Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There were two reasons Mia noticed him the first time he came around: he was new, and he had good manners. Sure he was cute, but you got a lot of cute guys near the beaches. Usually, the only people who came around were locals or family. Sometimes they got someone who was just passing through. He seemed to fit the bill. The smile was what made him stand out. Smiling like he meant it, not like it was scripted or like he wanted something. The manners were a bonus: sincere when he thanked her, tipped well, and ate everything on his plate. He surprised her so much, she didn't realize till after that it was the tuna sandwich he ordered.

It surprises her, the next time he comes in. It's quiet and empty during midday, a few days after he last came. He orders the tuna again. She tries to dissuade him, but he insists. Still polite, and still cute. They make small talk this time. It turns out he's new to the area, and planning to stick around.

Fifth time he comes in (always during the quiet time between breakfast and lunch) she finally asks how the hell he can stand the awful tuna sandwiches.

"They actually make me kind of nostalgic for MREs."

"MREs?"

"Meals Ready to Eat. I was army, up until two years back."

She can't quite picture him as military, and says as much. He laughs, and pulls a military ID from his wallet. It's him: looking even younger, but more serious with a shaved head. Seeing the birthdate, she realizes he's barely 24. Same age Dom was when Dad died. And everything went crazy.

"Brian O'Conner, huh? Nice to meet you then. I'm Mia Torretto."

"What made you leave? The army I mean." He has come in so often, she has stopped counting at this point. Maybe that's what gives her the confidence to ask such a personal question? He answers though.

"I got a little too close to an explosion. Lost most of my hearing." He must see her confusion, because he tilts his head so she can see the hearing aid in his ear. "I can't wear them too long though. Headaches. My lip-reading is okay and I'm getting pretty good at sign language."

Mia isn't sure how to respond to that, in a way that won't be condescending or awkward. Brian saves her though, and changes the topic.

"So, what is it you're studying all the time? I don't think I've seen you without a textbook in all the times I've come in." She smiles at him, in thanks for the easy out, and launches into a monologue about medicine and college.

During a visit not long after that, she asks him what he does.

"That’s kind of a tricky question. I sort of work for my old CO, but I also sort of work for her brother." He looks amused, "Like, if you ask Cat, I'm her driver or personal assistant or something. If you ask her brother, I'm her bodyguard or secretary. It depends on how they feel that day."

"How did that happen?" Mia is really curious now. She always has loved a good story.

"I've been serving under Cat since I got out of boot camp. She looked after me. You got any siblings?"

"An older brother, but all his friends make it feel like more than that."

"I don't. No biological family at all, really." Mia reins in her instinctive response, because he won’t appreciate sympathy. "But, I think Cat might be like an older sister. Would call me 'Kid' and nag me to eat. Still does, actually." He's smiling again. Mia has found she likes that smile. "After we were discharged, I didn't really have any plans so she kind of shanghaied me into working for her brother with his company." Mia doubts it was unwilling. Brian doesn't seem the type to be forced into anything. "Now I basically do what I used to do as her XO. Second in command," he clarifies, seeing her confusion. "I organize the details, so she can take care of the big picture."

"So, why have you never brought her by?" Mia is curious, and honestly a bit lonely. Her family is great, but she feels like a little kid that Dom's friends humor. That's part of why she likes Brian so much. He's her friend first, not one of Dom's.

"Carter's – her brother's – company is based in Florida. Cat is going to oversee the possibility of branching out over here. I'm here early to get a feel for things, and set things up if it looks good." His smile widens, "When she comes, in a couple weeks, I'd like to introduce you! Between you and me, she could use more female friends that don't find her intimidating."

It's a bad day, when she realizes she's crushing on him. He comes in, and there are lines around his eyes from pain instead of smiles. She makes him a tuna sandwich, and asks him if he'd like any Advil. He hesitates, but agrees. So, she brings him some with a glass of water.

"I'm sorry for being rude, but I'm going to have to take out my hearing aids." Brian seems miserable, and so, so young.

"You are not being rude! You're in pain, do what you have to." She worries. He is sweet and kind and doesn't deserve pain. She takes a sheet out of her notebook and starts to write.

'Is there anything I can do?' Because he had mentioned lip-reading took concentration.

"No, thank you." He's picking at the food slowly and tries to smile at her. All she can think is that she wishes she could make him smile for real and never stop. She picks up the pen again.

'Would you teach me sign language?'

This time, the smile is real.

A few days later, he comes in smiling even brighter than usual. Orders the tuna, as usual. She asks Brian, in careful, stilted signs, what made him so excited.

"I had a really good couple of days. Cat said the expansion is a go, so she'll be coming in a couple weeks. I got to talk to my friend Rome yesterday. He's doing okay." He reads her face as easily as he always does. "We grew up together. Used to get into so much trouble." Then he continues, "I also got to visit with this couple who looked after me, a bit, when I was in high school."

"Looked after you?" She immediately regrets asking, remembering his comment about having no biological family.

"The Tanners let me stay with them, whenever Rome's family couldn't." Brian looks open, vulnerable, and the slightest bit defiant. "My mother didn't take it well, when she learned I bat for the home team."

Mia doesn't allow herself a moment of disappointment. Mentally she boxes up her crush. If enough time goes by, it will fade. It was a crush, not even puppy-love. "Her loss." She states, fiercely, because it is truth. Brian is a good best friend, and she refuses to lose that because she wanted a boyfriend.

The smile she gets in return is blinding.

Chapter Text

The more he visits, the less Brian wears his hearing aids. Mia is both flattered and worried. She may be picking up sign-language quickly, but she's still spelling out words letter-by-letter half the time. She figured out that he doesn't feel safe having them out when he's alone. It's in the way he talks and moves. Jesse is like that, especially when cornered or reminded of the circumstances under which he joined the family.

But no matter how Brian's feeling, talking about cars makes him light up. It usually surprises boys, when Mia can keep up with them about cars. She actually knows more than most of them. A few boys had tried to use that to flirt with her. It ticked her off; condescending explanations she didn't need and weren't even half right. But when Brian found out she knew cars he was giddy, just launched into a conversation about the latest racing mods. The only things he stopped to explain were signs for the different terms he was using.

Needless to say, Mia's sign language vocabulary is eclectic.

Mia has been debating how to invite him to Sunday Barbecue for nearly two weeks. The others know she tends to befriend her regulars and she had mentioned that she had a new one. It's just; they don't really pay that much attention. It's not like her regulars are as interesting as their regulars at the garage or the races.

Except for Letty; Letty always listens. Even when she and Dom are on the outs, Letty listens to Mia. It is very reassuring, to know that Dom's relationships do not affect Mia's friendships. After a talk, Letty had encouraged her to invite Brian. She had seemed proud that Mia had a friend outside the family. Vince listens to her too, but Mia worries he's only humoring Dom's little sister. Also, the number of times Vince has scared off one of her exes makes it embarrassing to talk about boys with him, even when it's just boys she is friends with. (Mia is going to ignore that Vince is a dick a lot of the time. Everyone in their family acts like what they want is the most important thing, right up until Dom starts talking.)

"My family hosts a neighborhood barbeque every Sunday. Would you come sometime?"

"I'd, well I'd like to, I mean your family sounds great it's just," he looks very young then, "how many people will be there?"

"There will be people in and out most of the day. But dinner in the evening is family and their invites only." Brian has never seemed shy, before. "You don't have to come, if you don't want to."

"I want to. Really! But the headaches from my hearing aids aren't getting better and it will be awkward without them." She is proud he trusts her enough to admit to pain. Mia hadn't really thought of communication being a problem; but she realizes she has never seen him attempt to lip-read in a group.

"You can stay in the kitchen with me if you'd like."

"I don't want to impose." His relief is well-hidden, the shame less-so.

"Honestly, it's mostly people who know my brother. I spend most of these things in the quieter areas," Mia smiles at him, "it would be nice to have company of my own though."

Brian agrees to come.

It's only the next day when her family comes in a little after Brian. The two of them had been chatting for a few minutes already when the cars pull up. Brian doesn't have his hearing aids in, but he sees her react and turns so he can see the door. Seeing them at this time is surprising, but mid-morning midweek is pretty dead at the garage. And Mia had told Letty that Brian agreed to come; Letty had probably shanghaied everyone.

Mia comes around the counter to sit next to Brian and has signed out that this is her family visiting. Dom isn't with them, probably dragging out every last minute he can spend with the Charger. When they finally come through the door, chattering in mechanic-speak, Brian is halfway through explaining how to perform introductions in sign language. It's not a long explanation, but Mia wants to get this right.

Vince has the biggest crush on Mia. It's not exactly a secret; in fact, Mia is the only one who doesn't know. It's not something Vince is really willing to bring up. He knows that she sees him as her brother's friend and he doesn't want to face that kind of rejection. So, it is ignored and Vince pines from afar, which is way sappier than anything he will ever admit. What little he can do to make her happy, he does without complaint.

He listens when she talks, even if it's boring or makes him feel stupid (she is so smart and is going to be a great doctor, but Vince has no idea what she's talking about half the time). He pays attention to her hobbies and whatever new thing she's into. Put it together and it doesn't take a genius to realize the new friend from the café is the reason she's studying up on sign language.

For a bit, Vince was worried he'd have to beat up another asshole trying to get more out of Mia than she was willing to give. At least he's not going to have to run this guy off. Mia was very clear that he was just a new friend she was worried about. Considering her latest library books cover head trauma and migraines, hearing loss, and soldiers acclimating to civilian life; Vince figures Mia has good reason to worry.

When Letty drags them over to the café on a particularly dead morning, Vince knows it's to meet the new friend. Vince isn't sure what he was expecting, but he's pretty sure it wasn't a young blond surfer-type. It takes a minute to see it. The deafness shows itself in the way Brian watches Mia sign out introductions and is noticeable in the way he watches people's lips as they speak. But it's body language that reveals he was a soldier.

He moves kind of like Dom. Vince remembers being young and watching Dom stand protectively between Jesse and the things that made him flinch. He does it even more now; Vince doesn't think it's even a conscious thing. Dom will position himself so he can jump between Jesse (or any of them) and a threat, if he has to. Brian is positioned like that: ready to get between Mia and anyone who comes through the door. He's also like Jesse: around strangers, he makes sure none of them can get behind him. There's also some of himself in Brian's movements: assessing everyone as a threat, identifying weaknesses, not intending to start a fight but always ready to finish one.

Vince is so caught up in these thoughts he almost misses it when Brian addresses him.

"Did you get your tattoos done around here?" His voice is quiet

"Yeah, looking to get one?" the kid doesn't seem the type, but he hadn't seemed military at first either.

"Nah, man. Needles aren't really my thing." Brian's lips twist up into a half-smile, "My CO is moving to the area and has been looking for a good artist."

Vince is describing the scheduling system and price range of his favorite tattoo parlor when the Charger pulls up.

Chapter Text

Dom knew Letty had something specific in mind when she dragged everyone to the café. Sure they don’t have customers at the moment, but they all have their own projects they could work on. Not that Dom is against visiting Mia! But Letty could give him a few minutes to finish checking the fuel injector lines. She doesn’t seem like she’s still angry at him, but sometimes he can’t tell.

When he reaches the café, he’s surprised to see Vince sitting next to a stranger and actually being friendly. While Vince dislikes new people in general, he has a sense for when people can be trusted. Dom has been relying on Vince’s opinions since third grade. Granted, Dom doesn’t listen half the time, but he’ll admit Vince is usually right.

Mia meets him at the door. The stranger – a blond surfer kid – is watching the two of them.

“Dom! You’re here! I want to introduce you to someone.” As she drags him to surfer-kid, he can only think that usually he’s the one introducing her to people. “This is Brian.”

Then she starts gesturing – signing – as she talks. “Brian, this is my brother Dom.” Dom had learned some sign-language in prison. It was one of the only ways to have a private conversation. He’s also not one of those idiots who think talking loud and slow will make people understand you, so he just speaks normally, “Nice to meet you.” And throws in a sign he vaguely remembers as a greeting.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Brian’s voice is rough and too quiet, and he signs as he speaks, but the words are spoken confidently. Mia jumps in.

“Brian’s new to the area.” Heading back to Letty she adds, “He’ll be joining us Sunday.”

“I’m sorry, I missed that.”

Dom and Vince answer at near the same time.

“She said you’re coming to Sunday barbeque.”

“Mia invited you to come this weekend.”

Brian grimaces, “Give me a sec.” as he searches through his pockets until he pulls out a little metal case. As he opens it and fiddles with what’s inside, Dom realizes the kid is putting in hearing aids.

“Okay, repeat that please.” The kid shifts a little.

“Mia said you’re joining us on Sunday.” Dom replies.

“Yeah, she invited me.” He shifts again, “If that’s alright.” The kid’s voice is – if anything – softer than before.

“We’re happy to have you.” Dom’s family raised him to be polite, plus Vince seems to approve of Brian and Mia’s friendship. Not to mention that the kid looks like he needs it.

“So, what was it you were talking about that got Vince to play nice with a stranger.” Vince straightens up.

“Hey! I am nice!” He actually sounds offended, too. The kid breathes out a laugh.

“Only if the stranger asks about your tattoos.” Dom has to laugh at that one, and Vince actually shrugs.

“You don’t seem the type.” And he really doesn’t. Dom just can’t see him as anything but a surfer, maybe a college student.

“That’s what he said.” For some reason, Vince chokes a little and Brian smirks. “I’m really not. But my CO is.”

Brian pulls out his phone, playing around on it until he flips it around. There’s a picture on it. A tall woman has a younger Brian in a headlock, and is ruffling his hair. They’re both smiling widely – laughing, Dom is certain – and wearing military uniforms, standing in front of a Humvee. Prominently displayed on the arm wrapped around Brian’s throat is an intricate sleeve of tattoos.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you as military.” Dom can’t stop himself from saying. And he really wouldn’t have; certainly not on first glance.

“Did you know the number one reason people sign up for the military is to pay for college?” The kid – former soldier – replied. “You get your patriots, and the family tradition types, but most are there to pay for college.” Given the kid looks like he should be in class with Mia, Dom feels his next question is justified.

“That what you did?”

“Nah,” The kid- soldier’s mouth twists into what’s almost a smile, “grew up in a small town. I had two ways out that wouldn’t land me in prison: boot camp or the police academy.”

“Police academy?!” Vince is offended and furious. Ever since Dom’s arrest, Vince has hated anything to do with cops. Dom doesn’t have good opinions about them himself.

“Yeah,” Brian seems to agree that it’s ridiculous, “It was actually a pretty close choice too. There was this cop who kinda looked after me. Almost like a foster dad, but not official. I was a troublemaker, though.” He shakes his head a bit. “I figured out pretty fast that he was in the minority, as far as good cops went. I signed up for the Army as soon as I was old enough, and never looked back.”

To avoid further awkward emotional conversation, Dom changes the conversation to cars.

Brian lights up.

Vince has to admit (but only to himself) that he likes Mia’s friend more than he thought he would. The kid (man really, even if he doesn’t look it) is calm, easy-going and has an edge of amusement to everything he does. Vince likes to rile people up at first; it makes it easier to figure out their limits and what they’ll do when the chips are down. But Brian doesn’t really rile, he’s cold as ice and ready to roll with the punches.

It helps that Brian isn’t looking to get into Mia’s pants. He may not have said it out loud, but when the Charger pulled up that day, Brian had been checking out Dom at least as much as the car. Vince was probably the only one who noticed, seated right next to Brian as he was, because Brian had been real subtle about it. Brian had made it look like he was sizing Dom up, in case he had to fight him. But Vince has known Dom for over twenty years and has seen him do the same thing with the rare man he takes to his bed. Except Dom wasn’t subtle by nature, that was something he picked up in Lompoc. Vince supposes Brian picked it up in the army, or maybe the shithole he implied his hometown was.

But anyway, even if Brian wasn’t interested in Mia, he hadn’t looked at any of the other girls who dropped by the Sunday Barbeque. Brian had spent most of it in the kitchen with Mia, and for good reason. Vince noticed the way his eyes got tight and his shoulders gained tension the longer he was in a crowd. At first Brian seemed to enjoy the small-scale chaos, but as the night wore on he kept reaching for his hearing aids.

Mia had been pretty subtle about offering him aspirin. If Vince wasn’t so attuned to her, he wouldn’t have noticed. When Brian refused, Vince took that as his cue to step in. Basically tossing empty dishes at Brian, Vince announced, “The least you can do is help me with the dishes, new guy.”

It’s tradition that the people that didn’t help cook take turns cleaning up and it was Vince’s turn anyway. Nobody thought anything of it, Vince has some extra help, and Mia gave Vince a grateful look that made the situation worth it. Well, Dom noticed and Vince gave him a nod-half-shrug combination that Dom knew means Vince would explain later.

Once in the kitchen, they work on the dishes a few minutes before Brian softly thanks him.

“Nothing to thank me for.” Vince can see the tension in Brian’s shoulders lessen the longer they stay in the quiet.

“You see a lot more than people give you credit for.”

Vince has no idea how to respond to that, so he ignores it.

Chapter Text

Brian quickly became something of a fixture around the café and the garage. For a while he had stuck close to Mia, but then Jesse had drawn him into a discussion on supercharger modifications. By the time they had the engine disassembled; DT’s had an extra mechanic (unofficially). Mia couldn’t help but feel a bit smug at how well Brian fit in. On good days, he would be out in the garage with the rest of them, always returning to chat with Mia at lunch. (She was unspeakably relieved that he didn’t forget about her when Dom’s gravity pulled him in.)

Mia can see Brian already has the same soft spot for Jesse that everyone else has. It’s another point in his favor with the others. Not that he needed their approval. Brian is Mia’s friend.

But hanging out with her family doesn’t stop him from having bad days. His eyes pinch at the corners and he winces at loud noises when he’s wearing the hearing aids, and winces in general even without them. The others have taken to sending him into the house to ‘help’ her. Vince does it most often.

Mia’s always known that Dom valued Vince’s opinions highly, but this is the first occasion she’s really witnessed how perceptive he is (outside getting rid of her exes).

On one particularly bad day, Jesse displays a lack of tact only he could get away with.

“When you take your hearing aids out for the day, does the quiet help?”

“It helps a little, but it’s not exactly quiet.” Mia pays more attention; Brian has never been this direct about his injuries. She lets Jesse do the questioning.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s called tinnitus. This constant ringing, almost roaring, sound in my ears.” He smirks a little, “So, taking out my hearing aids just means I can’t hear over the background noise.” It’s something Mia had come across in her research; though the admittance doesn’t help her narrow down whether Brian’s deafness is result of exposure to a loud noise or from a head injury.

Having Brian help wash up after Sunday BBQ has become something of a tradition. Vince doesn’t even mind that he’s cleaning up more often than his turn. It’s not just the smiles Mia gives him – not that he’d admit to anything if asked – but Brian’s quiet company is a nice break from all the nutjobs Vince deals with regularly. In fact, he actually kinda appreciates how hard it is to rattle the Mia’s friend. It had irritated him at first, because pissing people off was his go-to method of getting someone’s measure. Brian seemed to pick up on the irritation, because he comments on it.

“You remind me of my best friend,” there’s a nostalgic smirk on his face; “Rome and I grew up together.”

Vince grunts. He has an image to maintain, and meaningful conversation does not fit into it.

“Liked to push people. Poke them until they reacted, that kind of thing. We got in so much trouble together.”

Vince supposes that’s why the kid finds his antagonism funny instead of irritating.

“Where’s he at?” Because the kid doesn’t sound sad enough for his friend to be dead.

“Serving out his last couple months after he got caught with stolen parts in his garage.” The blond snorts, “Idiot found trouble literally the week after I left for boot camp.”

That, Vince can sympathize with. He passes the kid a beer and they continue to work in silence.

Dom is elbow deep in their latest racing mods when Brian comes bouncing in one morning. The blond is usually cheerful, but this reaches a level Dom certainly hasn’t seen before. Apparently Mia hasn’t seen it either because she asks him what’s up.

“Cat is flying in tonight. Can I bring her by in a day or two?”

“Of course, I’m looking forward to meeting her!”

Dom hasn’t heard too much about Brian’s CO-turned-boss, but all of it has been good. And Mia really needs more female friends who aren’t Letty. Not that there’s anything wrong with Letty (Dom glances over at her, to make sure she didn’t somehow sense his less-than-appreciative thoughts), but she’s one of very few female racers and is constantly trying to prove herself.

Letty Ortiz has always been contradictory. She loves cars and racing and winning, and people who don’t know her call her a tomboy for it. So, she wears clothes that would (not-so-secretly) give Dom a heart attack if Mia wore them anywhere but the beach. Then people call her a racing-bunny and a skank, and then she kicks their asses in and out of races. Part of Dom loves her for the way she does what she wants and lets no one control her. But the rest of him knows that the reason they never work as a couple is because Dom can never figure out if he’s supposed to be complimenting her right hook or telling her she’s beautiful. (And maybe, he thinks rather disloyally, some of that’s on her for never clearly saying what she wants.)

But yeah, Mia needs more girlfriends. The girls who come to races are more often there as eye-candy than for their minds. And the girls in Mia’s classes are either workaholics (too much like her, they’d only encourage each other) or trust fund babies out for a good time (Mia can’t stand them). Dom tunes back into the conversation in time to hear Mia, a little relieved that Brian wears his hearing aids and speaks verbally when he’s in the garage.

“Will that mean we won’t see you as often, now that you’re working?”

And that would be a shame. Brian is a nice guy, who likes cars and seems to need a bit of looking after. Much better than the usual creeps Mia seems to attract. Also, Vince likes him and he isn’t easily riled up. But Brian replies,

“No, Cat mostly works at night. Trying to set up a nightclub. I’ll be busy for the first few weeks, but after that my days should be nearly completely open.”

“Sound like a cushy gig.” Leon comments.

“It is. Cat apparently thinks I need looking after, and insisted I stick with her once I was discharged.” Brian smiles, but rubs at the side of his head in a way Dom has learned means a headache is coming. “Carter, on the other hand, thinks Cat needs someone to keep her out of trouble and that I fit the bill.” And Dom could see the amused smirk. Seriously, Dom has never met anyone with as many different smirks as the blond.

Vince is doing parts inventory when he hears Brian’s car roll up. Mia has been bouncing around all day, eagerly awaiting Brian and his friend/boss/commanding officer – Cat? Vince is pretty sure her name is Cat, Cathy doesn’t sound right, and Carson seems closer to the brother’s name.

(This is why he prefers nicknames. People are less touchy about nicknames.)

Everyone is hanging around the garage today; interested but too cool to admit it. Vince would be amused, except he’s honestly pretty curious too. Brian is actually a pretty nice guy. Someone Brian practically worships as much as he does Cat must have something going for them. He’s a bit surprised when Brian parks the car, then walks around to open the door for his passenger. It seems a bit old-fashioned, even if he technically works for the lady. When the woman gets out, well, Vince isn’t sure what he expected (maybe a uniform? Cargo pants and combat boots?). He’d seen a picture or two from Brian, and it’s definitely the same woman. She’s dressed the way anyone with sense dresses in the dead of a California summer – shorts and sunglasses with a baseball cap, but she’s wearing one of those thin fabric-y wrap things girls use at the beach; supposedly to keep the sun off. It’s wrapped around her shoulders and comes down to about her hips. Then he really starts paying attention to the way she moves, and it makes sense.

He can only see her left arm, and either the right is tucked up under the wrap or she’s missing it from at least the elbow down. Vince hangs back from the group as Brian does introductions (he did get Cat’s name right) and watches. When she moves to shake hands with Mia, Vince can see an aborted motion on that side. Like she tried to reach with the right and realized halfway through that there’s nothing to reach with. It does give him a good estimate of how much she’s missing – a few inches above the elbow, it seems like.

He shakes hands with her (making sure to reach out with his left – he’s not a complete asshole) and gives a vague grumble when he’s introduced. There’s sharpness and defiance in her eyes, like she knows what he sees and is waiting for a reaction. Vince doesn’t react, and watches her move on to assess the others. There might have been a flash of approval in her face as she turned.

Cat’s introduction to Jesse is pretty entertaining.

“Wow, you’re bea-u-tiful.” The kid says, with an innocence that no one else could ever pull off.

Brian’s boss lets out a bark of laughter – sharp, like it was surprised out of her – then turns to face Brian, “You should have told me I was going to meet such a charming young man,” she smirks at Jesse and shoots him a wink, “I would have dressed up.”

Jesse turns so red Vince wonders if his head’s going to explode.

Chapter Text

Brian hasn’t come around as much, in the week since he brought Cat by. Mia knew it was coming, but it’s still disappointing. He’s stopped by for lunch twice and brought Cat with him the second time. Mia suspects it was actually breakfast for the two of them, given the night hours they’re working. During that lunch/breakfast, Cat had actually had a talk with her when Jesse had dragged Brian off to the garage.

“Have you thought about what you want to do after you graduate?”

Mia was actually a bit divided on that. Their mother’s death had inspired her interest in medicine and was pushing her toward research into cancer treatments. But Mia had so much practice patching up the team after they pulled stupid shit, that she realized she had something of a talent for it. Cat couldn’t resist a smile after hearing that explained.

“I suppose we’re going to make more work for you. Speaking of, thank you for looking after Brian. He’s been doing better since we came here.”

Mia can’t resist, “Has he always been so stubborn?”

“From what his friend tells me? Only since the day he was born.”

They share a laugh and commiserate about the idiots in their lives. Cat heads out with a parting comment about helping keep an eye on Brian’s headaches.

That’ll have to wait till Brian’s schedule allows him to come around more regularly. Though she can’t lie to herself and pretend it’s not at least partially selfish: Brian being around distracts everyone from their stupid decisions.

Sure, DT’s had always been on the street racing scene, but that used to be it. After Dad died and Dom was arrested, things were hard for a while. She’d had to take a year and a half off classes, and between the garage and the café, they'd barely making ends meet. They thought it would get better when Dom got out. It didn’t. Dom was banned from legitimate races, and they still had debts from legal fees, and that poor man’s medical bills, and the funeral. They were desperate.

Mia doesn’t know where Dom found the guy who mentioned the trucks. It was probably at a street race, but since everyone tried to pretend she’s not involved, she didn’t really know.

What Mia does know, is that the crew isn’t in it for the money anymore. Sure their ‘connections’ probably wouldn’t be happy with them, but that’s not why they keep going out. They’d started to love it. The adrenaline high is beyond even what they get in the races. Despite their best efforts, Mia can’t lie to herself and say she’s innocent in this either. She was the one arranging the tranquilizer they used on the drivers. At first, she had been okay with it. No one really got hurt, and the company’s insurance would pay for the cargo. They had needed the money. But now they didn’t, and the team wasn’t stopping.

When Brian started hanging around, she had hoped playing normal for a new person would end it. It hadn’t, but at least she got some company out of it.

Not that she was naïve enough to believe that what Cat and Brian are involved in is entirely legal. Nightclub managers don’t need to carry guns.

It’s a Sunday barbeque and Dom has to admit, Mia has invited some good people. For all that she calls the way people follow him ‘gravity,’ she definitely has some of her own. Brian was a good addition to the team’s chaos: he rolled with pretty much anything and gave as good as he got when everyone started ribbing each other. Cat was newer, but she seemed to fit in well (though, if he was being honest, not staring at her arm had been hard at first). The two of them had managed to set the ball rolling on the night club and had been able to come around more as a result.

Letty had been suspicious at first, mostly out of habit in Dom’s opinion. He can admit that when they’re together he never makes much of an effort to let others know he was taken. It had been so entertaining to watch Letty drive off ‘skanks’ (and she got fierce afterward), so he never bothered.

But Letty, Mia, and Cat had spent a day hanging out at the café and everything had been resolved. Brian had headed over for lunch, but quickly returned with his food. Apparently there had been way too much smirking and significant looks involved. So, the girls had some sort of unholy trinity now.

Dom is broken out of his thoughts by a change in conversation. Brian had been listening to Jesse talk about car specs, before asking why the kid wasn’t in school for it. Cat had overheard the answer and jumped in.

“Kid, never ever let other’s opinions stop you. In fact, go out of your way to prove them wrong. And hell, you don’t have to get a degree; you can take classes that you’re interested in just to learn.”

Jesse had replied with a reminder that he had dropped out of high school and wouldn’t be accepted into college classes.

“There’s always a GED. Brian, you dropped out and got yours. How did that work?”

“I’m probably not a good example,” the blond said exasperatedly, “the only reason I got mine was ‘cause nobody in juvie was going to pull anything in the classroom. So it was more self-preservation than anything else.”

“Self-preservation? You?” Her disbelief was only half-mocking. “You’re the craziest adrenaline-junkie I’ve ever met.”

“Well Ms. Spite, at least I’m not trying to convince someone my life is a good example to follow.”

“Hey, spite is a great motivator! I made eighty percent of my life choices that way.”

“Oh, I know.”

“That sounds like a story,” Leon interrupts, “how does spite motivate life choices?”

“Well, when I was six my brother called me a tomboy, so I started taking ballet.” She’s trying to look irritated but can’t get rid of a fond smile. “Then when I was ten, he called me a damsel in distress; so, I started martial arts.”

“Seems more like sibling rivalry to me.” Mia cuts in, with a smile thrown in Dom’s direction.

“No, sibling rivalry is when I replaced all his clothes after he told Mom what actually happened to the necklace I borrowed.”

Letty indulges her morbid curiosity, “What did you replace them with?”

“Have you ever seen Rocky Horror Picture Show?”

Dom chokes on his beer and shares a look of amused commiseration with Brian.

Chapter Text

Mia studies when she can’t sleep, because she likes to be productive and she refuses to do other peoples’ chores. It’s not really working right now. There’s too much worry distracting her. Her family is out on another dumbass heist and she’s stuck in the house.

She isn’t really stuck. At any moment, she could grab her keys and take off. But being elsewhere won’t make her feel better, and there aren’t any decent places open at two in the morning. It’s just as she is working herself into a sulk that there’s a knock at the door. Well, more pounding than knocking. At the back door. Considering she is an intelligent woman currently alone in the house after dark, and that the people who live with her wouldn’t bother knocking, she grabs the metal baseball bat from the hall closet before she answers the door.

On the one hand, she doesn’t need the bat. On the other hand, clearly, she should have remembered all the people she knows are idiots because Cat is currently supporting most of Brian’s weight as he bleeds all over her back step.

“Hey, I know it’s late, sorry about that,” Cat smiles, “would you be able to patch him up a bit, and keep an eye on him while I take care of a few things?”

She sounds so reasonable, like someone dropping their pet off while they go run errands. Mia is still blinking at her when she breezes into the house like she isn’t basically dragging a full-grown man. After another moment of staring, Mia closes the door and locks it. And puts the bat down.

“What the hell?”

“My meeting with some of the locals got a bit heated. It was handled, and I’m going to make sure there aren’t any repeated incidents.”

Mia wants to punch her in the face for being so calm. Instead, she brings the first aid kit out from under the kitchen sink and sets everything up on the table.

Brian is conscious but seems only mostly aware. He flinches when Mia shines a flashlight in his eyes and he’s definitely concussed. The injury on his leg is a more urgent problem. It was sloppily tied off with what was probably one of Cat’s shawls, that is now soaked through. Mia wants to criticize the bandaging job but 1) Cat tied it pretty well for someone working one-handed, 2) Mia (out of the people currently aware) isn’t the asshole, and 3) she finally gets a look at the wound.

It’s more of a gouge than a hole, but Mia can guess what caused it. These particular injuries don’t look too different in person than in pictures, and she can recognize a gunshot wound when she sees one.

Thankfully, there isn’t anything (bullet or otherwise) in the wound.

“Do I want to know what ‘locals’ you were dealing with that got him shot?”

Cat hums in thought, “Probably better that you don’t. More plausible deniability when I make them all disappear.”

Mia looks up from cutting open Brian’s jeans around the injury, “I didn’t need to know that.”

“You really didn’t, but it makes me feel good to say it.”

It makes Mia feel better to hear it, not that she’s going to admit that anytime soon.

Instead, Mia tells Cat to make herself useful and do something about Brian’s head injury. Cat’s smug expression tells Mia that she caught on anyway, but she does as asked. They go quiet until she has to clean out the wound (with real antiseptic, not vodka like an action hero about to induce a slow death by infection) and Brian lets out this rattling gasp that hurts to hear. He needs stitches, which Mia technically isn’t qualified for; not that it stops her.

Cat has thankfully found the icepacks and towels and is helping Brian ice the lump on the back of his head.

By the time she’s got Brian stitched and bandaged, he’s shaking and gasping, semi-conscious and eyes wet. It’s a bit of a dance, hauling him upright with Cat on one side and Mia on the other then shuffling through the house into the living room. There was no good way to get him up the stairs, so the couch it is. She makes him drink some water – basically force feeding him some painkillers – and bundling him into blankets.

“Well, I’ve got to arrange a meeting.” Cat doesn’t really smile so much as bare her teeth. “Tell him I need him to lie low here for a while and not to worry about me. I’m going talk to my brother.” Then she saunters out of the house.

Mia does not punch the wall (in the absence of Cat’s face); she’s got to clean blood out of her kitchen.

Leon has never been a leader or the type to take center stage. It’s never bothered him to remain in the background and watch things happen. People often forget about him, and he takes pride in it. It served him well growing up, especially when his mom married Jesse’s dad. Now, Leon is the type of guy who gets things done and doesn’t need any credit. Generally, he’s so easygoing people don’t even remember he’s got a mind of his own.

There are very few people who have looked at him instead of through him.

When he and Jesse had looked at each other, their parents having a screaming argument in the background, and had understood they were all each other could rely on.

When the owner of the local mechanic shop had handed Jesse a wrench, looked Leon in the eye, and said, “Your brother is a genius.” The first person to look past Jesse’s failing grades and absence record to see what Leon does. His warm, sharp eyes had seen into Leon’s soul and in turn Leon had known this man would look after his little brother.

After he graduated, he kept going to the shop. Even on those rare occasions Jesse actually went to class. When he met the owner’s son, home from college, the young man had looked into him (with those same sharp, warm eyes) and said it was nice to meet his dad’s latest assistants.

He and Vince had come to an understanding late one night; when Leon had turned up on the Torrettos’ doorstep with a black eye and Jesse tucked into his side. The older boy had helped get Jesse settled in the guest room, parked Leon on the couch and gone back upstairs to sleep on Dom’s floor without saying a word.

He's never quite had a moment like that with Mia or Letty. To Mia, Leon was just another of Dom’s friends. Letty tended to see the rest of their group as extensions of Dom. Leon would still die for either of them, but they’d never seen the core of him. It was a relief. Being seen was the most terrifying thing he had ever felt.

He’d had that feeling with Cat the moment he met her. She’d looked him in the eye, and it was like she could read everything he’d ever felt. Leon knew what she was then. She was like Dom. Not quite a force of nature, but not quite just a person either. They owned their people – body and soul – and so long as they took care of them, those people would follow them through anything. Leon knew in an instant this woman could ask him to do anything short of betraying Dom and he’d do it. She would know exactly what buttons to press, what strings to pull, and what lines he would and wouldn't cross. It was more deliberate than Dom, who walks ahead with obstacles jumping out of his way and with the absolute conviction that his people were all a half-step behind. 

Sitting at the Sunday barbeque, he and Brian had looked away from their respective leaders long enough to lock eyes. An understanding had passed between them. They were two people born in the wrong era. They belonged in Arthur’s court; knights swearing their lives to the banner of their chosen lords. Not nearly so chivalrous as people seemed to think. A whole lot bloodier.

Leon doesn’t have much of an opinion about the whole truck heist business. They needed the money at first, but it really isn’t about that anymore. Jesse loves it, and some days it seems like it's the only thing pulling Dom out of his head, so that’s good enough for Leon. Everyone is always high on victory and adrenaline when they finish one, and they come home jittery and ready to celebrate.

Mia has the kitchen light on, so she’s still awake and they can be a bit loud. Not too loud though, ‘cause she’s probably studying.

Except there’s something on the porch.

The others are taking forever to get the back door open and so he sees something dark and wet on the steps. It’s smears, like partial footprints. Multiple sets of footprints too, or someone pacing an awful lot.

Really odd, given Mia just about screamed herself hoarse the last time someone tracked grease into her kitchen. And the more he looks at it, the less it looks like grease.

On the way in, he can see it on the door too. Like someone was kicking at it. He’s getting kinda worried now, but he just heard Mia in the hallway telling them to “stay the heck out of the living room” ‘cause she just cleaned in there and Brian is sleeping over. It’s not the first time Brian has crashed on their couch, but Leon has a bad feeling anyway.

There aren’t any footprints inside, but the first aid kit is on the table, stuff bunched up but not organized and put away yet. The others don’t seem to notice it or think it’s odd. Mia reorganizes it every other time they “do something stupid.” With a sinking suspicion, Leon checks the trash and finds bloody gauze and something that must have been used as a makeshift bandage.

It's one of Cat’s scarf-things.

Brian’s car wasn’t here, so Cat must have dropped him off. She’s probably fine then. And Mia isn’t freaking out, so Brian is going to be okay.

The others are still talking over each other to recount the heist. It had gone perfectly, and they were several drinks into their celebration.

Leon heads back outside, waving his pack of cigarettes in explanation. Dom nods in acknowledgement, a lord dismissing his knight from the court. Once he gets out there, he does light up, but he also grabs some rags and cleaning solution from the shed. He’s halfway through his second cigarette by the time he’s done.

It's the best he can do in the dark, but he’s confident the blood trail is gone. He’s putting the cleaning supplies away when Mia comes out. The way she’s staring at the door and ground, it’s obvious what she’s here to do.

“Don’t worry about it. I got it cleaned up. Brian okay?”

Mia looks up at him with the same sharp, warm eyes as her father and brother. Leon kinda hates it, but not nearly as much as he loves it. It’s terrifying to have someone recognize you for what you are, but such a relief to have another person know you. It’s like she’s seeing him for the first time.

“Blood loss and a concussion. We’ll be looking after him for a few days.”

He lends her a cigarette and his lighter, and they sit silently for a while.

Chapter Text

Letty first notices something is wrong when Mia slips out to the back porch. Usually she’ll stick around to celebrate; or she’ll go up to her room when she’s studying for something. Taking a peek out the window, Mia and Leon are smoking on the step. It’s another red flag: Mia doesn’t smoke unless she’s stressed as hell but can’t drink for one reason or another.

Finishing her drink, Letty tosses out a comment about changing into something more comfortable and heads for the stairs. Coincidently, this takes her through the living room where Brian is on the couch.  There’s not a whole lot of light. Some filters in from the kitchen, but it doesn’t hit the couch. One of the reasons Brian can sleep peacefully without them waking him.

Or maybe not peacefully. It’s a warm night, but he’s wrapped in blankets and curled in on himself. He’s pale, and Letty can’t tell if it’s the lighting or not. While Letty will admit to being a bit of a bitch sometimes (proudly, in fact; she works very hard), she’s not enough of one to wake him up by turning the light on or getting too close. It’s a good thing no one else is in the room, because she’d have to punch them, so they don’t get the impression she’s going soft.

Upstairs, while changing, Letty thinks about it. A migraine doesn’t explain the blankets. Sick maybe? Doesn’t explain why he’d ride it out here. So, bad enough to want medical help, but not bad enough for a hospital? Or Cat wanted to take him to a doctor, Brian refused, and they compromised on Mia? Both of them disliked hospitals. And if Mia thought it would make him worse mentally, she wouldn’t make him go; especially if it was something she could handle.

That’s not Letty’s business. Letty’s business is her own and she isn’t playing mother-hen to anyone. And if the rest of the family wonders why Letty tells them to shut the hell up and go to bed earlier than usual after a successful heist, they know better than to ask.

Mia knows it’s Letty before the door opens, even with a half-second’s notice. Partially because of the lightness of the footsteps coming up the stairs, partially because Letty is the only one who doesn’t wait for permission after knocking. The others all know better. Letty has spent so many years making herself bold and fearless and everyone else’s problem, she doesn’t stop even when it’s just them. Even barefoot, wearing pajama pants and a shirt that’s been passed through everyone’s laundry so often Mia can’t remember which of the boys it originally belonged to, Letty still walks like she’s gearing up to kick down a door. Mia admires it a little, but mostly it’s such a ‘Letty’ thing that it makes her fond.

She closes the door behind her and sets a bottle of wine and a deck of cards on top of the textbook Mia had been staring at rather than reading. It’s a sweet wine too, one Mia’s been saving in the back of the fridge rather than one of the bitter reds Letty prefers. Knowing when she’s being bribed and willing to accept it, Mia sets the textbook aside, scoots back against the headboard and starts shuffling cards.

“You want to hear how things went?” Letty opens the bottle and Mia pretends not to notice how much she enjoys it.

“Not unless the tranquilizer isn’t working correctly.” Mia divvies up the cards and why is it she always deals so poorly for herself?

“It is. Everything went smoothly.” Letty sets down two pairs before even drawing a card. Goddamnit.

“And nobody pulled anything stupid or identifiable?” Mia draws a card and still doesn’t have any pairs.

“I wouldn’t go that far. But it looks like your evening was exciting. Got any sevens?”

Mia takes a long draw from the bottle before passing it back.

“Go fish. When Brian and Cat started hanging around, I thought it would tamp down on the stupid shit everyone was getting into. Any fives?”

“Here.” And Mia finally gets to lay down her first pair as Letty continues, “You always were an optimist.”

And that’s part of the reason they’ll never completely understand each other. Mia wants the people around her to be as good as she knows they could be (she remembers what everyone was like before her father’s death. Mia lost him too, she had to pick up the fucking pieces while everyone around her lost their shit). Letty joined the rest of the group in their collective high-speed chase toward self-destruction. But trying to use words to fight the pull of Dom’s emotional turmoil has never worked. So, she bites her tongue for a second, breathes, and moves on. “Well,” she draws out the word as Letty draws her next card, “I wasn’t counting on our new friends being involved in something crazier than we are.”

“We’ve definitely been to some sketchy nightclubs, but I didn’t think that was something Cat was into. Give me your seven.”

“Damnit,” Letty always seems to know. They had an agreement to never tell the boys about some of the places they’d gone on ‘girls’ night,’ for a variety of reasons. Even the places they’d never gone back to. “Letty, even those kinds of nightclub owners weren’t carrying guns around all the time.” She’s pretty sure. Her family certainly didn’t carry everywhere.

“I thought it was an ex-military thing?” Thank god Letty had noticed it too.

“Maybe part of it is, but they’re definitely involved in something.”

“Is this related to the interesting evening you seem to have had?”

There’s no good way to answer that, because Mia may not be bound by privacy laws in this instance, but she feels like she should be. So, she takes a longer drink from the bottle and draws her card before passing the wine.

Mia knows better than to try and shake Brian awake. He’d been so worried about it the first time he’d slept over; he’d actually warned her not to grab him without warning. She’d known better anyway. (Dom had been… different, after prison.)

But Brian is concussed, and that means waking him up at regular intervals to run him through a set of questions to test for possible brain hemorrhaging. So, Mia taps into skills she learned, not in medical school, but as a younger sibling.

She takes a newspaper, crumbles the pages into balls, and throws them at Brian’s face until he whines at her to stop. Then she throws one more; just because. Once he’s got his hearing aids in, he answers the questions correctly, and she can let him go back to sleep for a little while longer. Leon had surprised her by asking if she wanted company for the night. She’d turned him down in the end. Mia appreciated the offer, but she felt some level of obligation to keep Brian’s precise medical situation private. Telling Leon about the gunshot wound she was monitoring felt like a step too far.

Tomorrow (or today, at this point) was her day off at the grocery, anyway. During the summer, now that they weren’t worried about money, they kept a couple of the local teens on staff. Even after Dom’s… reaction to their father’s death, the neighborhood remembered everything the Torrettos had spent three generations building. So, Mia had more freedom to catch up with her medical program. Or keep all the dumbasses in her life in one piece.

She’s going to consider this both. While she can’t log any hours toward her study for this, it’s still practical experience which is functionally more important. Now all she needs is to convince him to see an audiologist. And stop getting shot. And her family to stop doing stupid shit.

As soon as cars start flying.