A MAN LIKE YOU | MobLand (Gina, Harry)
The ducks’ squawking masked the sound of her father’s footsteps on the damp grass.
She looked up and saw the words already written on his face.
«I know what you’re gonna say, Dad, okay? You don’t approve and--»
He cut her off, voice calm but steely. Still standing beside her: «You’re sixteen, Gina, and I’m still your father.»
Without waiting for a response, he sat right next to her; he lowered himself onto the concrete step—cold as the piece he carried in his waistband.
His dark jacket hung stiffly on his frame, hands buried deep in the pockets. His hair, slicked back with military precision, barely moved in the breeze. His sharp blue eyes, so pale they bordered on icy, watched her carefully, with a mix of anger, discomfort, and something heavier: disappointment.
This wasn’t the future he’d imagined for his little girl.
Caught in the web of Eddie Harrigan.
Meanwhile, her gaze dropped to the pond beyond their shoes.
Her long, wavy black hair blew softly around her shoulders, lifted by the same breeze that toyed with the water. Her eyes, dark and curious, were fixed on the ducks drifting lazily across the surface.
She counted them for the thousandth time.
They used to make her laugh, with the way they clumsily pecked at the water’s surface.
He sighed, and it was heavy enough to tug her attention back toward him.
«I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life--»
«That’s exactly what you say right before telling me how to live my life.»
«Gina,» he warned, «stop interrupting me.»
Their eyes met—hers smoldering, his cold and tired.
Then she looked down again, her fingers fiddling with a loose thread on the sleeve of the padded denim jacket she wore.
It wasn’t hers, they both knew it.
And the overpowering nightclub cologne, full beast mode, left no doubt about who it belonged to.
Her father said nothing about the jacket. He didn’t need to.
«I don’t approve,» he said finally, «because he’s not good people, Gina. You must know that much. He’s… He’s a psychotic murderer.»
Silence fell between them.
The wind shifted again. It blew her hair across her face and carried with it the scent of her father: sweat, gun oil, and worn leather.
Sometimes she told herself he just had awful taste in cologne.
She knew that wasn’t true. He never wore cologne. Not with the kind of job he had. He couldn’t afford to be memorable.
But a lie doesn’t have to be logical. Sometimes it just has to be comforting.
«Dad,» she said, voice soft but pointed, «do you know what the Electra Complex is?»
«No…?» came his answer, as if not quite understanding where she was going with that question.
«The Electra Complex is when young girls choose partners who show the same traits as their fathers*.»
She let that hang in the air. The words quickly landed like a heavy stone in still water.
«The only difference,» she added, rising to her feet, «is that someone managed to put a leash on you.»
He mirrored her move and stood up. Before she could get too far from him, he called her name: «Gina.»
She turned her head, not her body. Her eyes looked darker now, more tired than ever.
«Look, I know you won’t always get why I do the things I do. But trust me on this. Eddie? He’s not a man. He’s just a boy.
And I want better for you. A man who’ll protect you. Love you and respect you like you deserve to be. It’s part of my responsibility as your father to worry about your safety.»
It looked like the weight of the universe had lifted from his shoulders as he said that last part.
He was clearly hoping to tug at her heartstrings.
«Thanks, Dad,» she said, not unkindly, «but I can take care of myself. Always have.»
She turned away from him and kept walking.
«I love you,» he said—quietly, like he wasn’t sure if she’d still hear it.
She did. And her eyes welled up.
“Must’ve been the wind” she replied, when she entered the house and someone asked about her reddened eyes.
Notes:
*«The Electra Complex is when young girls choose partners who show the same traits as their fathers.»
I had to stick to what was said in canon for this one. Hope you will understand and won't blame me. 💀❤
Don’t steal and/or repost. If you like it, I’d appreciate a like. Thank you! 💜
