her of when she was younger, in her mother's arms. Her hazel eyes were still closed, the only thing visible being the pitch black darkness as she struggled to open them. With much effort, she forced her eyes to open an inch and instantly met a deep, mystical blue colour. She instantly recognized the source from whence they came and couldn't stop the minute smile that tugged at the edges of her lips.
"Evening sleepy head." Mal said softly with a calm smile upon his face.
Natara yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, only now feeling the continuous heat from the fire and Mal's body keeping her warm. Natara opened her eyes fully and took in her surroundings: the relaxing fireplace crackling with life; the night time sky sparkling with tiny stars; the wooden furniture of the wooden house, and finally her dashing partner holding her tenderly in his strong arms.
"Evening.." Natara said sleepily. "How long was I out?"
"About an hour and a half" Mal states, still smiling.
"And hour and a half!" Natara gasped, sitting up, but Mal's arms still rested on her hips. "Are you serious? And... You held me all the time?"
Mal nodded slowly. Natara blushed heavily and lowered her gaze downward until her eyes fell on where Mal's hands were placed; her hips. This just made her blush increase and she did the only thing she could in that predicament, and closed her eyes. Mal chuckled when he saw the way she reacted and tenderly started caressing her sides, teasing her further. He watched her reactions closely, seeing the redness upon her beautiful cheeks continue to deepen and the way she bit her lower lip with her eyes squeezed shut tightly.
He chuckled and decided to pull back slightly, placing his hands atop hers instead. Natara was hesitant to open her eyes once more, but after a long moment, she risked opening one eye before the other. Mal was trying to restrain his laughter as he watched her, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze. It was rare for her to act so shy, and Mal couldn't explain the reason for liking it so much. Maybe it was just a new side to her, maybe it was the adorable faces she'd make, or maybe it was just her in general – the real her, hidden deep down inside that only he could bring out.
"Um... So..." Natara stuttered, unsure of how to finish her sentence now that she'd started it. "What, um, did you do while I was... asleep?"
"Hm...? That's an odd question, Nat." Mal smirked "But, I just... thought."
Mal looked outside at the night scenery before him; he seemed to grow distant for a short moment, lost in his own thoughts. Natara watched him with fascination, trying her hardest to scrutinize his expression to get a thought of what he may be thinking about. While Mal was looking out, Natara's eyes wandered around the room... and fell on the manila folder thrown upon the oak desk.
She glanced to Mal and then back to the folder over and over again. Mal noticed her observation after a brief moment and gulped. He knew what she was thinking.
'Dammit. I knew I should have hid that damn file.' he thought, biting his lip.
"Mal?" Natara whispered, her voice echoing in the peaceful silence.
He couldn't avoid this any longer; she'd already heard the worst news about what was in that file, but the detail the police went into... was probably more than he'd explained. Considering that there were images and everything included too. He took a deep breath and didn't say anything, instead pushing himself up from the ground and walking over to the desk. Mal ran his hand across the file and involuntarily shuddered; it had been so long since he'd read this. Slowly lifting it into his hands, Mal turned around, not meeting Natara's piercing gaze as he sat down opposite her.
Natara looked at the folder with curiosity; it was almost too much for her to bear, and she was a little shocked at the ease that Mal seemed to feel by showing her this. She hadn't even mentioned it, yet he knew. And he was okay with it, or so she presumed. Mal quickly placed it in between them both, like it had burned him, and pulled away. He directed his gaze elsewhere and chewed on his lip nervously, meanwhile he was tapping his fingers against his leg. Natara instantly picked up on these subconscious gestures and grew a little concerned.
"Mal... are you alright with this?" she asked.
Mal just nodded, unable to find any words. Natara carefully reached over and spun the file around to face her, before undoing the binding that held it together and opening it to the first page. She was unsure of what she'd find, but this was Mal. Her Mal. The Mal she had met around a year and a half ago and instantly felt a connection with, whether it was romantic feelings or something else – whatever it was, she knew she could trust him. How bad could it be, honestly?
Natara's eyes quickly skimmed through the text that befell her, neatly organised into sections. She tilted her head to the side and read the divider titles. Despite seeing a section that sparked her inquisitiveness greatly, titled 'Criminal Record', she turned to the section that read 'Personality File'. She wanted to learn how the Mal she had read about before had been scrutinized all those years ago.
Mal took a deep breath, trying to regain his voice. Since he couldn't find it, before Natara could read it, he reached over and squeezed her hand. She stopped in her tracks and looked up at him, with soft eyes.
"N-Natara..." Mal stuttered. "Whatever is in there, know that... it's not me. I mean, I-it used to be but-"
"Mal, it's alright. I know who you are, and no matter what's been recorded down in this file, you are a good man. An honest man. I know that for a fact. So whatever mistakes you might've made in the past, its fine, because that's all it is. The past. We can't change it, but use it to improve ourselves as humans, to make a better future."
Natara flashed Mal a reassuring smile and returned the squeeze, keeping her hand in his. She looked down at their hands for a long moment, before entwining their fingers together. She glanced back up at Mal to see him visibly relaxing and even a diminutive smile appear on his soft lips. Then she resumed looking at the file and began to read, all the while feeling Mal tenderly stoke the back of her hand with his thumb, keeping the smile across her peachy lips.
The file read:
Name: Malachi Charles Fallon
Age: 16-19
D.O.B: June 9th, 1978
Personality: Genuinely calm when not agitated, sarcastic and smug attitude towards certain officers, seems most likely to discuss situations with Detective Maria Yeong. Tendency to be violent, temper and anger issues at times. Wound up easily from certain topics (mainly involving his family) and shows intuition and quick wit, clearly some high level of intelligence. Closed off and reserved, refuses to communicate or co-operate with strangers or officers. Although, when placed with Maria, is rather outgoing and confident.
Background: Born from Police Captain Jacob Fallon and home-maker Angela Fallon. He has a elder sister and uncle that is around him most of the time. After Jacob's incarceration, Mal started getting into trouble frequently, starting when he was 14 by getting into fights during school, followed by suspension.
After skimming through the information, Natara smirked and lifted her head up to meet Mal's eyes, who were staring at her with uneasiness. She returned this with a reassuring smile.
"I don't know what you're so worried about Mal, I mean it's-"
"I'm not worried." Mal interjected a little too quickly.
Natara giggled. 'Men and their ego's' she thought to herself.
"Okay, whatever." Natara rolled her eyes playfully "But seriously, Mal, it's not bad at all. You just seem a little... what's the word... bad-ass?"
Mal went wide-eyed and couldn't stop laughing. Natara started laughing too, and soon their laughter ceased and their eyes locked together, unknown sparks flying.
"Okay, okay," Mal started "I'll admit it, I was a jerk to some of the officers, like, proper stuck up, would not co-operate at all with any of them, sarcasm, the works. You name it, I did it."
"Oh Malachi... you bad boy." Natara teased, playfully hitting his arm.
Mal just chuckled. He felt his cheeks burn intensely as he locked eyes with Natara. Neither one of them could pull away, even if they wanted to, it was like they were bound by an unbreakable force. Natara got lost in Mal's oceanic blue eyes, gazing into the mystery and warmth, while Mal was lost in Natara's soft, hazel eyes that never seemed to stop shining. After a long, intense moment, Natara blinked and finally managed to drag herself away, blushing heavily and looking to the ground.
"Um... anyway," She said quietly "Let's continue reading, shall we?"
"Oh yeah, of course, go ahead."
Although Mal knew the main information that was stored within this file from his rebellious past, he wasn't as nervous anymore: here, sat in front of Natara, alone in the one place he could feel at peace, Mal was surprisingly calm even as Natara began to turn to the part of the file that was full of his secret misdoings.
Natara pushed open the surprisingly large subdivision and her eyes widened at all the subsections, labelled a variety of things, she decided to start on the things that she thought would be the easiest to deal with, before moving to the harder parts. She flipped through a couple pages before landing on the exact spot she had been looking for, and began reading. It was a sort of summary, easier than reading through the mountain of information before her. Mal, instead of looking at Natara this time, decided to follow along and then wait for Natara's reactions. He waited with patience and anticipation as Natara began reading.
Name: Malachi Charles Fallon
Aliases: Mal
Place Of Arrest: San Francisco, California Country: USA
Arresting Officer: Detective Maria Yeong
Sex: Male Age: 16 Birthdate: 06/09/1978 Birthplace: San Francisco, California
Height: 5'8" Eye Colour: D. Blue Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde
Build: Muscular Scars and Marks: Small scar from previous fight on lower abdomen
Nationality: U.S.A Citizen: Yes Known Gang Affil: Unknown
Occupation: Not employed
Crime: Drunken Disorderly
Previous Criminal History:
Various attempts at breaking and entering abandoned lots
Drunken Disorderly
Drunken Fights
Supposed Gang Fighting
Wielding harmful weapons – eg. Pocket knives, gun etc.
Knife fights
Fleeing in attempts of arrests
Abuse of officers
The list went on and on until it reached the bottom of the page. As Natara finished the list, she realized her mouth had dropped open and was hanging slightly agape. She picked up on her action and immediately blushed, closing her mouth. She glanced up at Mal, who hadn't seen her finish reading, and cleared her throat awkwardly after seeing him staring at the ground. His attention was instantly on her and he bit his lip, sat in silence, waiting for what she had to say. Natara opened her mouth, but was unable to find the words. It was hard to imagine the man that was sat before her had at one point in his life, done these things. After a long, awkward silence Natara finally found her voice again.
"Well, you seemed to have gotten into a lot of fights. Was that normal for you?"
Natara hadn't realized her tone was leaning towards the one she used when she was working, or that she had sat up straight, with her hands rested neatly in her lap. Mal just raised an eyebrow at her unusual behaviour, but answered her anyway.
"Yeah, kind of. What can I say, people pissed me off and I retaliated." Mal said shrugging.
Natara nodded slowly before glancing over the text once again, running her delicate finger down the old page. When she came to a certain bit, she unwillingly gained a look of shock. Mal noted this action and leaned forward, letting his hand brush against hers.
"What?" He asked nervously
"N-Nothing. Just... you were blonde?"
"Oh," Mal sighed with relief "Yeah, up until I was around 18 I was blonde, like my Dad."
"Well that was unexpected, and what about this," Natara pointed to a piece of information. "You have a scar? I never noticed that before."
"The scar's faded over the years, but if you look closely you can still see it."
"Right... Um, may I?" Natara asked, biting her lower lip.
"May you what?"
"See your scar." Natara stated.
"Oh... well I don't see why not," Mal slowly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it back slightly, revealing his toned stomach and chiselled abs. "Here."
Natara fought back a blush as she allowed her eyes to drift downward to gaze at his lightly tanned body. Mal didn't move, waiting for her to move first. Natara was a little hesitant, suddenly feeling her heartbeat grow more rapid inside her chest, but she carefully scooted forward so that she and Mal were only mere inches from each other. She pushed the file aside and glanced back up at Mal, who was looking down at her, before slowly reaching forward and pushing his shirt back further. Mal tried to still his heartbeat as her fingers made contact with his skin. She slowly ran her hands down his chest to his abdomen and began searching for the scar, while Mal gulped. It was impossibly hard to resist Natara right now, seeing as the fire illuminated her beautiful features and the warmth of her skin brushed against Mal's, sending tingling sensations through the areas that they made contact.
Mal couldn't take the torture much longer, so decided to aid her. He gently reached up and took her hand, guiding it to the area in which his forgotten scar lay. She felt the tender skin beneath her hands and leaned in closer to get a better look. Sure enough, a small and faded scar stretched itself across Mal's skin. If he hadn't of pointed it out, Natara would have never noticed it. Natara's eyes widened as she explored it further. Eventually she removed her hands and looked up at Mal, meeting his eyes.
"How did it happen?" She whispered.
Mal looked to the ground, remembering exactly how it happened. After a short debate with himself, he took a deep breath and looked back up at her, once again meeting her gaze.
"I got it during a fight. Something I wasn't meant to get mixed up in, but one of my 'friends' got into some trouble and well, it got out of hand. It was a knife fight, and unfortunately I was at the receding end. Did some damage to the other guy though... not something I'm proud of."
"Was he alright?"
"Yeah, we both were. Pretty damn painful though, dude had some skill. He was involved in a gang that practiced that sort of thing. Thankfully, I used some tricks Jacob taught me and got out alive."
"That must have been pretty scary."
"It was, at the time, but adrenaline is a powerful tool I've found. Gives you time to think."
"I completely understand. Scars have a way of haunting you..."
Natara looked away, unconsciously rubbing the long jagged scar on her left shoulder. Mal noticed the gesture and frowned. Natara was pouting, lost in her own thoughts, and he could see they weren't pleasant. He did the only thing he could think of, and pulled her into a hug. Natara tensed up in shock for a brief moment, but when she realized what Mal was doing, relaxed and allowed herself to lean into the embrace. She swayed gently with Mal, wrapping her arms around his bare back, feeling the warmth of his skin.
"You have to remember though, Nat, that scars... yes they leave memories that can never be fully forgotten. But the way I look at it is that no matter what happened, it's in the past and in the end you survived that. You came out stronger. You won."
Natara took a moment to take in his soothing words and nodded slowly, as sudden realization dawned on her. He was right. He always was. She pulled back a little, to look Mal in the eye and scanned his expression. He was smiling sweetly at her, before leaning down and resting their heads together. Natara felt a few tears well up in her eyes and didn't try to fight them as they cascaded down her cheeks. Mal's smile faltered slightly when he saw this, but nevertheless, reached over and tenderly wiped the tears away with his thumb. Natara managed to regain her composure after a long moment and pulled Mal back into a long hug.
She pulled away after a long moment, but kept their faces within kissing distance. She smiled at Mal, gaining one in return. As a thank you, Natara leaned over and gently placed a long sweet kiss on Mal's cheek. He blushed uncontrollably as her soft lips met his ruff stubble and wanted the moment to last forever.
"I don't know what I'd do without you Mal." Natara whispered in his ear.
Mal couldn't help but grin like a goof as he quickly wrapped her up in his arms again. Natara laughed lightly and returned the hug.
"Me too, Nat, me too."
They sat together like that for a long time, neither of them parting.
More Maltara later, but I wanted to get this posted up and there will be more on Kai and Amy's friendship in the next chapter as well, and also sorry that there was no flashbacks in this one but there will be much more next time I promise, I was pressed for time though! But I just wanted to say – please check out my new website at 'mollysmanga . weebly . com' and spread the word for me? Thanks a billion! :) Review?
