Full A/N at the end. Thanks to BlackBatLicorice, beth626, and Robin.D for the reviews on the last chapter. This is the first chapter where we get to hear from River. No beta this week, so all mistakes are mine. Enjoy.
River follows Chibs down the dark back hallway. She's grateful for the way he's gripping her hand pulling her along but she can't help the way she keeps looking back to see if they're being followed. His shoulders are tense and his fingers are tight on her hand and she doesn't have enough context to suss out exactly what is going on. It's all been too much recently to worry about more than the next few minutes at a time. It doesn't help that every tug of his hand pulls at her bruised ribs, putting her even more on edge.
They go through a door at the end of the hall and suddenly they're outside. River takes a breath of cool air and she's glad that she's still wrapped in the sweatshirt he'd dropped over her shoulders earlier that day. The thick material swamps her smaller form and she tugs her hand from his to pull the too-big jeans further up her hips. She needs to gain weight. That damn grilled cheese was the first real meal she'd had in days and she still hasn't had anything today except the muffins.
Now that they're outside Chibs seems to be trying to decide the next move and he turns to look at her. She can tell he's talking, she can see the movement of his head but it's too dark behind the building for her to make out his lips. She steps to the side hoping to catch the last of the fading sun but he reaches out to catch her wrist again pulling her into him.
Deaf since birth, River is used to the world not being made for people like her. Normally she has a series of adaptations at her disposal to make living in a hearing world easier but she hasn't been living normal for a while now. At this point she's just happy this set of captors picked up on her lack of hearing and are making an effort. Or, some of them are. She hadn't appreciated the way Chibs had turned his back on her to talk to the white-haired man but baby steps.
Chibs seems to have finally realized the problem and his hand is hot on her wrist as he pulls her around the building to the lit overhang where they'd smoked earlier. Now that they're in the light he turns to her and she takes in his concerned looking eyes before looking down to focus on his lips.
"Do you…bike?… Understand?" She knows she's missed some words but the light still isn't great and he's moving his head as he talks scanning the lot behind them. She shakes her head at him. A bike? She knows he means the motorcycle but she's not sure what he wants. He makes a frustrated face and tries again but it's worse. Losing patience, she reaches out to grab his beard forcing him to focus.
"Do you know how to ride a bike?" The words finally come clear and she releases him shaking her head no. She's never been on a motorcycle but it can't be that hard, right? She can tell she's wrong from the exasperated look on his face. He's mumbling and she can't get a read on him but she's pretty sure she sees him say her name. She reaches up to rub a hand through her hair feeling a little embarrassed. She misses her long hair. The train of thought is interrupted by his waving hand.
"Just hold on and lean when I lean." She nods, there's really not anything else to do. She'd love to sign back that she's not sure what she's supposed to hold on to or ask where her helmet is or get more information on where they're going but it's not worth the effort when he won't understand. The nod seems to be enough for Chibs though and she's just too tired to care. He takes another look around the lot before leading her towards a line of bikes.
He stops in front of one three from the end and River takes in the black and chrome machine. She waits while he bends to dig something out of one of the side mounted bags. He holds out a helmet and when she doesn't immediately take it from him he puts it on her head and fastens the strap under her chin for her. While he's close he chews on the inside of his cheek and she recognizes a sure sign he's about to speak.
"Good fit?" She's confused until one of his hands taps the top of the helmet testing for movement. It fits well. She nods for him and he gives her a small smile. This close, it's hard to miss the way his smile deepens the scars running across his cheeks, sinking into the natural dimples that frame his mouth. River feels bad for picking on his scars earlier and for a moment she tries to figure out how she could apologize but the time is gone when he swings his leg over the bike and holds out a hand to her.
She lets him guide her onto the bike and pull her close against his back. She feels like a rag doll completely at his mercy as he pulls her tight, wrapping her arms around his chest and reaching down to put her feet on the pegs. She's glad she managed to get enough blood off her boots to make them comfortable enough to wear again. Once he's got her situated the way he wants he holds up the OK sign and waits until she gives it back before he shifts.
The feeling of the bike coming to life is shocking. The rumble under her is wild and River knows the machine must be loud for those that can hear it. One of his hands comes up to rest over her interlocked fingers on his chest and like this is the last check he needed, the machine springs forward.
Riding is fun. It is probably the most fun she's had in months and it doesn't hurt that the further they get from the building that smells like gasoline and cigarettes the safer she feels. Chibs is a warm body in front of her and with the way she's perched behind him on the bike she's hyper aware of the way her legs are spread to fit around his wider hips. She can feel the muscles in his stomach twitch under her hands as he leans into every turn and she does her best to lean with him. It's almost like freedom.
It feels like no time at all before the bike is slowing and they take the last turn on to a residential street. They pull up to a small ranch style house and River is surprised by how normal it looks. She'd expected something a bit more sinister from the dangerous looking biker in front of her. Chibs pulls the bike into a clean garage and River realizes he must have a remote mounted on the bike somewhere as the door closes automatically behind them.
The rumble from the bike ends and he turns still straddling the seat to motion for her to dismount. She ends up standing awkwardly not sure what to do next as he climbs off. She tries to cover the moment by tugging off the helmet and handing it to him to put away. He seems tense again and she wonders if this is just his house. He doesn't seem like a man to go home to his wife at the end of the day but maybe they're about to walk in on some quiet family scene.
Her fears prove unfounded as he leads her into the dark house flipping on lights as he goes. It's a nice house really, although a little small. They go through a laundry room off the garage, down a short hallway and into an open plan living room and kitchen. The entire place is clean, almost unlived in, and River realizes he doesn't come here often. This place is probably his hideaway and now she's here invading his space. It all feels weirdly personal.
He leads her into the kitchen and in the bright light of the room he looks tired. He starts digging through a drawer and she takes the time to look around. River takes in the white cabinets and completely clean counter tops. The only decoration a red ceramic utensil container that holds a collection of cooking implements and a wooden knife block. There's a cut out in the kitchen wall that overlooks the living room and she notices the flat screen mounted over the fireplace. There's a gray couch and an old red recliner situated in front of the TV. One long wall is lined with bookshelves full of a mix of paperbacks, hardcovers, and she's surprised to see an old set of encyclopedias.
She's just trying to read a few titles, noticing many of them are thrillers and mystery novels, when a notepad is waved in her face. She takes the pad and snorts at the strip club logo at the top of the page looking up at him with a raised brow. He looks confused so she points at the logo. He rolls his eyes and jabs a finger at the messily scrawled writing, holding out a pen for her to reply.
Are you hungry?
She's starving. She nods and then bends over the counter to reply.
Are there cheeseburgers?
He looks at her reply and then back up at her. For a second she thinks he's confused but then he smiles and she can't help the answering smile when his dimples make an appearance through the scars. He digs back through the drawer and holds out a crumpled take out menu. He taps the pad and she understands he wants her to write down her order.
Everything on the menu sounds incredible and she ends up writing him a rather substantial list. To his credit he doesn't even react instead stepping away to pull out what she recognizes as a burner phone to place the order. He hangs up and gives her the OK signal before grabbing the pen.
Twenty minutes. Do you want to watch tv?
As soon as he writes it he starts to scratch it out but she reaches out to put her hand over his to still the pen. He looks up at her surprised and she can tell he thinks he's done something stupid. No one has offered her something as comfortable as TV in a long time. She takes the pen.
I can watch tv, closed captions. Can you check my ribs?
He nods and leads her over to the couch he hands her a mess of remotes and his mouth forms the word "Juice" followed by "I dunno". He motions to her ribs and she tugs off the sweater to reveal the borrowed tank top. She hesitates on the tank top. She'd pulled it off without shame the night before but for some reason it feels different this time, alone in his house. She can still remember the way it feels to have her legs and arms wrapped around him on the bike and it seems like something has shifted. The pain in her side has been steadily growing though and she's worried something got worse during her excursion to the roof.
She looks at him through her lashes and he's looking away from her trying to find anything else to focus on. His eyes dart down to her fingers twisted up in the hem of the fabric and then away again. She finally lets out a little involuntary sigh and she sees his shoulders jump at the small noise. He turns back to her fully with his eyebrows raised and nods towards her throat.
"You can talk... Or noise?" She catches enough of his mumbled question to understand and nods, the shirt forgotten she reaches for the notepad again. It's a common misconception that the deaf are by default mute. She can't hear herself which makes things more difficult but she can feel the vibrations in her throat and she's capable of laughs and sighs, and screams. Technically she knows how to talk although it's rare and when she does it always feels like she's stretching a very tired muscle. It doesn't help that without being able to hear herself so she's not always sure she gets the words right. She takes a beat to figure out how to write it out for him before putting pen to paper.
I can make noise. My vocal chords aren't missing just underused.
He raises an eyebrow at that and chews on the inside of his cheek.
"So why not talk?" She's been asked the question before both out of curiosity and cruelty but Chibs seems genuinely curious so she bends over the paper again.
It's hard to learn when you can't hear. I talk with my hands. Why don't you sign.
He reads the words as she writes and when she finishes he laughs and she catches the word "cheeky" rolling off his lips as he shakes his head. The tension in the room loosens a bit.
"Come on, lass. I need to check your ribs." He turns back and faces her as he speaks and she nods putting her fingers down to the hem of the shirt again. It's now or never.
She tugs the fabric over her head and instantly feels gooseflesh spring up across her stomach from the air conditioning. She's not cold for long though because he seems to have taken a no time like the present attitude and his hot hands are already carefully unwrapping the elastic bandage and tape, knuckles brushing against her skin with every move.
"You're too thin…" The rest of his statement lost in space as he ducks his head to take a closer look. Calloused fingertips brush lightly against the bruises and now that the tape is gone she realizes how much it had been helping. It feels far more tender than the night before.
He hits a particularly painful spot and she lets out a little gasp and squeak. She can feel the audible sound leave her throat and she can see when he hears it from the way his shoulders tighten and the hands pull back. He looks up at her and there's something in his eyes for just a moment that almost looks like lust then he reigns it back and concern blooms. She is glad he gets it under control because she's not sure she can handle a horny biker on top of everything else.
"Sorry. Looks good, still don't think anything is broken. I'll wrap you back up." He speaks slowly and she can tell the goal is that she understand every word. She notices that his eyes are the color of dark honey and he looks concerned for her in a way that probably wouldn't be appreciated by his brothers. She wonders if this is a shift caused by their new location or recent events.
When he reaches for the tape she reaches for the remotes, pressing buttons randomly until the TV flashes into life. Anything to distract from the feeling of him touching her. This is the man who is helping to hold her captive. Although he'd promised not to kill her. She rubs a hand up the back of her shorn hair, what's happened to her life that makes not killing her feel like actual caring. It's going to take years of therapy to come back from this.
The next few hours pass quickly. River figures out the closed caption setting on the tv and settles back with a terrible action movie. The food arrives and she manages to down two cheeseburgers with fries, onion rings, and most of a large coke. They don't pass anymore notes and Chibs seems content to let her sit on one side of the couch while he takes the other.
When the movie is over, he produces two more of the oblong white pain pills and she downs them with the last of her soda before he leads her to a door off the main room. He motions towards the king size bed and she looks up at him trying to silently ask where he's going to sleep. He picks up on the question faster than she thought he would and nods back to the couch.
"The spare rooms aren't set up or anything. I've got to guard anyways." It's a thin excuse for kindness but she lets him have it and takes the bed. She doesn't miss the way he leaves the door cracked or the glass of water he puts on the nightstand before he turns to go. The bed is comfortable, very comfortable and she's asleep in minutes.
So a little more deaf culture and some character development. Sorry the update was a little late this week.
Hope you enjoyed. All reviews are welcome!