Have no fear of perfection -

you'll never reach it.

Salvador Dali

So beautiful. My eyes are stuck on her as my mind contemplates the importance of my job over the comfort she gives me. I'm in too much of a comfortable position right now to want to move. She's so fucking warm against my skin, and she's subconsciously hugging my head towards her chest. Her beautiful, soft chest.

Fuck. I hungrily take in the sight of her, her hair splayed out around her head, some strands on her chest that I've come to crave. They're perfect. They're just the right size for my hands, and I know she's insecure about them by the way she avoids changing in front of me. They're so perfect. Perfect enough to hold too. But she'll run away again. Crazy girl.

My hands reluctantly leave her body, making Mayella furrow her brows and search around with her eyes still closed. I take the bigger fat penguin and let her hold on to it, which instantly makes her sigh and subtly squeeze the stuffed animal.

After I wrap her up in the sheets, I kiss her forehead and make sure her nutritional tablets and water are on the bedside table. Walking towards the closet, I grab a bag and load a few bullets along with a silencer and scope. I cringe at how fucking hard this is going to be, not shooting the target in the head but just keeping him barely alive.

I don't thrive on people's pain. I don't want to fucking watch him bleed. I want to blame Dan for this, but I can't- he's just following orders. We're all following orders.

I followed orders.

Making sure everything is in order and sending a quick text to Jan, I furrow my brows when I hear a yawn from behind me.

Mayella rubs her eyes and yawns again, clutching the fatter penguin tighter before frowning at my hand that's on the doorknob. She puts both her hands straight forward, clenching her fingers and showing me those damn doe eyes. Fucking hell, of course she wants a hug.

"Please stay safe." I pick her up with the sheets still around her and she clings on to me like a damn koala. I just wanna be here, with her.

"I will." She sniffles, her early morning mood appearing. I wipe some drool off the side of her mouth and kiss the top of her head, setting her face in the crook of my neck.

"I'll be here, babycakes. Waiting. Along with Mr.Jones Senior and Junior." The thought of having someone to come home to never occurred to me before. The feeling, that someone genuinely wants to fucking be with you and will wait, even when worrying, is something I only crave with her. Only with her.

"Okay." Not knowing what else to say, mainly because of how fucking constricted my throat feels, I set her down on the bed, wanting nothing more than to lay with her. Fuck. If I can't leave my girl for three damn hours, the fuck am I going to do when she'll leave.

She won't leave. That's the whole damn point, fucker. My mind tries to rationalize but I'm too damn whipped as I stare at her drowsy form, leaving the room before I tuck her in my damn pocket and never let her go. She's tiny so she would fit.

"Boss, we're here." Rafael says from the other line. I put down the phone and activate high level security before making it out of the house, wanting nothing more than to go back in and kiss the hell out of her.

I don't know what the fuck I'm feeling right now.

The black jeep comes in view as I walk towards the driveway, nodding at Fatima who's shifts from the drivers seat to the passengers seat, allowing me to get in myself. The triplets wave at me and I nod, ignoring Lennox for some reason. Annoying ass.

Guy who tried to ask my girl out- ass.

Rafael squeezes in between them, his afro blocking their vision as he smiles and waves before asking, "You're late, Ricky. Hard to get out of bed, yeah ?" He knowingly smirks.

Fatima puts in the location as I get in, muffling

her laughter at my glare. Stupid employees.

We soon get moving, the triplets busy on their laptops as Fatima looks at me with her eyes squinted.

"The fuck you want ?" Mayella's not going to like me talking to her that way but fuck it, I'm her boss. Okay, maybe n-

"How is she ?" I sigh, knowing exactly what she truly wants to know.

"We're perfectly fine. She's getting better. You done ?" I say, slightly annoyed at remembering that day. I don't ever want to see her that fucking sad again.

"You should've told her, y'know." Fatima mutters, cleaning up one of her pistols. "Hurt her like that again and you'll be just a boss to me."

I nod, wanting to fire her for the way she's speaking to me but I know she's right. And I'm so fucking glad Mayella has friends who care. She deserves that.

The target lives in a secluded area, with only a few other houses. His house has high security which is why we've brought the triplets so they can scan for explosives just in case. We stop in front of an empty house in the neighborhood, Maddox and Knox making their way into the house to set up as the other one stays out as guard.

It's quiet and cold, something she likes a lot. The trees barely move as the cold wind passes through. We walk towards one of the taller buildings, Raf and Fatima trail behind me as my eyes scan the isolated neighborhood. The houses surround one small pond in the center, some are empty and some look lived in- especially my target's.

Using one of the ladders to climb up one of the taller storage buildings, I take out my scope and rifle, letting out a breath of nervousness.

Here goes absolutely fucking everything.

"-barely alive."

I attach the scope to the gun, setting it down in its stand before crouching down just enough to level my eye. Jackpot.

Novak Ibramivoc. He's having dinner alone, a beer in his hands and a small plate of what seems to be grilled cheese. Mayella likes cheese.

Not the fucking time, Ricky.

I line up the scope with his left shoulder, the window separating us is not a obstacle with how far range this sniper is.

Almost subconsciously, my aim is right back on his head.

"-barely alive."

Click. The bullet escapes the barrel, the trigger initiating a journey that only ends with death. He falls back. A head full of white hair contrasts with the wooden floor, his right hand coming to clutch his shoulder. But it's too late.

He's barely alive. I clench my eyes when the man screams for help, gathering my gun and zipping up the gear bag before taking out my phone.

"It's done." Dan doesn't get a chance to reply as I hang up, wanting someone to kill the guy so he can stop screaming. So he can stop reminding me of what I do for a living.

Kill.

"Hey boss, you good ?" Rafael probably notices how I glare at nothing in particular as the team buckles up, the triplets causing some commotion in the backseat.

My jaw clencheds, not wanting to answer but all that comes out is what I truly feel.

"Let's just make this quick, I wanna fucking go home." I mutter, not failing to notice how the team quickly nods, probably afraid that I'll get mad. I promised her I wouldn't.

It's only after almost an hour later that I make it to our front door. My bitch of a heart beats faster as I put in the code hastily, opening the door to almost bump into the small body that is wrapped in a thick blanket.

The biggest sigh of relief escapes me as Mayella slams her face into my chest, whispering 'Thank God' every second. She lifts her face slightly so she can scan my face after trying to wrap the blanket around the both of us in an attempt to drag me back to the bedroom.

She's exactly what I need and more. "Still awake ?" I ask, worried about her irregular sleep schedule. She needs the energy.

"I was worried. You're twenty minutes late. And you promised you'd-" She doesn't continue as my lips meet hers, tasting the strawberry tea she must've made for herself. All because she stayed awake for me in the past three hours. For me. Me.

Mayella pushes me to sit on the edge of the bed, walking into the closet and coming out with a set of sweats and a hoodie in her hands. She pushes herself between my knees and unstraps the bulletproof vest, before unlatching the holster and setting it to the side. A red flush graces her cheeks as her hands hold on to the hem of my shirt. I smirk and lean back just a bit, wanting nothing more than to ravage her, right here and now.

My girl mumbles to herself before clenching her eyes shut and pulling it off, wiping her forehead in feigned exhaustion and scanning my upper body for any wounds. She kisses her fingers then places it right where my heart- which she owns- is.

"Uhh...y-you can takeyourpantsoffyourself , right?" I nod, grabbing the belt and removing it from its loop, never leaving her eyes. Mayella gulps as she stares at my damn- fuck.

"Only if you do." I smirk, knowing she'll run away in a second or two but it's soon my chance to gulp and adjust myself when she shrugs and takes off her long penguin pyjamas, revealing her milky legs.

Fuck. I run a hand down my face, getting up and pushing her down on the bed before wrapping her up tight in the sheets. Much better. She can't get me excited like that.

Such a lil' bitch, Ricky.

I shake my head, making my way to the washroom and changing into the clothes, desiring a cold, cold shower. But I can't keep her awake any longer.

"Baby Cakes ? Come to bed, please. I'm sorry for taking off my pants. I didn't know I wore the strawberry print panti-"

"Shut up, Mayella. Come here." I lay back against the headboard as she openly stares at my abs, whispering something to the fat penguin in her hands.

"You're so hot." She blurts, her eyes wide as I usher her forward. Mayella crawls towards me and puts her legs on either side of mine, effectively straddling me.

Mayella cups my face, smoothing her fingers on my cheek with a soft look in her eyes.

"How was it?" I shake my head, telling her I don't want to talk about the blood that pooled around my targets head. She kisses me all over, both my hands holding her hips as her warm legs touch mine.

"No worries. It's fine, you're home now." Mayella leans her head on my chest, poking her tongue out to try and reach the skin. Weirdo.

As if that isn't exactly what you want to do to her bo-

My eyes involuntary- that's a lie- move to her body as she inches further to mine, the heat from her chest, which is clad in a large band t-shirt, feeling warm against my own.

She shifts back, her bottom lips drawn back as her eyes go curious. The fuck is she up-to now ?

"The fuck are you up to now ?" Last time she had this look, she tried to convince me to fly us to wherever the fuck penguins live, and get the fatter, older penguin a real penguin wife because he 'seems lonely.'

"I wanna try something. On your body." Honey eyes wander all around my body, hungrily taking me in just the way I do to her.She moves forward and I furrow my brows before widening my eyes as soon as her lips touch my neck.

Fuck.

She sucks on the skin almost skillfully, her hands on my shoulders. I relish in the feeling, my hands making their way to her ass as I slip them underneath her thin underwear, squeezing the flesh of her soft ass. Fuck.

A deep moan erupts from her pretty mouth and almost makes me do the same before she jumps back, one hand covering her mouth and the other one on her ass, both doe eyes wide.

"Y-you squeezed it." I nod, crossing my arms behind my head.

"I did." She looks back and forth between her butt and my hands before blushing. Mayella comes back towards me, straddling me with a smug expression.

"I gave you a Maya-mark." She smooths away the crease between my brows as I question her words. I soon realize what she means and scoff when I see a heart shaped hickey on my neck, comepletely visible and prominent against my skin.

Mayella nods to herself, crossing her arms proudly. She pushes herself closer to my body and avoids my eyes as she grabs both of my hands and- fuck. Both my hands are placed on her ass, before she leans forward and whispers, a flush of embarrassment and shyness apparent on her pale cheeks.

"Can you do it again ?"

Fuck.

☁︎︎ ☁︎︎ ☁︎︎

"They look so adowable!"

"Grab a bucket of water, quick."

"Throw it on Ricky, not Maya, she looks cute."

"Where the hell is Maya anyways ?"

"He's hiding her. Like a big wolf."

"Did you get the cookies she sent over ?"

"She sent me three batches. Some for my mom too. I swear i've only mentioned my mom once, I don't know how the hell she remembered."

"Hey, I didn't get any !"

"She knows you don't like chocolate, Jan. So she made you lemon bars."

"I didn't get them, though."

"Yeah I ate them when I came over to yours last week."

"It's okay- you're getting a bit too plump for my liking, Jan."

"I want to squish her. Can I squish her ?"

"Ricky's going to kill you, Raf."

"I'm not fat, I'm just fun sized."

A light kiss on my nose awakens me, my eyes trying to adjust to the morning light. My baby and I are wrapped up in the sheets and comepletely covered from most of the intruding rays of sun.

"Shh, Jan, Fatima and Raf are here." She whispers as I wipe her mouth and kiss her drowsy eyes.

"The fuck you mean here ?" Swear those kids are up to no good.

"Like- in front of our room." My heart beats a little faster when she says our, finally happy that she's getting used to it.

"You told them to come over, didn't you?" I quirk a brow, glaring at the girl who's rubbing her cheek against my chest before nodding at me.

"I wanted to make breakfast for everyone, like a family." I pull her even closer when I notice the wetness in her eyes. She snuggles in my hold and sniffles quietly before I sigh and put my head out of the blankets, coming to face with three startled employees who can't keep their hands off of my damn hair products.

"Get the fuck out and set the table before I fire-" I don't get the chance to continue before they rush out, a smirk on their damn faces.

"Thank you." Mayella rubs her little nose on my bare chest before giving it a kiss, getting off the bed and skipping to the washroom, talking to herself about what type of pancakes she wants to make.

My phone buzzes on the side table and I sigh, picking it up.

"Speak."

"Ah, Ricky. Always nice to see you too. I've missed you, life in New York is kind of busy not going to lie, but I'm getting much-" Landon drawls, a mischievous undertone to his words

"I never fucking asked."

"Right, of course. How is she, by the way ? Sad, really. What happened to her mother. I should come by and express my condolences, shouldn't I ? Maybe give Maya a hug or two ? We did do that-"

"I hope I don't need to remind you of who's boss here, brother. One move that hurts her and you're done." I spit, my fists clenching and unclenching, not liking the thought of him anywhere near my girl.

"It's not like I've done anything yet anyways-" I smirk at the fear in his voice. Landon clears his throat, probably realizing how much of an idiot he is before speaking,

"Say hi to Mayella. Goodbye, brother." He hangs up, and I let out a breath of frustration. Soft hands tangle themselves in my open hair before I'm held against a warm chest.

"You okay, baby cakes ?" I nod, picking her up and putting one of my hoodies on her body. Much better. Mayella chews on the sleeve as she studies my face. I sigh and hold her close as we walk towards the noisy kitchen.

"I'm fine." She smiles and kisses my cheek before hopping off to hug Fatima, who gasps when she see's Mayellas neck. Mayella, who's completely oblivious of the fact that I left about six apparent hickeys on her chest, gasps even louder and glares at me, before crossing her arms smugly and announcing,

"You should've seen the other guy." I roll my eyes when Jan and Raf point to my neck and widen their eyes. The 'Maya-marks' are visible since Mayella practically forced me to wear a

v-neck.

My girl laughs when Jan takes out his phone and tries to catch a picture of the hickeys on my neck. He holds the phone close to his chest after I threaten to let it fall, before sitting back down on one of the chairs.

Rafael and Fatima set up the plates and fight over who gets the penguin cups. I glare at them as I grab both of the fat penguin ceramics and put it next to my girl's plate. It's our penguins.

After a few minutes of watching Mayella incase she sets the kitchen on fire, she grins at everyone as she sets the stacks of pancakes down on the table. She's wearing a pink apron. I make a mental note to make her wear that again.

"Fatima, I made keto-friendly ones for you !" Fatima coos before thanking her.

My girl's thoughtful, kind and precious as fuck.

"Oh ! I made blueberry ones for you, Jan, since you don't like chocolate. And the double chocolate ones are for you, Raf ! Hope you guys like them." She claps her hands excitedly as I yank her into the chair next to mine, staring at how happy she is watching the team eat and compliment her pancakes. Rafael tries to pinch her cheeks but I show him the gun in my waist band. He sits back down.

"And for you?" I tilt my head at the energetic rabbit in front of me, who only dismisses me with a wave of her hand before going back to asking Jan whether he likes it or not.

"Like hell you're not eating." Mayella squeals quietly as I put her on my lap, placing the strawberries I cut on a few pancakes and cutting it into squares- just the way she likes it. She looks at me with this weird emotion in her eyes and my mind tries to figure out why the fuck my heart keeps beating so quick.

Jan makes throwing up noises and Raf puts his head in his hands and sighs dreamily as he stares at us, like the damn idiots they are. After cleaning up,Fatima and Mayella sit on the couch, whispering to each other. Interesting.

Once again, my phone buzzes and I resist the urge to throw it. My urge is subdued when I see the name on the screen.

"Ricky ! My man ! How you doin' ?"

"Alejandro. Long time." I think back to when I saw him about seven or eight months ago. We grew up around the same area. His father was one of the only black cops on the force and his mother, a hispanic, treated us like her own. We're practically family.

"Shut up wit yo' formal ass. Come down to Benny's tonight, the boys miss you.They also wanna meet yo' girl. It's not very nice of you to keep our potential sister-in-law away from us, is it now ?" He says the last part in an attempted British accent and I scoff. Never changes.