Work Text:
Minou
She walked through the gates quickly, leaving Thurston Town and its dust and shabby houses behind her. She had taken the exit in the Southeast of the town and walked along the dirt road to the agreed meeting point.
Minou reached for the gun at her side, her eyes wandering over the hills overgrown with grass. This was the territory of many dogs, and she didn’t want to become an easy prey for a hungry pack. Then she looked back over her shoulder, making sure that no one was following her either.
This was crazy. They shouldn’t meet in plain daylight.
She kept walking up the hills, not once slowing her steps, until she could see the “tent” which the privateers had built from rusty metal plates to find shelter from the weather during patrols. Smoke was trailing from the fire in front of it, but there were no other signs of anyone being present.
She turned her back to it and looked the way she came from, again making sure there was no one watching her, and only when she was sure that she was safe, she could relax slightly.
It was a really nice day. A gentle breeze blew over the hills and fields and built a nice contrast to the normally high temperatures on Rook. If this had been a normal situation… she shook her head gently. There was no use in stupid day dreams and ‘what-if’ questions. She was here and Rook was her home, the only one she knew. There would never be a normal day, or a chance for her to enjoy the weather with a man she loved in an ice cream parlor or something like that. There was no use in fantasies and there was certainly no-
Minou tensed when she heard the footsteps. Someone was quietly approaching her from behind. The noises were damped by the grass, but they were definitely there. She tried her hardest to keep a calm façade as she listened closely to find out where exactly this guy was, and when she was sure he was only a few steps away, she pulled the gun from her belt somewhat clumsily and turned. But before she could even raise the weapon, a body crashed into her and the next second she found her arm caught and twisted behind her. Her back was pressed to the other’s front, and another arm was slung around her throat to keep her still.
“You know, as long as the safety catch is still on, you won’t be able to shoot anybody,” he said, and even in such a short sentence his accent was strong.
“Fuck off,” she said and he released her from his grip when she started struggling. Her relief was quickly replaced by anger as she turned to look at him. “How dare you sneak up on me? I could have shot you!”
His chuckle only made her glare harder, until Sam closed the space between them and pulled her body against his. “I’m sorry,” he said and tried to lean down and kiss her, but she didn’t give him the chance as she tore away from him. Something akin to disappointment flickered over his face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.
Minou’s gaze softened and she took a step closer to him. “No, I am sorry,” she said ruefully. “It’s just that I’m afraid that he’ll find out. You know he would kill us.”
Sam shrugged, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one of them. “We don’t know that. Maybe it doesn’t matter to him at all.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it doesn’t,” she answered sarcastically and crossed her arms before her chest. They remained quiet for a while, and somehow the silence was heavy between them, other than usual. She closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath when her eyes started burning. There was absolutely no reason to cry now.
Sam must have noticed her inner turmoil because suddenly he stepped closer and his free hand came to rest upon her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
She nodded quickly. “Those are probably just the-“ Mood swings. “I mean, it’s just the stress.”
He tilted his head to the side, worry softening his normally so hard features. She looked up at him, and in a fleeting moment she wondered what would have been between them if they would have met under normal circumstances. In an ice cream parlor on a nice day with a soft breeze. But the moment passed, and she knew that these were only dreams.
“You know, “ her thoughts were interrupted by his voice, “if you’re uncomfortable with our… arrangement, you just have to say the word and we’ll stop.”
Something like a small electric shock coursed through her body, and she caught his hand when he was about to pull it back. “No, I don’t want us to stop.” She held his gaze for a few heartbeats, then she let go of his hand and looked away. “I mean… if you want to stop…”
“No,” he cut her off her before she could say anything else. “I don’t want to either.”
“Okay…”
“Okay.” He ground his cigarette butt under his heel and snatched the next one from the pack. “Do you have to work today?”
“Yes,” Minou answered and although she couldn’t catch his expression when he turned away, she was sure his shoulders dropped a little. “Hoyt wants to meet me…” she pulled her old watch from her pocket, “…in fifty minutes already…”
She heard him take a last pull from his not nearly finished cigarette, then he dropped it to the ground. “Can I give you a ride?”
He took a few steps towards her and crossed his arms, and the familiar smell of sweat and smoke made her smile. She never had thought that this was something she would grow fond of. “I didn’t realize you were on your way to Hoyt?”
“I’m not. But it would ease my conscience knowing that you arrived there safely.” The stern look hadn’t left his face and in these rare moments, the mask of a privateer fitting perfectly, she understood why so many of his colleagues feared him. But she knew the truth, the real man behind the disguise, and she trusted him like no one else.
She didn’t want him to have his walls up around her though, so she tilted her head to the side and smiled seductively. “Maybe I could repay the favor tonight,” Minou said and placed her hand on his vest. A quick glance at the knife and the ace attached to it let her frown, but she was fast to control her mimic and looked up at Sam again.
“Mhm… maybe you can do that,” he said, and his voice sounded deeper than normal. The normally so enthusiastic behavior wasn’t back, but this was a start. She looked at him for a few heartbeats longer, her eyes wandering over the spider tattoo under his left eye and the cross under his right.
If she had been a normal girl and this had been a normal day in an ice cream parlor on a warm day with a soft breeze…
… She probably wouldn’t even have talked to him.
About thirty minutes later Sam dropped her off at the main compound of the south island and returned to Thurston Town, where they would meet again after nightfall. Minou passed the gates, and while the eyes of the privateers still remained on her when she strode through the camp, no one dared to approach her. Being Hoyt’s girl had its advantages.
With swaying hips she entered the building, winked at the guy who leaned against the frame and ascended the stairs up to Hoyt’s office. A look at the clock told her that she was too early, and when she’d reached the second floor she leaned against the balustrade.
As long as she could remember, she had worked as a prostitute. There wasn’t much choice when it came to possible jobs for women on Rook Island, and the whores in Badtown had raised her after the rest of her family got killed. She had done this a long time with many men, but since she caught Hoyt’sinterest, things had changed. Hoyt was a rich and influential man, and he paid her good money, yet every time he called for her service she could not quite stifle the fear in the pit of her stomach. It had gotten worse since this thing with Sam had started. Hoyt had forbidden any other privateer to go near her, earning her the title of ‘Hoyt’s girl’ and the grudge of the other prostitutes. He had taken her to the south island, given her a place where she could live, and she had come to enjoy the many opportunities to live her life the way she wanted. But with these advantages came the price she had to pay. Hoyt was also a strong man, and one that didn’t care whether he had hurt you or not. His touch made her sick and Minou knew that there was not enough hot water in the world for her to feel clean again.
So after all it was only naturally that she had taken comfort in the only soul that was brave enough to even talk to her. Sam had listened to her when there was no one else she could talk to. He had bought her drinks at the ‘Crazy Cock’, and walked her home when she was incapable of doing it on her own. She remembered her drunken offer of repayment, because this was what men always wanted. ‘Love doesn’t exist on Rook,’ Evita had always told her. ‘There’s only one thing they want, my dear. Men are monsters, and if you give them ammunition against you, they will use it.’
Minou had always believed in this, and it may have been the case with every other man she’d met, but Sam… he had refused and wished her goodnight. Not even a kiss. She had been standing in her doorway, surprised and more than confused, until her stomach had turned and she had to run to the bathroom.
When she looked at the clock again, it was time. She put the watch back in her pocket and strode to Hoyt’s office door, but before she could even reach for the handle, the door opened on itself.
No, not quite. Out of the room came none other than Hoyt’s hitman, and Minou nearly stumbled backwards when he blocked her way with his massive body, closing the door behind him. “Hello Kitten,” he greeted and the sly undertone made her want to vomit, but she tried to not let it show.
“Good day, Mr. Hughes,” she answered politely and averted her eyes.
“How many times did I tell you to call me Buck, Sweetie?” A reply was on the tip of her tongue, a remark that she would rather call him Bambi, but she swallowed it and continued to stare at the ground. He chuckled, and it sent a shiver down her spine. “Someday I’ll teach you. How ‘bout you coming ‘round for dinner tonight? I could show you my stamp-collection.”
Her eyes darted upwards to his face and she couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose. “I would rather not. And if I remember correctly,” she said and looked through the small window in the office door to Hoyt, who was currently bent over something on his desk, “Mr. Volker had forbidden his employees to… use my services.”
She heard him snort and looked back at Buck. He raised his hand to his face to scratch his beard, his eyes still lingering on her. “Maybe his minions. But I’m sure he’ll make an exception for me.”
He leaned forward, his breath reeking of alcohol. But before he could even touch her, Minou slipped out of his reach and stepped to the side. “I’m sure he won’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have something to do.” With that she squeezed past him and opened the door, not even looking back at Buck.
The smell of the room was not an unusual one. Tobacco and alcohol mixed with the scent of Hoyt’s expensive furniture and leather. She knew it, both from the many times she’d been here already and from Sam when he came to her after a long night of poker to enjoy the end of the day.
Hoyt looked up from his papers, annoyance quickly replaced by a broad grin. Every time he’d called for her, she had been afraid and it had gotten worse since she knew Sam.
What if this time he knew of them?
As it turned out he still didn’t know of them, and Minou could leave an hour later without any problems. As expected Buck wasn’t there anymore. She had left the building and one of Hoyt’s privateers had brought her home so she could clean herself up. She waited ‘til nightfall, as arranged, and then she put on the coat with the hood covering her face, and made her way over the shabby market of Thurston Town. Only a few lost souls were still there, drunkards and beggars, and something inside of her stirred, reminding her of Badtown.
Even though the night was as warm as always, her fingers clutching the front of her coat were freezing. She hoped it would be warmer at Sam’s place and quickened her pace. The building was already in sight and her heart was beating fast, not only for the fear of being caught, but also the nervousness about the news she had to tell him.
She reached the steps and went upstairs, but when she rounded the corner she crashed into another body. Stumbling backwards she reached for the gun at her side that wasn’t there anymore. Fuck, she’d left it at home. Alarmed, she looked up at the man facing her, but in the dark she couldn’t quite make out his face. “Hello darling,” he said and she remembered the voice, even though she couldn’t put a name to it. “Running around at such late hour, I see?”
“Oh well,” she answered and held her head high. ‘Don’t back down.’ “Some of us have to work.”
“Work?” he asked but didn’t sound surprised at all. When he took a step closer to her, she could see his face. He didn’t wear Hoyt’s uniform, but instead a red wife beater that meant he was one of Vaas’ men. “I heard Hoyt’s mistress is not supposed to get involved with his workers.”
“I’m not getting involved with him,” she hissed angrily, even though she felt a shiver run down her spine. “I’m delivering something.”
He hummed and a smile played around his lips. “I bet.” Then he straightened and strolled past her, but before she could pass him, he grabbed her arm. She tried her hardest not to flinch when he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Even though Hoyt’s men are not allowed to touch you, I would love to take really good care of you.” He let go of her, and almost instantly she took a few steps away from him. He was grinning when he gave a salute, and then he took the steps down to the ground. “Just come to Vaas’ place and ask for Benjamin.”
She peeked over the banister to make sure he was leaving, and when she was sure the pirate wasn’t there anymore, she rushed to the door of Sam’s home and knocked hurriedly. It took him a while to open, and she wondered if she’d been too early, but when he appeared in the doorway he stepped aside almost immediately to let her enter. His trademark grin was a present as always – at least when he was with her – and she felt a sense of calmness as soon as she was inside. It was always like this. As if she’d left all her fears and worries at the threshold. “Guten Abend, die Dame,” Sam bowed deeply before her, and she shook her head with a smile when he took her coat. “I’m pleased to see you.”
She’d nearly asked where his bad mood from earlier had gone, but Minou caught her tongue before she could do so. No need to destroy the atmosphere. “The pleasure is all mine,” she answered happily and truthfully.
He waved his hand towards the small table with the four chairs around it, and she took a seat next to the one he had obviously been sitting at. An ashtray and his cigarettes were placed on the tabletop, together with two beer bottles, one already empty. “Are you hungry?”
“No. I’ve already eaten, thank you.”
“Wine? Beer?” She shook her head again. He raised his brows, didn’t comment on it though. “Great, now I’m feeling like a poor host,” he laughed and turned to his tape player. She gave a quiet smile as she watched him grab one of the mix tapes and put it into the audio system. “Can I get you anything else?”
“I’m fine,” she answered again, and when Sam looked over his shoulder, he caught her still smiling. “If you say so.” The music began playing. It was a song she didn’t recognize. “Is something bothering you?”
Her first impulse was to lie and tell him that everything was alright, but she had wanted to talk to him after all, and now was as good as ever. He was still fumbling around with the radio and she let her eyes wander over his broad form hidden underneath his uniform. He hadn’t taken it off yet, and she wondered if he had to leave soon. Trumpets jumped in with the beat of the music, and when Sam finally turned to her, a man began singing.
‘Young man there’s no need to feel down,
I said young man pick yourself off the ground,
I said young man ‘cause you’re in a new town
there’s no need to be unhappy.’
She watched Sam wiggling to the song and hopping from one foot to the other and she couldn’t help but laugh. It looked both funny and stupid as he pretended to sing along, an invisible microphone in one hand and the other pressed tightly to his chest. Minou covered her mouth with her palm to stifle the sounds, but her belly shook with laughter nevertheless.
Suddenly he dropped the nonexistent micro and raised his arms over his head to make strange movements in the air before swinging to the music again. “What was that?” she asked with a chuckle, and Sam just raised his index finger as if to indicate her to watch him. And then he raised his arms again over his head and made the exact same movements again.
‘It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
it’s fun to stay at the-‘
“That was not an ‘M’,” she giggled when she realized that he tried to shape the letters mentioned in the song.
For a split second he feigned disappointment and looked like a kicked puppy before he sighed and came to her, sitting down on the chair next to her. The music kept playing in the background and she caught herself tapping her foot on the floor to the beat of it. “You didn’t answer my question. Is something bothering you?” He reached for his beer and took a sip before he put the bottle down again. When she didn’t answer, he gently grabbed her hand. “You know you can talk to me, ja?”
She looked down at the table, not knowing what she should say to him. Of course she knew that, and she was well aware that eventually she had to tell him what was on her mind, but she was afraid too. What if he abandoned her or got angry? Minou was sure he wouldn’t do that, but the thought kept plaguing her.
‘I said young man you can make real your dreams,
but you've got to know this one thing.’
“Actually, there is something I have to tell you…”
He nodded, and the hold on her hand tightened. Her heart was thudding wildly in her chest and she swallowed. All the what-ifs went through her head. She was so afraid to be alone. She couldn’t lose Sam, too. But when she looked up at him, he was smiling, not pushing her, but giving her the time she needed. Her foot had stopped tapping. She took a deep breath through her nose.
“I’m pregnant.”
‘It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
They have everything for young men to enjoy.
You can hang out with all the boys.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
You can get yourself clean
You can have a good meal
You can do whatever you feel.’
The music kept blasting, but otherwise there was no sound for a long time. His smile was gone, and she couldn’t quite decipher if it was surprise or horror that had replaced it. Maybe both. She saw him swallow, slowly, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Her hand was sweaty when she moved it in his. “Is it… are you sure?” he asked and she had to look away again.
Suddenly she knew that she’d ruined his life as well.
“I don’t know for certain. You know I can’t ask anyone for a test. They would tell Hoyt about it as soon as the words left my mouth. But… the symptoms match, I guess.”
Minou wondered if she should apologize, but technically it was as much his fault as it was hers. She dropped her gaze, and from the corner of her eye she saw him reach for his bottle when he released her hand. He didn’t raise it though, but instead clung to it like it was the saving anchor far out at sea. Again she was surprised how hard it had become to talk to each other. Where had the time gone when it had been easier?
She had a lump in her throat when she eventually asked the question that had plagued her since she had put one and one together. “What are we going to do about it?”
Sam didn’t answer, and when she realized that this time he didn’t know what to do, the fear and despair that she had held back came rushing towards her.
They were doomed.
As soon as she would start showing…
A whine she could not hold back left her mouth, and Sam’s eyes darted to her immediately. This was fucked up. They shouldn’t have done this. She didn’t fear death. She did, however, fear the way he would kill them . Hoyt was not known for his kindness. But maybe he wouldn’t even expect it not to be his child. Would he raise it? Kill it? Sell it into slavery?
Tears were leaking from her closed lids, and the fact that Sam was not even trying to console her made it even worse. Would he abandon her to save himself? Denying what they had? “You know… we’ll think of something, okay? Don’t worry…,” he said eventually, but it didn’t sound convincing at all.
She opened her eyes and looked at him, the tears blurring her vision. “Think of something?” Minou repeated bewilderedly. She felt anger replace the desperation, and this was good, because anger was something she could handle very well. “What, you think we can go to Hoyt and explain everything to him? ‘I’m sorry Hoyt, we broke your rule and had sex with each other. Now I’m pregnant and don’t know whose child it is, but I’m sure in a few months we’ll laugh about it. Maybe you could bring something nice to the baby party?”
He huffed in response, but when he answered her, there was no bite to his tone. “Yeah, that was exactly what I meant.”
The song was nearly over. The last chords played when her gaze fell on the bottle in Sam’s hands. She stared at the label with her mind completely blank, the final tone dying away and a new song starting. This one she actually recognized. ‘Eye of the tiger’ it was called. Sam had watched the movie to the song with her. “You know,” she said eventually and sighed, “there is one thing I can do.”
He turned his head to her and raised his brow. “And that would be?”
As an answer she reached for the bottle in his hands and pulled it from his grasp. The guilt made her fingers twitch around the glass, but it was better to end it now before it was too late. Hoyt would never know about this. But before she could even raise the bottle to her lips, Sam caught it in his hand and forced it from her hold. “No,” he said, and he sounded seriously angry. All riled up she wanted to ask what his problem was, until she saw his gaze wander down to her belly, and suddenly she understood. She was talking about killing what could be his child.
Before she could say anything the look on his face was gone, and he was back to staring at the bottle in his hands. “We’ll find another way.” For a few seconds she kept looking at him, then she nodded in defeat.
Minou closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It helped her to calm her nerves, not much, but at least somewhat. Her mind wandered to the child. What would it be like to feel it growing or kicking? What would it look like when it was born?
She had been so deep in thought that she was startled when Sam suddenly got up from his chair. He held out his hand to her and she looked at it with confusion. “What?”
“Let’s dance.”
‘So many times it happens too fast
You change your passion for glory’
“You can’t dance to that,” she said with a shake of her head, but an almost maniacal grin spread on his face at her words.
‘Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive.’
“I’ll show you that I can.”
Hesitantly she took his hand and he led her to the middle of the room before pulling her flush against his body in one swift motion. She stumbled a little, but Sam was fast to catch her. Minou placed her left hand on his shoulder, while he took the other and rested his right one on her hip. They moved quietly from one foot to the other for a while, the beat being easy enough to follow it with their steps. His breath ghosted over her shoulder when he leaned his head against hers, and a smile spread over her lips when his beard tickled her skin. The chorus kicked in the second time, and both of them had built up enough confidence in their dancing skills that they even tried a few steps away from each other; he held her hand when she turned before he pulled her close again.
This time she wrapped both of her arms around Sam’s broad shoulders, enjoying the warmth radiating from him. “See?” he asked lowly and with a far too smug expression. “You can dance to that.” She stuck out her tongue and Sam responded to the playful gesture with a huff. “Do that again, kitty, and I’ll put you over my knee.”
He drew her even closer at his words and both became silent once more. Minou could smell him again under the soap he must have used recently when she rested her head against his chest, and somehow the thought that she would always recognize this scent calmed her nerves.
His chest vibrated when he started humming to the song, and she raised her head to meet his smile with one of her own. “It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of our rival,” he started singing.
“And the last known survivor,” she joined in, “stalks his prey in the night, and he's watching us all with the eyyyyyyyye of the tiger.”
Their singing sounded horrible even to her own ears, and both nearly doubled up laughing when they did not strike one right note.
“You have to leave the island.”
Minou raised her head from his chest, supporting her weight on her elbow. His arm was still slung around her and she enjoyed the feeling of his fingers ghosting over the skin on her side, but Sam didn’t look at her; instead he stared at the ceiling over their heads. “What do you mean?”
When he didn’t answer her straight away, she started drawing patterns on his naked chest, and it rose under her hand when he breathed in deeply. “You should leave. Start a new life and all this shit. You can raise the baby. Or give it away, if you want to.” She furrowed her brow when he looked at her. “Hoyt can harm you no longer when you’re not here anymore.”
It wasn’t as if she never thought about it. How wonderful a new life could be… away from the killing and the man paying her for her body? But she didn’t know anything else but Rook Island. She could not remember the time before, and since then she had never left it. Could it work? “How should I get away?”
He stretched his limbs on the mattress and she could hear some bones cracking when he moved. “I don’t know. Maybe I could steal a boat from Hoyt, fill it with enough fuel and food so you reach the mainland without problems.” He returned to staring at the ceiling. ”You’d have to take money with you, too, and you would need to change your name.”
“Wait,” Minou interrupted him quickly. “I? What about you?”
It was his turn to raise his eyebrow as if the answer was obvious. “You know I have to wait for-“
“A sign of your men, I know,” she cut him off again, annoyance clear in her voice. “But I won’t leave without you.” She knew she was walking on thin ice, carefully balancing on the thin line between friendship and something more she couldn’t have. Didn’t want. Did she?
“I have to be ready, Minou,” Sam answered and raised his hand as if to caress her cheek, but he stopped midway in what could have been a too intimate gesture and lowered it to the mattress again instead.
“Bullshit,” she said angrily. She swallowed so she would get her voice under control again. “As if someone would suddenly materialize right here and tell you to kill Hoyt.” He looked away and rolled his eyes, but it seemed to be more sad than angry. She placed her hand on his face and made him look at her again. “No one will come. They’re not here anymore. But I am. And you can’t just leave me…”
She felt her throat tighten and swallowed again. It didn’t help, and when he looked away again she knew she had lost.
She could not leave without him.
She didn’t have the strength for it.
So she would have to stay here and look for another solution.
A heavy sigh went through his body and Sam took her hand that was resting on his chest. “Okay,” he finally said, and she was sure her heart dropped right through the bed to the ground when he smiled at her."I'm coming with you."
“Really?” she asked with hope, her whole body tingling with excitement.
He laughed at her expression, small wrinkles appearing around his eyes. “Yeah.”
Minou made a mental note to thank God for this later, but for now she buried her head in his neck. It was much harder to hold back the tears when he was so close, but somehow she managed it and kept her pride intact. “Thank you,” she whispered, and he tightened his grip to acknowledge that he had heard her.
When she glanced at him again, she felt as peaceful as he looked. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, his walkie-talkie made a clicking sound. “Fuck,” he swore and tried to untangle himself from both Minou and the sheets, and she had to stifle the laughter when he nearly fell off the bed.
“Becker, you there?” a deep voice asked on the radio, and he snatched it quickly from the table.
“Yeah?”
“Hoyt wants us at the base. Group meeting.”
He looked back at Minou, who was still lying in his bed with the pillow he had used in her arms. “I’m off-duty right now.”
Laughter resounded from at least three men on the radio before the guy answered again. “So are we, but there was a problem on the north island. A hostage escaped Vaas’ camp, an American fellow I think, and that’s why Hoyt wants to see us. So get your ass here before we have to come and get you.”
He sighed before pushing the button on the radio again. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” When he turned back to Minou, she was still clutching his pillow. “Duty calls,” he said languidly.
“Hm… that’s a shame,” she answered with a mischievous grin. “And I was just ready for round two.”
Sam didn’t look nearly as amused as she did when he fetched his clothes from the ground. “Great, now you’re making it even harder for me.”
“Oh yeah, I think I do,” she retorted with a laugh and let her eyes wander over his naked form.
Sam snorted at her bad joke, and began to put on his clothes. When he was finished, he came over to the bed and kissed her slowly after she rolled on her back. “You can stay here if you want.” His lips brushed hers as he spoke. “I wouldn’t mind.”
“Then maybe I will,” she whispered and he pulled back to stand straight. “Be safe.”
“I will,” he said, and turned to leave.