Chereads / The Pirate Hunter / Chapter 4 - Chapter Four

Chapter 4 - Chapter Four

"Are you interested in your first rescue mission?"

Fitz had barged into Lotte's room before she had even woken up. She groaned at the boy who was standing excitedly at the entrance of the room. Lotte swung her legs to the side, pushing the hair out of her face.

"Wasn't that yesterday?"

"Black Jack has a new victim," Fitz made his way to the bed. "A boy. Do you want to come?"

"Are you sure I would be of much help?" She felt her sore ribs.

"Don't worry," Fitz said confidently. "You won't be in harm's way. But if you want to stay here that's more than fine."

Lotte wanted to help, and she did. But the last time she tried to play the hero just about everything had gone sideways. Her fingers fumbled with bedsheets, she found she was doing this a lot when she was nervous. Lotte knew it was all a show but Fitz was acting as if nothing had happened. It was almost believable. But Lotte knew Fitz was still in a lot of pain, and someone needed to keep him in check.

"Sure."

"Wonderful," Fitz stood up. "Meet me downstairs in ten minutes."

Once Lotte was sure Fitz was out of the room, Lotte lifted her dress. Her sides looked like they had been paintballed with purple paint. It hurt to the touch. Hell, it hurts to breathe. Fitz was just too cocky for his own damn good. 

Lotte put in a mere effort to tame her hair before she met Fitz downstairs. The boys excitedly sharpened their weapons, waiting for Fitz's word. 

"What's the plan?" She walked straight to the boy. Lotte was not about to sign up for another suicide mission. 

"I don't have one."

"Because that worked so well last time," she yanked his weapon away from him. "We need a plan, Fitz!"  

Lotte didn't want it to happen. She didn't even know why it was happening. But she felt hot tears fall from her eyes. Right now Fitz was all she had. 

Fitz blinked at her, taken back by Lotte's emotional state. He didn't understand why Lotte was crying. All he knew was that he wanted it to stop.

"I'll be careful," Fitz hugged Lotte tightly as he could without causing pain. "No one is going to get hurt."

Lotte gripped at Fitz's shirt for stability as she cried into his shoulder in an attempt to muffle her sobs from the other boys. 

"Are you sure you're ok to come?" Fitz pulled her back to look her in the eyes. "You can stay here and be safe, I promise."

Lotte whipped the tears from her eyes, before she even had the chance to answer Fitz called over Trigger.

"Stay here with Lotte," Fitz ordered, picking up his weapon. "Keep her safe."

Trigger gave a silent nod before he retreated to the main room. Lotte had to fight her jaw from dropping to the floor.

"Fitz–"

Fitz kissed the top of her head, "Come on boys!"

Without even glancing at Lotte Fitz walked out the door followed by a trail of boys. Lotte stood motionless at the door for five minutes before she let out an audible sigh. With her arms crossed Lotte walked into the main room. Lotte couldn't understand how Trigger was laying down so calmly.

"You don't have to stay," Lotte sat down in the hammock beside him. "Fitz really should have you with him."

"I don't disobey Fitz."

"You did yesterday," Lotte watched the axe he fearlessly tossed in the air again and again.

"That wasn't Fitz's order," Trigger said. "That was yours."

Lotte rolled her eyes. She was glad Trigger didn't listen to her. But it was Fitz's order. She might have said it, but it wasn't her order. Nonetheless, she could tell Trigger wasn't moving. Lotte lay down in the hammock, swaying it back and forth to entertain herself. 

"How come you all have such cool names?" Lotte asked. "Does Black Jack pick kids like puppies?"

Trigger shrugged, "we don't remember our real names. It's just what Fitz calls us. We were with Black Jack long enough that he erased our memories with some kind of drugs."

"What about Fitz?"

"I'm guessing it's his real name. No one has ever asked. Is Lotte your real name?"

Lotte nodded. She chuckled when she remembered what her mother told her it meant, "It means free man."

Trigger let out a much louder laugh than Lotte was expecting. "I'm sorry, it's just really ironic." 

Trigger had a comforting side to him. At times he looked like an assassin's assistant and at others he was like a fun younger brother. Trigger liked Lotte. Not in the way he expected Fitz to like her. But he enjoyed having her around. He enjoyed how happy she made Fitz. Lotte didn't know this but for the past couple of years, Fitz always looked miserable. Fitz loved his family. But it was undeniably hard for him looking after so many people. Trigger knew he couldn't keep going on his own, no matter how much he tried to help. Fitz hadn't seen a female for seven years. Lotte was a very beautiful girl but to Fitz, it wasn't even imaginable. Lotte was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The desire he felt to protect her sometimes felt like it was destroying him. It felt like a pull that was ripping him in half. He knew he could never fulfill that desire and it was going to drive him mad. Fitz felt like it was going to kill him. 

After a while of talking Trigger noticed Lotte fell silent. He rolled over in his hammock and glanced at the sleeping girl. He felt it would be weird to just lay there. Trigger slowly walked out into the backyard of the house to where the fire pit was. He stared into the ash before stirring it with a stick. The trigger was still covered in bruises from the torture he endured from Black Jack yesterday. But his loyalty to Fitz would never break, no matter what Black Jack did. The trigger was almost sure Black Jack was going to kill him. He knew if Black Jack ever got him again he wasn't going to be as lucky. If Black Jack didn't kill him right away he was going to die being sold to Looters. Trigger knew Fitz was never going to listen to him. But Trigger worried about how many more kids they could rescue. The small treehouse Fitz had built was getting crowded. More kids meant stealing more things. Fitz would stop at nothing to save as many people as he could. 

Lotte woke up to the sound of the door slamming into the wall. Lotte practically fell from the hammock from standing up so quickly. In the doorway stood Fitz and everyone else, all in relatively good shape. In Fitz's arms was a boy. This boy was not what Lotte was expecting. He looked as old as Fitz, hell he might have even been taller than him. He had a large pink scar down his left eye. He was dressed in camouflage-style clothing and had dark brown hair. Some strands reached his shoulder.

"Where's Trigger?" Fitz asked Lotte. Before Lotte could answer, Trigger had already come running back into the room. 

"That's a big boy! Black Jack's changing up his supply this year."

Lotte could tell Fitz didn't like the comment, but he remained silent.

Staying out of the way Lotte followed the group upstairs. The boy was unconscious and limp in Fitz's arms. Once he got on the boy on the bed Fitz kicked everyone out except Lotte and Trigger. Lotte was only there because he wanted her to be and Trigger helped with the medication.

"How is he?" Lotte asked Fitz when Trigger left them alone. 

"I mean he's bad, but nowhere near as bad as you were. You were the first one to make me nervous."

"Oh," said Lotte. Fitz had never told her this before. She always assumed saving her was a walk in the park for him. 

Lotte stood with Fitz at the window where Fitz stood when he brought Lotte here. 

"Come on," Fitz grabbed Lotte by the arm. "Let me take you somewhere."

"Why?" Lotte asked, not objecting. 

"I owe you from this morning."

"No, you don't," Lotte objected but allowed him to pull her down the stairs. Lotte very much wanted to spend time with Fitz. Especially if it was alone. 

Fitz stayed firm around Lotte's arm. Lott was fine with this. But Lotte was fighting the urge to move her hand somewhere else. She wanted to move her hands to his. But it felt too bold.

"Trigger I'm going out," Fitz said. "If the guy wakes up, come get me."

"Kay."

Trigger did never question anything. Lotte's hand gripped tightly onto Fitz's arm. Fitz could hide a lot of things but the expression on his face was not one of them. 

"What are you two doing?" Trigger was now showing in the pair. Especially because he had never seen Fitz blush before. 

"Out."

Trigger opened his mouth to say something but the two were already gone. 

"What do you think you're doing," Cliff asked him.

"You don't want to know." 

Lotte collided against Fitz's chest with a thud as a result of him pulling her harder than he meant to.

"Sorry."

Lotte brushed the hair out of her face. Making a better view for herself of the tall boy standing in front of her. Fitz still had his hand on her upper arm and was not planning on letting go. It wasn't like Lotte wanted him to anyways.

"So where are we going?" Lotte asked after she swallowed the lump of air in her throat. 

"Well, something tells me you don't want to go swimming again."

"Preferably not," Lotte allowed herself to be pulled by the boy. 

The jungle around them was hot and humid. It did not help Lotte with containing her hair which was already a big enough disaster. 

For the first time, Lotte looked at the hand that was holding her. It was bruised and bloody. Especially around the knuckles. 

"Fitz, what happened?" It was a question but Lotte had shouted it more than asked it.

Fitz winced, no longer hoping Lotte wouldn't notice it.

"A personal revenge," he said as he tugged at her arm. Fitz hoped Lotte wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. 

After he had saved the boy Fitz went back and punched Black Jack a couple of times. Usually, their fights were constricted by weapons only. But to Fitz this fight was personal. He still wasn't over the fact that Black Jack had tried to drown Lotte. He wasn't he was ever going to be. 

Lotte couldn't help but roll her eyes. She figured she probably could get answers from Arrow and Major later about what went down. It wasn't worth pestering Fitz about it. 

"How good are you at climbing trees?" Fitz asked Lotte as they approached a particularly large tree.

"I don't," Lotte said as her hands began to sweat.

Climbing up trees wasn't a problem for Lotte. It was climbing back down. She could never see where she was parting her feet and would slip. After she slipped a few times she would lose her confidence and get stuck. Leaving her brothers or father to come to get her. She also didn't have any shoes. How was she supposed to climb a tree without shoes?

"I won't let you fall," Fitz dropped Lotte's arm as he headed towards the closest branch.

"This is a bad idea," Lotte told him. 

Fitz ignored her and began to climb. He had made it up the first few branches before he stopped, dropping his hand down to Lotte, "I got you."

Lotte reached up to the boy's hand. Effortlessly he helped pull her weight up as she climbed. Fitz knew this tree well. It was his favourite tree because it was the tallest on the whole island. He had spent many nights hiding from Black Jack in it. 

Slowly, the two made their way up the tree. Fitz would go ahead a few more branches before helping Lotte up. Fitz could climb the tree with his eyes closed if he wanted to. 

"Almost there."

Lotte's heart pounded in her chest. The air felt thinner up here and the ground seemed like a whole galaxy away. The top of the tree reached the top of a mountain that had sunflowers as tall as Lotte. Her heart relaxed when she felt solid ground beneath her. 

"We couldn't have walked up here?" She looked at Fitz who was laying down in the flowers. His eyes were closed as the sun beamed down onto his body.

"It would have taken days," said Fitz. "Besides, you survived didn't you?"

Lotte stuck her tongue out at him. She thought Fitz wasn't paying attention.  She was proved wrong when she saw the corner of his lips curve into a smile. 

"Shut up," she muttered.

Fitz's smirk turned into a low chuckle. "I didn't say anything."

Lotte went to kick him in the leg. It was barely going to touch him. She didn't want to inflict pain. However, Fitz didn't leave her the chance. Before Lotte even raised her foot Fitz sat himself up Fitz had pulled her down. Lotte hadn't even fully processed; she was on the ground when she saw Fitz over top of her. Normally she would have felt threatened, and scared. This time she laughed. Lotte playfully tried to wiggle her arms free, causing Fitz to tighten his grip. He only put as little pressure as he could to keep her down. He watched the blond struggle for a few minutes before she gave up.

Fitz freed Lotte's arms, placing his arms beside her.

"Wrap your arms around my back."

"What?" Lotte sat her upper half up, bringing her face closer to him.

"I'm teaching you how to pull someone off of you. Lay back down and put your arms around my back."

Hesitantly and slowly Lotte laid back down on the grass. Wrapping her arms around Fitz's chest pulled her into an awkward hug. She was left clinging to his chest, uncomfortably close to him. 

"Pull me down."

It only kept getting worse. Fitz was no longer hovering over Lotte; he was now fully on top of her.

"Use your leg to trap my right leg."

The two were now fully entangled. Fitz's scent was piling into Lotte's lungs. And she liked it.

"Overhook your arm with my arm."

Lotte swallowed another lump of air. She had never been this intimate with Fitz before. Even if it was just for training. 

"Drive your other leg down and pull your hips up."

How was she supposed to look at him after this?

"Do the last two again except this time swings your free arm around at the end."

Lotte couldn't believe it had worked. Even if Fitz was going easy on her she still managed to flip him onto his back. But just as fast as she had reclaimed her power, Fitz had swiped it away again. 

"Good." 

Lotte let out a low growl at the boy pinning her down. Without giving Fitz a warning she repeated all six steps and successfully got on top. Only this time she had pinned Fitz's arms above his head. Fitz could have easily gotten Lotte off of him. If he wasn't so taken back by the girl straddling his waist with his arms above his head. The whole position made him quite flustered. 

"Surrender?"

Lotte wasn't helping.

"Never."

The shocked look on Fitz's face swapped into a proud grin. Effortlessly Fitz freed his arms and grabbed Lotte by her hips. Faster than Lotte's brain could process Fitz was now standing behind her, holding her in a light choke hold. Lotte could feel Fitz's heart beating on her back. 

Fitz was surprised when he felt Lotte relax into him. He knew he wasn't hurting her. Fitz would let her go if she showed any signs of it. But Lotte was melting into him.

"Are you ok?" Fitz didn't know what else to ask. "Did I hurt you?"

How was Lotte supposed to explain to Fitz that she just wanted to be close to him? The closer she was the safer she felt. 

"Fitz I—," Lotte turned around so she could look him in the face. 

"Yeah?" Fitz put his hand on Lotte's shoulder. He didn't know what she was about to tell him but the anticipation was killing him.

"I–"

"There you two are," Trigger panted out of breath. His hair was covered in leaves as he climbed out of the tree. "Fitz the new guy is awake and freaking out."

Fitz knew it wasn't Trigger's fault. But he still cursed at him under his breath. "Coming."

Fitz turned back to face Lotte, pulling his hand away," Let's talk about this later."

Lotte was half relieved and half devastated when Trigger interrupted them. She didn't know what words were going to come out of her mouth. She just knew it was going to feel good to say them. 

"What were you going to confess?" Trigger jokingly poked her in the arm once he made sure Fitz couldn't hear him. His teasing caused Lotte to blush. 

"Nothing," Lotte swatted him. "How much did you hear?"

"Not much. But your red cheeks tell me enough. If you want to tell Fitz you like him, it's fine by me. Just please don't let him lose focus."

"I don't like him," Lotte lied.

"Then what?"

Lotte ignored him, picking up her pace to put more distance. 

Fitz's face had gone from soft to serious as he headed back toward the tree. 

Lotte stood in between Trigger and Fitz. She was standing behind them. Fitz didn't want Lotte anywhere near the new guy until he got a sense of who he was. But Lotte refused to be left in the dark.

"You recovered quickly," Fitz said more interrogatingly than kindly.

"Who are those people? Better yet, who are you?"

"People who would have killed you. I'm Fitz, this is Trigger. We're people like you who've escaped." 

"What about her?" The boy looked around Fitz, his eyes landing on Lotte. 

Lotte felt herself sinking against the wall, trying to disappear from the gaze. Fitz looked back at Lotte, adjusting himself to block her from view. 

"She's with us," Fitz said. "She's with me."

Lotte felt her face heat up. She didn't know what Fitz meant by that but it was enough to cause Trigger to let out a snicker. He quickly pulled himself back together when he felt Fitz staring daggers at him. Fitz stepped closer to the bed, his eyes narrowing on the boy.

"What's your name?"

"Everet."

"Well Everet," Fitz crossed his arms. "I'm the alpha here. If you mess with any of my boys, or her, it won't end well for you."

Everet nodded at the boy towering over him. Once Fitz felt satisfied with himself he pulled Lotte and Trigger out of the room.

"Could you have been any more passive-aggressive?" Trigger asked as the three made their way down the stairs.

"I don't like him," Fitz said coldly. "There's something about him."

"You mean he's almost as tall as you and Lotte has his attention."

Fitz growled. He knew Trigger was just trying to press his buttons, but he didn't like to be teased. "I got us something for tonight."

"Oh?" Trigger raised his brow. "Like what?"

Lotte followed the boys to Fitz's bag, hidden underneath the table. As Fitz pulled it out Lottr heard something clank. With a smirk on his face, Fitz pulled out a couple of bottles of some sort of alcohol.

"Holy crap," Trigger examined the bottle. "This shit looks expensive."

"Probably," Fitz put the bag back under the table. "Do you guys want to have some fun tonight?"

Lotte's surprised expression quickly turned into a grin. A couple of drinks wouldn't hurt, she was only one year away from legally drinking after all. She could use a night of fun.

Trigger went to start the bonfire as Fitz and Lotte went to portion out the stolen food. By the time Trigger had lit a blazing fire and dinner, it was ready, night had already begun. 

Lotte sat on the dirt next to Fitz, their backs resting against a log. Fitz cracked the cap off the bottle with the log before passing it to Lotte and grabbing one from himself. "Don't spar and drink."

Fitz said as he took a swig of the drink. The sour expression on his face faded as he swallowed. After Fitz settled the burning feeling in his throat he stood up, grabbing his sword beside him to challenge a very drunk Trigger. 

Lotte let out a loud laugh as Trigger stumbled over to Fitz, accepting the duel. She took her eyes away from the idiotic boys and took her drink. She held her breath as she titled the bottle upside down, her throat began burning. Lotte choked down a much bigger sip than she should have taken. By the time the boys had finished their horseplay Lotte had finished her first and second, halfway through her third. In short, she was drunk.

"You should stop," Fitz said, placing her bottle beside him. "You're going to feel this in the morning."

Lotte let out a drunken laugh, using Fitz's shoulder to rest her extremely heavy head. Fitz however wasn't paying attention to Lotte like he normally would have been. His eyes were dead focused on someone standing across the fire pit.

"Make omens," Trigger handed Fitz a bottle.

Fitz groaned but cracked open the bottle. "Make sure she doesn't drink anymore."

Trigger nodded as the two switched places. Lotte's eyes followed Fitz as he walked over to Everet, handing him the bottle. To her, it felt like Fitz was a million miles away. The conversation wasn't audible. But by the handshake, Fitz gave it seemed to be going ok. 

After a minute or two Fitz returned, releasing Trigger from his post.

"I'm going to get more firewood," Trigger made up an excuse so the two could be alone. 

Fitz gave him a silent nod as Trigger disappeared into the night, his eyes still fixated on Everet. Lotte slumped against Fitz, watching the stars above her spin. Between the heat of the fire and Fitz's body heat, Lotte remained at a comfortable temperature. Her eyes closed as she let out a comfortable sigh.

"Are you doing ok?" Fitz shook Lotte awake after she had been motionless for a while. As much as he didn't want to disturb a girl who looked so peaceful, she did have a lot to drink.

Lotte let out a groan as she sat herself up, a feeling of nausea taking over her. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Her voice was still quite slurred. 

"I'm going to get you water," Fitz stood up. "Don't go anywhere and don't drink anymore."

Lotte adjusted herself to a more stable sitting position. As Fitz disappeared into the darkness, another figure appeared. 

"Hey, Everet," Lotte struggled to align her vision. 

"Hey," the boy sat down beside her where Fitz had been sitting. "What's your name?"

"Lotte. Lotte Fischer."

"Are you ok, Lotte Fischer?" 

"I'm fine," Lotte put her hand to her throbbing headache. " I think I had too much to drink."

"I can see that. Sit up here so you don't keep breathing in the dirt that's getting kicked up."

Lotte allowed Everet to help pull her up. Her knees buckled as she tried to stand, leaving all her weight to him. Everet pulled Lotte's collapsed body onto his lap. Too weak to resist him Lotte allowed her body to be moved to how Everet saw fit. Her legs hung off of his lap and her head lay against his shoulder. The situation made Lotte uneasy. Everet wasn't Fitz, she didn't want to be sitting on his lap. 

Everet had his arms around Lotte's waist, keeping her in place.

"I like the ground better–" Lotte started but Everet cut her off.

"Is Fitz your boyfriend? You two don't act like it."

"Yes," Lotte lied. Maybe if Everet saw she was with someone else he would put her down. 

Everet hummed, not believing her lie. His grip around her waist tightened, causing Lotte's stomach to sink. 

"I want to go back on the ground." 

"I won't let you fall," Everet said. Falling was not on Lotte's list of concerns right now. 

"I'm going to go find Fitz."

"Just sit for a minute. Are you scared of me or something?" 

Lotte attempted to wiggle herself free. But the truth was Lotte couldn't even walk in a straight line if she wanted to. Yet alone, get up from her hold. With each move, the pressure around her waist grew. 

"You're hurting me."

"Just sit down for a minute."

Lotte considered screaming, but she didn't have the chance to open her mouth before a hand grabbed the back of her jacket, yanking her to the ground. Lotte hit the ground with a thud, her double vision landing on Fitz. Everet froze. Unknown to both him and Lotte, Fitz had been watching the whole ordeal. He couldn't take it anymore. He didn't wait for Everet to speak. Without a hint of hesitation, Fitz decked him, nearly knocking the boy off the log.

"She came onto me!" Everet protested.

"I did not!"

"She's drunk!" Fitz shook out the pain from his hand.

He knew Lotte didn't do what Everet was accusing. But even if she did that wasn't the problem here. Fitz had a frightening inferior look on his face. He paused for a moment before grabbing the boy by the shirt with both hands. He dropped one of them to punch Everet again, allowing him to fall to the ground.

Everet's mouth was bleeding along with Fitz's hand. But that didn't stop him from getting on top of the boy to punch him again. 

Everet put his hands up defensively, hopelessly trying to block the punches. One of Fitz's punches echoed a crunching sound followed by a scream.

Fitz clutched his hand, doubling over in pain. But even then he still hadn't had enough. Fitz raised his hand for another punch. That was until he felt a pair of arms pulling him back. Fitz kicked at whoever was restraining him. But with the pain he was in, Trigger effortlessly pulled Fitz into a hold. Trigger's eyes darted between Lotte on the ground, Everet's bloody face and Fitz's hand.

"What the fuck is going on? You know what, I don't want to know. You three, inside."

Trigger dropped Fitz's arms, pulling Lotte off the ground," are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Lotte allowed Trigger to put his arm around her to help her walk. She had hit her head on the ground when Fitz pulled her. But Lotte didn't want that to be a focus of concern right now.

With everyone else still outside Trigger brought the three inside to assess the damage.

"Well you broke it," Trigger said, carefully examining Fitz's hand. "Be grateful you're drunk right now or this would hurt a lot more.

The three of them sat upstairs in the bedroom with Everet downstairs. Trigger had concluded Fitz had broken his nose as well as dislodged a few teeth.

"I told you I didn't like him," Fitz argued as Trigger wrapped his hand in a bandage.

"So you broke his face?"

Fitz opened his mouth to explain but Trigger decided it wasn't worth it.

"Just stay still. I still haven't checked out Lotte yet. Which I'm guessing is the reason for all this." 

Fitz huffed, giving Trigger the answer he wanted. The trigger was planning on getting most of his information out of Lotte anyway. He didn't want to listen to Fitz yell. 

Lotte herself was throwing up out the window. Both from her traumatic head injury and alcohol levels. 

"Do you think you can pause for a moment for me to check your head?"

Lotte coughed up the remainder of her stomach acid," I think so."

Fitz had left the room to cool off. He wasn't sure if he was madder at himself than he was at Everet.

"What happened out there, Lotte?" Trigger asked as he looked through her hair.

"Fitz went to get me water. Everet walked over and pulled me onto his lap." 

"I'm sorry, Lotte," Trigger spoke in a soft voice. "You have some blood in your hair but I can't seem to find the laceration. It's safe to say you probably have a concussion. I don't want to give you anything, well your alcohol levels are still so high. Take it easy for the test of the night. We can reevaluate in the morning. I'm going to go find Fitz, and make sure he doesn't break his other hand."

Lotte gave Trigger a nod. Sticking her face back out the window. Once she was sure Trigger was gone, Lotte slowly made her way to the bed. She collapsed onto the soft sheets. Letting out a sigh of relief. Lotte wanted to forget that this whole night ever happened. She didn't want to see or talk to Everet. Frankly, she just wanted to sleep. Lotte however could not fully relax into the bed. Everet's scent lingered on the sheets, making it difficult to rid her mind of him. Lotte pulled the sheets off of her, deciding it was better to be cold. She was seconds away from falling asleep when the door opened. Her drowsiness disappeared as she whipped herself around.

"Just me," Fitz put his hands up, stopping in the doorway. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Lotte sat against the wall, allowing Fitz to sit next to her. 

Fitz kept the blankets down at Lotte's feet. The two sat there in awkward silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," Fitz said, staring at Lotte who was avoiding eye contact. "I didn't mean to throw you, really I didn't. I allowed my anger to project onto you and I should have controlled it better."

"It's fine. I'm fine. I think you projected your anger to something–someone else," Lotte corrected herself. "No hard feelings. I appreciate you looking out for me."

Fitz swallowed, he was doing more than just looking out for her. In reality, Fitz had tried to let the two be. But between his jealousy and Lotte's clear discomfort, he lost it. Even if Lotte wasn't uncomfortable Fitz was certain he still wouldn't have been able to let Everet walk away free. He might regret his decisions tomorrow but for right now he stood by them. 

"Did he hurt you?" It was a question Fitz had been burning to ask. But the answer to such a question was enough to send Fitz on another rampage. 

Lotte also knew a simple no was not going to be enough to satisfy him. He hadn't hurt her. Not in the way, Fitz was dreading at least. However, Lotte's pause was already lighting a flame inside him.

"What did he do?" 

"Nothing. Maybe some bruises but nothing more."

He had bruised her.

Lotte's stomach sank as she saw the fire light up Fitz's eyes. Just when he had calmed down he had gone back.

"I swear I'm going to–" 

"Fitz!" Lotte grabbed onto his arm. To her surprise, Fitz stayed. "Please. Not tonight."

Slowly and reluctantly, Lotte let go of his sleeve. Fitz repositioned himself back beside her. Hurting Everet wasn't worth upsetting Lotte. He wasn't even sure how well he could punch with his left hand. 

"I'm sorry."

Lotte did something unexpected. To Fitz anyway. Lotte pushed herself closer to the tall blond. Her fingers entangled with his and her head rested on top of his shoulder. Fitz felt Lotte relax. Fitz himself was very tense. Fitz's mind filled with a million ways he could mess this up. He didn't have one where he didn't. Lotte's hands were so small and thin. The desire to protect her grew stronger the closer she was. It was overwhelming him. The lump in his throat was growing hot. His hand gripped Lotte tighter, causing her heart to flutter. The world around her felt still. It was like all that existed was the two of them. Fitz knew one thing for absolute certainty. He never wanted to let go.