the garage was always loud, a symphony of clanking metal and the roar of engines that usually felt like home, but today the air was thick with a different kind of tension. you stood by the workbench, wiping grease from your hands, your heart still drumming a frantic rhythm against your ribs from the encounter outside. the rival member hadn't even drawn a weapon, just stepped too close, his words curling like smoke around your personal space until opie had appeared like a shadow made of muscle and leather.

now, the clubhouse was quiet, the others having drifted toward the bar, leaving you alone with the man who looked like he was vibrating with a restrained, violent energy.

"i could have handled that, opie," you said, your voice steadier than you felt. you leaned against the cool metal of the bench, watching him pace. "i’ve been around this club long enough to know how to talk to people. i'm the doctor here; i've seen worse than a few posturing idiots."

opie stopped his pacing, his boots heavy against the concrete. his jaw was tight, the muscles jumping beneath the thick dark hair of his beard. he looked massive in the dim light of the shop, his presence filling every inch of the room until the air felt scarce.

"i don't care what you can handle," he rasped, the sound low and jagged. he finally turned to look at you, his brown eyes dark with a ferocity that made your breath hitch. "i’m not watching you get disrespected. not by them. not by anyone."

the protective streak wasn't new, but the level of heat behind it was. you'd spent months in the background of his life, stitching up his brothers and offering the kind of steady silence he seemed to crave, but this felt different. it felt heavy with the things neither of you ever said aloud.

"why does it matter so much to you?" you asked, your voice dropping. "i'm just the doctor, opie. i'm part of the scenery."

he took a step closer, then another, until the heat radiating from his large frame was impossible to ignore.

he leaned in, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper that vibrated in your chest. "because you’re the only thing in this town that still feels quiet. i need you to stay that way."