❝ heavy games — freddie . ❞

[MOLLIE.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 1.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]Breath was ragged as she dashed through her heavily wooded surroundings, gun held close to her, ready to fire at any given moment. Light on her toes, Mollie knew that stealth would be her best friend. Slink around the forestry undetected and then shoot him before he was to even know that she was there. She knew how to fire a gun - it was one of the benefits of living out in the middle of nowhere for a lot of her childhood. But, honestly, Mollie far preferred the furtiveness of throwing knives. Now that was what she was most comfortable with. That or close ranged attacks. She’d grown up with boxing as a hobby; she really had never been the type of child to want to play with dolls or paint pictures. She enjoyed the competitive nature of sport.

Mollie loved nothing more than to win.

Sliding to a stop, Mollie hid behind a tree to catch her breath, tipping her head back as she panted gently into the mask affixed to her face. He wouldn’t be able to find her hidden here, would he? She held the gun close to her, her breathing settling down slowly, until her body flinched at a sudden bang of a gun firing. Yellow paint splattered against the tree next to her, Mollie wasting no time before darting off again. ❝ Motherfucker- ❞ She gasped as she ran, quiet for a second before beginning to laugh to herself. Freddie Stirling was a damn good shot - she thought that the only thing he was good at was flashing that charming smile at her.

She hid behind another tree but this time aiming her paintball gun out where she anticipated Freddie to soon be. Mollie scanned the trees before - bang - what the hell? How did Fred find her so quickly? Mollie began to fire back, wanting to scoff at just how seriously Freddie was taking the game. It was nice; whatever they were, Mollie was just glad that she could have fun with Freddie doing things that they both enjoyed. Messing around at paintball, for instance, perhaps wasn’t a typical pastime to do with one’s friend with benefits but nowadays the emphasis seemed to be on friend.

Mollie loved spending time in Freddie’s company. Sure, he was an arrogant idiot half of the time - and Mollie wasn’t afraid to tell him so - but he was her arrogant idiot. Someone that Mollie could lean on, have fun with, enjoy the company of. Dare she even say that maybe she was beginning to trust him. Never had she lowered her guard down around anyone before (besides Emery but she was her sister - of course Em knew of Mollie’s vulnerabilities) but, the more she spent time around Freddie, the more it scared her the fact that she’d entertain the thought every once in a while. Eyes would linger on him for just a second too long. Maybe he was somebody who could get close to her heart.

The thought that she may actually have feelings for Freddie Stirling terrified her.

A paintball hit her shoulder, Mollie gasping as she leapt back before snarling, ❝ Oh, it’s on, Stirling! ❞ She dashed behind another tree, slowly nearing where Freddie stood. The closer she could get to him, the better. After all, she had a plan, one which may just lead to her inevitable downfall.

[freddie]

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— fred wasn’t used to normalcy in his life. his life and everything in it often felt unsteady and wavering, chaotic in every sense of the word. from a young age he came to know that everything in life, even life itself, was temporary. as much as he carried himself as if he owned the world, the young man was so carefully aware of how easily he could get taken out of it. and it was in this unsteady, chaotic, trembling state of anarchy that a man like frederick stirling thrived. to feel peace, a sense of calm, permanence-- love... it didn’t cause relief to flood his senses. if anything, it only terrified the poor man who simply didn’t know a life with those sorts of things. he didn’t know any better - and as idiotic as he could seem, he was painfully aware that his thoughts were painful and terrifying to others. but frederick stirling simply could not be changed; he wouldn’t even know where to begin. it was easier to play the part of confident, smiley idiot than to let anyone see anything different. it was terrifying to think that someone could come along and get under his skin and see those dark, dark places.

to be completely honest, when mollie hawthorne crossed paths with him, he figured she would be no different than the other countless flings before her. nothing special, he initially figured, peering over at her lithe frame in the moonlight as she gulped down a stolen bottle of alcohol from the valentine’s party. sure, she was hard to get, but fred figured he would get her eventually - and then be quick to forget about her the next morning. yet it soon became apparent that, once he got her, he was a bit more reluctant to let go. lips gently brushing against her neck, hands tracing and memorizing every curve… it felt like that next morning never came for freddie. he would, reluctantly, place her just above all the other men and women he had once been with.

she was different from the others, better than the others - though fred certainly wouldn’t call it love. she was simply a friend with benefits, no strings attached. the kind of person he could down a pack of beers with and then also stay the night. this woman was the entire package. blunt, witty. tough as nails, with a fire in her eyes strong enough to draw freddie close, chaotic in the most dangerous ways that was enough to keep him there. he was under her skin, and it was terrifying because it felt like the closer he got to her, the closer she weaseled herself under his skin as well. she was in his veins; how the hell could he get her out? how could he do it without managing to hurt her in the end? and he hated that. he disliked that he felt protective over her, that he didn't want to see her hurt -- even when he knew very well that mollie didn’t need protecting at all. she could very well protect herself. yet it seemed that someone like her couldn’t easily find his sort of company. was there anyone else that didn’t try and tame that fire, but instead welcomed the harmful burn?

that, and she could handle him and his dramatic ways far more than anyone else could.

“damn,” he hissed beneath his breath, watching the paint splatter just next to mollie. he was taking this innocent game of paintball perhaps more seriously than anyone else would’ve. anyone else would have complained about his intensity, decided to give up without even trying to win. but mollie tried, and if anything, she was pretty damn good at it too. it was one thing to play on; it was another to play along. it was cute. frankly, the fact that mollie thought she stood even a chance against him was adorable.

he leaned his back against a tree, taking a few quick breaths before leaning over to poke his head out to try and try mollie again. taking a step out from the tree, he took his chance to try and dart behind a different one for cover - gasping in surprise when she actually managed to hit him as she retaliated, blue paint clipping his upper arm. “is that all you’ve got, hawthorne?” he taunted, taking the opportunity to line up his shot, hitting her shoulder as payback. that would show her. freddie didn’t play around, did he?

laughter spilled from his lips as he watched her dash behind a tree, snarling, “oh, it’s on, stirling!” they’d have to see about that. honestly, he’d like to see her try. holding his gun in a ready position, he slowly followed her movement from tree to tree, watching as she neared. he took the opportunity to move a bit, himself, strategically planning his next steps. his brows furrowed, lips curling into a pleased smirk as she came so perfectly into view.

oh come on, hawthorne. this was almost too easy.

“for a minute there,” he started as he walked closer, the paintball gun pointed at the other woman readily. looking far too pleased with himself behind the mask as he pointed out, “i thought you might have had the slightest chance at winning.” did he genuinely mean that? well, no, but the theatrics and competitive nature of the game were the best parts. with his free hand, he took off his mask as if he thoroughly believed this was the end of the line. tossing the mask aside, he explained casually, “i figured you might want to get one last look at this face before you lost.” oh what a little shit.

he could have easily ended the game there. however, competitive as frederick was, there was a part of him that enjoyed the dramatics a bit too much. that, and mollie’s pull on him was simply too much to bear at times. stepping closer towards the woman, he pressed the gun against her stomach - that would probably bruise, if not leave a welt - and used the other hand to gently maneuver her own mask off of her own beautiful face. “any last words, doll?” he was simply too much to bear at times. yet, since molls was quick to take his overwhelming attitude in stride, the man was so oddly comfortable with even the most unbearable parts of himself.

[MOLLIE.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 1.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]Mollie was a person that everybody and nobody knew. She had an impeccable front that even she sometimes would mistakenly assume was her true identity. But, despite seeming so open and easy to know, it was impossible to understand her. And, honestly, it was the greatest of defense mechanisms. Love was only an unfair advantage that somebody could hold over her head. Because she loved them, she had to provide for them even if all they did was hurt her…

It wasn’t her fault that she had such a mindset. It had been all that she ever knew. Believe it or not, Mollie was raised as a caretaker, not only for her sister but also for her parents. Mollie had to grow up too fast, devoid of all innocence from a loving childhood home. Instead, all of that youthfulness was robbed from her by two parents sick with a disease far worse than any natural affliction. Alcoholism stole her childhood, two distant parents struggling to cope in the swiftly changing world, struggling to take care of two children that they were quite simply not prepared for.

The worst part of it all was the fact that, despite all the anguish she was forced to endure throughout her childhood, she still loved her parents even whilst they provided her nothing in return. A one-sided love and care was what broke her eventually. It didn’t matter how hard she tried, her efforts could never be good enough to get the love that she always wished to feel.

When she loved, she loved alone.

Sometimes, it was simply easier not to expect anything from anyone at all. No opening her heart up. No loving them unconditionally. No being herself around anybody. It saved her the heartache of reliving the love that she so desperately craved, that only turned to break her instead. And - God - she so desperately wished that she could maintain that level of avoidance in all walks of her life. It was so much easier to be unattached from all those around her. Unfulfilling, but it kept her safe from the inevitable hurt.

Freddie Stirling was one hell of a man. An absolute lunatic, so false and deceitful in many ways. Suave and charismatic in many other ways, too. But, when Mollie saw him, all she could see was how genuine he really was. Hell, he barely gave himself enough credit for it but, despite the sly and cunning ways of that man, he was real with her. Mollie knew exactly what she was getting herself into because Freddie showed his true colors without even realizing. And, he was funny - hilarious, actually - and playful. So witty and intelligent, curious and bright. Although his humor could be macabre at the best of times, so could Mollie’s. He was a great guy, and even a good one on some days.

He was incredibly flawed, but so was Mollie. With him, Mollie felt like their chemistry was the most real of relationships. It was genuine. It made Mollie feel comfortable enough to begin to let her guard down. Could Freddie be someone that she could open up to? Could she let him see every corner of her broken soul?

Sometimes, she couldn’t help but wonder.

❝ Any last words, Doll? ❞ Mollie narrowed her eyes ever-so-slightly as pale hues shifted across his features. Scheming . Freddie was certainly a loud personality, stupendous at the best of times and downright frustrating at the worst. But, honestly? Mollie wouldn’t have it any other way. Although she was quick to push aside that daunting desire to call him a lover, above all else Freddie was her friend. A very beneficial friend - that was for sure - but that was not the point. Mollie wasn’t one to trust many, if any, people. All trust did was create vulnerability. Trust was simply made to be broken again. But, Mollie hated the fact that she wanted to know Freddie. She wanted to trust him.

Unknown to her, he’d already found a permanent place in her heart.

The idiot deserved it-

❝ Yeah- ❞ Mollie pointed out bluntly before she found herself closing the gap between the both of them, gently nudging his weapon aside. And, before she could even say anything, she crashed her lips against his with a practiced ease, her free hand lightly pressed against his chest as her other hand mindlessly toyed at the trigger of her own gun. The kiss was fierce - confident - as lips moved across each other. A kiss from a smug woman taking the lead because she knew exactly how this would end. She pulled away from the kiss eventually, craning her neck to breathe warm breath against the side of his neck.

A coquettish smile twitched at her lips. ❝ Gotcha. ❞ Without warning, the hand against Freddie’s chest shoved him, giving Mollie just enough distance to raise her gun and shoot his torso at close-range. Shit - that sounded like it hurt like a bitch. Mischievously, Mollie began to hop backwards as she huffed with a snickering cackle, eyes darting across at the aftermath of her brutal takedown. Freddie may be agile and powerful, but he could definitely benefit from thinking with his upstairs brain a little more often.

❝ Want me to kiss it better for you? ❞ She cooed teasingly as she carefully observed him from the growing distance she was placing between them. And suddenly, with a gasp, she tripped over some shrubbery, falling backwards onto the damp forest floor. So much for that gracefully kittenish semblance. With a guffaw, Mollie rested her head against the ground as she scrunched her nose up, eyes squeezed shut. Her lap of victory had been cut short in the least graceful of ways; who was really the loser here, huh?

Mollie finally sat up, shoulders slouching as she tucked her hair behind her ears. Squinting an eye, she peered up at Freddie before holding a hand out for him. ❝ Truce? ❞ She couldn’t count on it. Knowing Fred, he’d probably shoot her when she was already down. Anything to be number one. That dumb bastard; Mollie couldn’t help but slowly fall for him.