Crown of a Prince (Finn Shelby)

86.

She was sitting up on his bed when he finally got home, about an hour later. They had to unload the boat, stack it and get it ready to be moved again. Opium was a lot heavier than it looked, that's for sure and after a night of no sleep and plenty gunfire, Finn was exhausted.

There were folders and papers all around her, a pen balanced in her hand and a pot of tea was brewing on the floor beside her. There was something about the sight of her on his bed, half undressed that made him exhale, made him just relax and let his guard down. Within those four walls, they were just Finn and Ailbhe, no one special except to each other. His calm in the storm despite her being a storm herself.
 
“Hey” She smiled tiredly when she saw him, pushing her hair behind her shoulder. She had left her dress on the chair beside the bed, having taken off her stockings and shoes too. She was left in her slip, but had pulled on a jumper Finn owned but never wore since he practically slept in his suits.
 
He looked exhausted, his shoulders slumped and his face quite pale.
 
“You want a cup of tea?” She asked him, wrapping her head of hair around her pen and securing it on top of her head out of her eyes.
 
He just shook his head, his eyes closed as he came over to the bed where she sat and sat down beside her. She was sitting cross legged, giving him plenty space to sit down, slumped and his head hanging. He hadn’t slept a wink on the boat, even when Liam advised him to. His mind was in overdrive the journey there, waiting for a fight, nervous energy coursing through him and exciting him. Afterwards, he was buzzing and knew he wouldn’t sleep. But it had worn off and left him exhausted.
 
“You look like hell” She stated, watching him sit there, too tired to even pull off his guns harness and clothes.

It might have been a little true but he also looked so handsome it made Ailbhe want to pull him down into the bed with her. She often caught herself staring at him or admiring him from afar but he loved it, loved when he caught her staring or caught her mind starting to wander places only he was allowed go with her.
 
“Thanks” He scoffed, knowing that he stank of smoke and the canal but that she was still looking at him with that same soft smile as always. A smile that was so soft and so warm, it made it hard to believe anyone could look at her and be intimidated, could hears whispers about her and be frightened. 

He couldn't help but start smiling when he felt her hands on his shoulders, sliding the harness and his braces off his shoulders. She moved up onto her knees, pulling his clothes off and throwing them down the end of the bed. She did it so smoothly and quietly, knowing he was too tired to undress and that if she hadn't been there, he probably would have fallen asleep on top of the bed, fully clothed.

She loved just looking at him, how his breathing slowed while she undressed him, how he smiled tiredly when she pressed a quick kiss to his neck when she pushed his shirt off him and how her small and warm hands felt against his skin.
 
Once undressed, she pushed aside the papers and folders she had been working on and making room for him beside her. She has exhausted too and would be glad to have the chance to catch up on some sleep, even if it was in his small and cramped bed. That bed had a lot of special memories for them and Ailbhe wasn’t sure they’d even know how to sleep in a bigger bed if they had the chance. They’d still sleep, tightly against each other, a tangle of limbs.
 
“I’m gonna go for a shower, I stink from that fucking boat” he told her, leaning in and kissing the side of her head distractedly.
 
He stood and left her in the bedroom alone again.

He seemed so preoccupied and bothered, so pensive and busy in his head. Ailbhe knew the feeling well and while she didn’t know if there was a cure, Finn could usually help her. Her own head felt like it might burst too and while the easy option was to just let him go, let him deal with it alone and let her wallow in it alone too. She knew that Finn had pushed past his pride to help her the day before and she would do the same for him. Every time. Because she loved him more than she cared about anything else.
 
Because that was the deal she signed onto. She signed up to being Finn’s person, no matter what side of him she got, no matter what version. And while she loved the playful and adoring side of him, there was the side of Finn that was cold and brooding, wanted to do everything by himself because accepting help was a sign of weakness in his eyes. But Ailbhe had promised him always and she didn’t break her promises to him.
 
She sat there for a moment, looking at him leave. She didn’t think she’d ever tire of looking at him, whether he was clothed or not.
 
She pushed herself off the bed before she could talk herself out of it. She wanted to remind him that she was his, she was whatever he wanted her to be whether it was his support or his distraction, that she could handle darkness.
 
The bathroom was already filling with steam, the shower on while the curtain was open. He hadn’t bothered to lock the door, a part of him must have wanted her to come. She left the last of her clothes on the floor and stepped towards him. He stood facing the wall, his hands resting on the wall above his head as he kept his head down, his eyes closed and water falling in sheets down around him.