aravenamongcrows on Tumblr (ask and submissions are open!)

General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death.

CHAPTER 22: DRUNK IN LOVE

"Where d'you wanna stay baby?" Tig asked Sydney as they buckled their helmets while the engine of his Dyna roared to life below them.

"Hmmm…" Sydney hummed as she pressed herself against his back, slowly sliding herself up until her lips reached his ear. "I want you to take me to a cheap motel and fuck me like a dirty whore." Tig grimaced as the filthy words left her pretty lips, his pants instantly feeling two sizes smaller.

"You know, you make me look modest..."

"Yeah, I do… You gotta keep up that reputation Sergeant. People might think you've gone domestic. We wouldn't want that, would we?" Tig chuckled, regardless of the wrench that she'd thrown into his plans by constantly challenging his dominance, his reputation wasn't going anywhere as long as he had something to do with it.

"Sit that ass down and hang on." Sydney smirked, doing exactly as she was told by wrapping her body around his like a second skin, resting her hands on his belt buckle.

"Tight enough, Tiggy?" He sucked in a breath as her innocently sweet voice flooded his ears, willing himself not to bend her over the damn bike right there.

After a short drive they pulled into the lot of a motel not far from the boardwalk. The rundown building was close enough to the ocean that they could hear the crashing waves as they strolled across the parking lot to the check-in booth where Tig placed a few bills on the counter to cover the room.

"You sure this is okay?" He asked skeptically with a raised brow while he stood in the doorway of the dingy motel room. He didn't give a shit where he slept - the mediocre room was better than most of the beds he'd slept in over the years, but he didn't believe that the high maintenance woman standing next to him could possibly feel the same.

"I told you." Sydney scoffed, pushing past him. "You think too highly of me." She walked straight over to the bed, flopping down onto her back.

Tig chuckled. "Alright, I'm gonna go grab some beer." He nodded towards the liquor store next door.

"Hurry back." She cooed seductively with an evil smirk.

Tig grumbled as he pulled the door shut, dreading whatever temptation he would be faced with when he returned. He'd wanted nothing more all day long than to take her in every way imaginable and holding back was killing him, but if there was anything he'd learned about Sydney - it was that she loved a good power struggle, and this game was the best way to keep her focus off of the bullshit that had clouded her mind recently.

Sydney took the time that he was gone to scope out the room for a new tactic to get him to cave. She located the TV remote, deciding that she would go with something more laid back, knowing that he was now expecting more from her. She eyed the large tub in the bathroom during her stake out, wondering how much sweet talking it would take to convince him to have a bath with her. She briefly pondered switching up her tactic and taking a bath with the door open where he could see her from the bed, but decided that she would save that one for tomorrow.

Tig returned a few minutes later with a six-pack and a bottle of wine, opening the door to see Sydney sitting on the bed cross legged, paying attention to the TV as if her life depended on it. He scowled, looking from her face to the source of her focus, which was an old school porno playing on the old box TV.

"You makin plans without me, Angel?" He asked with a raised brow, trying to keep the smirk off of his face.

"Just tryin to plan my night baby, but it seems like you had other plans…" She glanced down to the plastic bag in his hand.

"Yeah, turn that shit off." He gestured to the TV, quickly brushing off her surprisingly weak attempt to seduce him as he unloaded the contents of the bag. "Got some of that girly shit you like." He held out the bottle to her.

"It's called rosé." She drew out theatrically with a chuckle, quickly getting to work popping the cork and taking a swig.

"Guess I didn't think to get a glass…" Tig looked around the cheap motel room even though he knew it would only be equipped with the absolute minimum, wine glasses not included.

"I aint complainin." She chuckled at his concern.

Tig smiled and reached for the TV remote, channel surfing for the most unromantic, PG rated movie he could find, settling on Saving Private Ryan.

"Ugh, Tiggy come on!" She whined at his film choice. "The porn was way better than this." She pleaded with a studious pout as he stood next to the bed where she was kneeling.

"What's the matter babe?" He chuckled. "You don't like a classic war movie?" He sat down on the edge of the bed and began getting comfortable by kicking off his boots.

"Oh no, I love a classic war movie. What I don't love, is Saving Private Ryan." She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"What?" He exclaimed in offence, whipping around to face her. "Saving Private Ryan is the war movie."

"Fuck that! Band of Brothers, Pearl Harbour, Behind Enemy Lines, Full Metal Jacket, are all better than that pansy shit. You just don't get out enough." Her tone went from playfully argumentative to playfully innocent, flipping her hair to add to the dramatics.

Tig responded with a knowing stare and a smirk as he set the remote down on the nightstand next to him, signalling that Sydney would be suffering through the movie the same way that she had made him suffer through the same damn Marvel movie, multiple times.

"I'll remember this…" She let her eyes linger on him before finally turning her head to focus on the TV. "At least it's half over."

"It's on again after this." He replied casually as he kicked his feet up and sat back against the headboard.

"Ugh." She groaned, burying her face into a pillow. "Well." She perked up, lifting her head and rising to her knees, grabbing the beer out of his hand and setting it onto the nightstand as she straddled his hips. "Guess that means we have time to kill before it starts." She smirked, grinding herself down against his pelvis.

He smirked, smoothing his hands up her denim covered thighs and humming deep in his throat. "Think you've been patient enough?" His hands travelled over her hips, up her waist, snaking around her back and yanking her down, holding her to hover just above his lips.

"I've been a good girl today, Sergeant." She whispered with innocence inhabiting her demeanor.

He brought her even closer to his lips, halting right before they met as he flipped her over onto her back, a gasp of excitement slipping from her lips when the scratchy motel sheets made contact with her skin. She closed her eyes when he began leaning in again, but they quickly flew open when his lips brushed against the sensitive skin on her jaw instead of her lips.

"Not good enough." He smirked, playfully nipping at her neck before pulling away and resuming his previous position in front of the TV. She just rolled her eyes, swiping the bottle of wine off the nightstand next to her and gulping it back.

"Drink!" Sydney hollered as she pointed at the TV, bouncing in place.

"No way, that wasn't a headshot!" Tig protested just as loudly.

Sydney had decided that if she was going to have to suffer, she might as well have fun with it - having turned watching the boring movie into a drinking game. One noise complaint, a bottle of wine, and a case of beer later - the first showing of the movie had ended and they were currently halfway through the second one, both thoroughly drunk thanks to her generous game rules.

"Was too!" She stuck her tongue out at him before chugging more wine. "You just don't wanna drink, you pussy." She slurred.

"Gimme that." He growled, grabbing the wine from her and gulping the last of it.

"Now you drank it all." Sydney pouted, holding onto her feet in her cross legged position and rolling onto her side, laughing when she fell over.

Tig laughed hysterically, the alcohol fueling both of their actions. "Okay, okay. You're off the hook now." He referred to the fact that they had reached the point in the second showing of the movie where they had initially started in the first one.

"Thank god!" She sprawled her arms and legs out in victory, almost kicking Tig in the face, which only sent her further into her state of hysteria.

"Not much else on." He stated after he finished laughing, shutting off the TV and tossing the remote across the bed in defeat.

"As long as you can't pick." She chuckled. "You know… We could make our own movie."

"There's an idea…"

Sydney smirked with her eyes closed, staying silent - refusing to give in so easily now that his facade had finally begun to break. He smiled as he watched her falling asleep with her head at the foot of the bed, his own eyes feeling heavy from the alcohol.

"See! You are a pussy." He was startled awake by Sydney's voice, realizing he'd begun to doze off.

She laughed at the way his eyes flew open and tried to refocus in the dimly lit room before standing up from the bed and stretching with her arms above her head before ripping off her top and getting to work unbuttoning her jeans with her back facing him.

"W-what're ya doin?" Tig choked out, his eyes popping out of his head when she abruptly began shedding her clothes. She looked over her shoulder at him as she slid down her jeans.

"Well, I don't got any clothes to sleep in." She shook her head as if he should've known.

He coughed a few times, trying to gain his composure but not having the strength to take his eyes off of her. Once she was completely naked she grabbed at the corner of the duvet and crawled underneath it.

"You gonna sleep in that?" She asked, keeping up the casual act as she referred to his black jeans and button up.

Tig looked down at his attire in his state of bewilderment, realizing she had a point that he hadn't considered. Once he'd slowly stripped down to his boxers, he turned back to see her asleep again.

"Hey! You aint gonna wake me up, just to fall asleep." He whined as he crawled under the covers and pulled her close to him.

"You want me to keep you up Tiggy?" She tilted her head back to look at him while her fingers danced across his chest. He didn't answer, glaring down at her as he felt his dick springing to life, unable to take the restraint any longer.

Of course he didn't actually plan on keeping up his act of celibacy, he just didn't want her to think that she had won yet. She was right - he did have a reputation to uphold and so far, the little blonde girl had cost him some serious street cred.

"Fine. Smoke?" She asked with the same exaggerated innocence, rolling onto her knees and leaning down off the bed to grab her pack from her jacket with her ass in the air.

It was game over. Tig sat up as soon as she exposed herself, pressing his tongue to her slit from behind. Sydney gasped as she felt the warmth of his mouth on her so quickly, the mind numbing effect of the alcohol had intensified the welcome surprise.

"You didn't really think I wasn't gonna fuck you, did you Princess?" He caressed her ass as he spoke before going back in.

"Mmmm no daddy." She moaned. "But." She extended her leg, her foot pressing against his chest and pushing him down to the mattress before turning around and crawling on top of him. "Did you really think I was gonna give in that easily after you made me wait all day." Her raspy voice was hot and seductive, lowering her mouth to his in a heated kiss, his hands gripping her hips harshly as their tongues battled for dominance. Tig sat them up and pulled away with a grin.

"What?" Sydney bit her lip bashfully under his gaze.

"You are like sunshine and..." He tried to find the right words to describe the happiness and excitement that she brought to his life while his smile beamed and his curls bounced, shaking his head in awe. "Whiskey." He concluded with a chuckle.

"Tequila sunrise." She winked.

"I love you." He stated, grin still wide as ever.

"I love you." She replied dreamily as her eyes slid over him, she could've happily spent the rest of her life staring at him.

He wound his fingers into her hair, leaning to recapture her lips, making his stomach flip the same way that it had over the past few weeks. He wondered if the passion would ever die out between their encounters, because every time he touched her - she still made him feel the same excitement that he felt the first night in the bathroom at the clubhouse.

She could feel the depth in the embrace which she reciprocated, hoping to show her appreciation for everything he'd done for her today. She ran her fingers through the curls at the back of his neck, the soft feeling only filling her with more emotion.

He shivered under her gentle touch, the anticipation growing along with his dick as she sat naked on top of him, touching him like glass. He reached behind his neck, grabbing her hands gently and sliding them over his shoulders before bringing them his lips, kissing her knuckles.

Sydney let her heavy eyelids droop down in her haze as he peered up at her with his eyes glazed over, spreading her fingers over his face and cupping his jaw to stroke his cheekbones with her thumbs. Tig smiled weakly, resting his forehead on her shoulder to avoid eye contact as she stared at him so lovingly - the alcohol telling him that he wasn't worthy. His senses perked up and the blanket of doubt was whisked away when he felt arms around him and Sydney burying her face into the crook of his neck. He smiled and laid back with her in his arms, stroking her hair and rubbing her back as they both drifted off to sleep.

Tig was tearing down the I5, the sun on his face and the wind in his hair with the little brunette holding onto him tightly, giggling as he swerved in and out of traffic with a grin on his face. They had just rounded yet another honking vehicle, overtaking it with ease. Tig could hear her laughing above the commotion, laughing the exact same way that she had when he first got the bike and took her for a ride. They rounded a bend, the bike leaning enough to scare anyone, but she just squealed with joy, she knew Tig would keep her safe.

That was when traffic came to a screeching halt before them, all lanes blocked with nowhere to go and no time to stop. Tig hadn't had any other options other than to lay the bike down, sliding across the grassy median before he'd even realized what he'd done.

Sydney was awoken from her peaceful slumber by her mattress jostling her around. When she came to her senses, she found herself next to Tig who was tossing and turning, sweating violently and shaking as he appeared to be having a nightmare.

Horns, sirens, and screams were blaring all around him as his ears rang, blood pouring from the gash in his head and clouding his vision. When he came to, he found himself in a stretcher being wheeled to an ambulance.

"Jules?" He mumbled.

Sydney scowled when she heard the mumbled name slip from his lips as he continued tossing about, wondering who this person was and what was happening behind his closed eyes.

That's when he saw it. Her. The body bag being zipped up.

"No!" He screamed hysterically, thrashing against the weak stretcher he'd been strapped to.

"Tig." The paramedic said quietly, the sound echoing in his ears. "Tig, baby."

Tig's eyes flew open as he gasped for air, seeing Sydney sitting on top of him running her hands through his hair, gently lulling him awake. "Wha-" He began to question, tears immediately springing to his eyes as his throat locked. It'd been years since he'd dreamt about her.

"Shhh…" She hushed him, brushing the tears out of the corners of his eyes. "You were just having a bad dream." She eased herself off of him, getting out of bed and slipping on his shirt to grab some water once she was comfortable that he was stable, letting him catch his breath and familiarize himself with his surroundings.

As soon as she was out of the room, Tig began hyperventilating - it had been years since he'd seen her, heard her, felt her. He didn't know how to process these emotions, nor did he want to. Swiping angrily at his watery eyes, he sat up - running his hands over his face and gripping his hair tight, slowly releasing it when he realized he needed to get out of this room. He pulled on his jeans and was in the middle of lacing up a boot when Sydney came back with her empty wine bottle, full of cold water. He chuckled, taking it from her gratefully and taking a gulp before slipping on his other boot.

Sydney knew all too well what kind of nightmares this life brought with it, she knew how difficult they could be; the shit they could show you, the shit they could make you feel, the shit they could remind you of... She knew he needed space to cool off and that smothering would only make things worse for a guy like Tig who struggled with feelings and transparency as it was, but she couldn't ignore the pang she felt in her heart when she saw the tears glistening in his eyes as he got up to leave the room, knowing that there was nothing she could do about it.

Tig walked over to where Sydney sat on the bed cross-legged and wearing his shirt, stunned with no idea how to handle the situation. He hated himself for once again ruining the moment, the pained look on her face only bringing more tears to his eyes. He sat down, cautiously reaching for her hand, squeezing his eyes shut and praying that she wouldn't pull away.

"I uh-" He coughed, clearing his throat once his hand made contact with her and she grasped it tightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm gonna go have a smoke, take a walk. You should get some sleep, I don't wanna keep you up." He stood, leaning to press a kiss to her temple before turning toward the door.

She knew that his distant tone was just a coping mechanism and that it wasn't personal, but in her delirious state of still being half drunk, half asleep, and exhausted from the day - it stung. She nodded, keeping her head down and her eyes focused on the floral print of the duvet, waiting until she heard the door close behind him to squeeze her eyes shut and let the tears flow, smacking the mattress with an angry fist and crying even harder.

Tig was on his fourth cigarette, listening to the waves crashing against the shore with his feet in the sand as tears poured down his face under the moonlight. He knew that the ride to Santa Cruz was exactly what had triggered the memory that he had spent decades trying to bury.

"I'm sorry baby…" He whispered into the wind, flicking the cigarette butt into the sand and closing his eyes, taking a deep breath and pushing the heinous memory of what he had done back into the depths of his mind where it belonged. He stayed in the position for much longer than intended, only when the darkness around him began to lighten did he open his eyes and realize that the sun was starting to rise.

Sydney had fallen asleep quickly after her outburst, the spent emotions putting her in a sleep deep enough that she hadn't heard Tig enter the room, only waking when she felt the bed dipping behind her and him pulling her close.

"I'm so sorry, Angel…" He apologized with his face buried in the back of her neck. She lightly caressed the hand that was resting on her stomach to let him know that she was awake. "You were right. The beach does help." He silently prayed that she wouldn't ask, knowing that he didn't have the mental strength to come up with a lie.

She didn't know what to say and she knew better than to ask so she nodded with a smile, happy that he had found some comfort.

"Alexander."

"Hmm?" She questioned as the second unfamiliar name of the night was thrown her way.

"My real name." He didn't quite know if he was telling her because he wanted her to know more about him - the real him, or if he was using it as a diversion from what he didn't want to tell her.

"You do not look like an Alexander." She giggled. She could've looked over his TM records easily if she wanted to find out his real name so badly, but that was one of the few details she had willed herself not to uncover when she arrived in Charming and quickly discovered her feelings for him, knowing that if he wanted her to know, he would tell her.

Tig chuckled, glad that she wasn't asking questions and was giving a semi-normal response.

"You should tell me about her some day." She said quietly, sincerely after a while in silence.

Tig tensed, half at the thought of having to talk about her, and the other half at the fact that Sydney had managed to piece everything together, and wasn't upset. He loosened up, nodding against her neck and pressing a kiss to her shoulder before falling back asleep.

Shoutout to Georgia and CJ for the inspo, as well as making it absolutely impossible for me to think that Tig's old lady was named anything other than Juliet