citizenxsoldier

[citizenxsoldier]

(Jay) "What do you mean you have a bad idea? No, you’re supposed to have good ideas."

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t my turn with the brain cell, so a bad idea is all I’ve got,” she replied before she began rummaging around in her backpack. “Listen, once this thing goes down, you need to be ready to run, okay?” She looked up to meet Jay’s eyes. “Run towards that building over there and get to the roof, and use this to barricade the front door. I’ll find another way, and I’ll meet you up there.”

[citizenxsoldier]

(Jay) “ it says ‘go back’.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” she acknowledged and pulled out her pistol from where it had been tucked down the back of her pants. “But is it a warning or a threat,” she mused mostly to herself.

She removed the strap she had on her shoulder and held the rifle out towards Jay. “Wait here, and shoot at anything which moves that ain’t me, okay? I’ll go check it out, then I’ll come back and get you.”

[citizenxsoldier]

deadendtheatre

Hook, line, and sinker. Looks like the night wasn’t going to be a bust after all. Smile playing into a smirk, he leaned close to whisper in her ear, “It’ll be more than a mouthful if you keep talking like that.”

Moving away from her in order to take a sip of his drink and gauge her reaction, he leaned against the bar and looked her over one more time. Debating for a brief moment in his head, he decided that there wouldn’t be any harm in giving her a shorter name to remember.

“But Ian is probably be easier for you to scream, regardless of whether or not your mouth is full at the time.”

It took every ounce of self control that Casey could muster to keep from closing the distance between them entirely when she felt his breath tickle the side of her neck. Managing, just barely, to keep her cool, Casey kept her eyes on him when he moved back.

“Ian?” She repeated in a sultry whisper. “I think I could get used to that,” she added before her lips closed around the straw in her drink and she hollowed out her cheeks slightly when she took a slow sip, still maintaining eye contact with him.

The Fastest Way To A Girl’s Heart Is Through Her Ribcage [Casey, Ian]

[citizenxsoldier]

Memory Log, Entry Y14-7

“Whachu workin’ on?” There was no response.

Daniel walked up next to her and gave the rim of her cap a firm slap, sending it flying into the engine bay. “Hey!” She exclaimed and snapped towards him. “You listening now, Monkey?” He stood back and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at her while wearing a poorly hidden smirk. 

“Fucking-… Yeah, what is it?” She rubbed at her forehead with the back of her hand. “I asked you what you’re working on. It’s like four-thirty in the morning,” Dan repeated. She simply stared at him as if to say there was nothing odd about wokring on a beat-up Corvega at the butt crack of dawn. “You should be sleeping.”

“Ain’t tired,” she replied with a shrug.

Daniel inhaled deeply and fixed her a Look - the one where he pursed his lips slightly, inclined his head and raised both eyebrows just a fraction, silently questioning her. A look that Casey hated being on the receiving end of. She grabbed her cap by the brim and swatted at him, then said, “don’t give me that look. I tried sleeping but I kept tossing and turning so I figured I might as well do something useful.”

With an amused huff, Daniel relented, holding his hands up in surrender and flashed her a lopsided smile instead. “If that’s the case, why don’t you come upstairs with me. I’ll whip us up some breakfast, then we can tackle this monster together,” he suggested, giving the Corvega an affectionate pat on the front fender.

Casey pursed her lips and looked at him sideways, sizing him up with slightly narrowed eyes. “Will you be making monkey bread?”

“If you want, sure.”

“With bacon? And cheese?”

“Oh, so you want the whole package, huh?” Daniel snickered, which only earned him a steadfast stare and a pair of crossed arms. “That’s the price, buddy. Pay up or get the fuck out,” Casey replied, hiking her thumb towards the door, and despite her best efforts she couldn’t keep a small smile from spreading across her face.

“Fine. monkey bread with bacon and cheese it is - but only because you asked so fucking nicely,” Daniel grinned and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

[citizenxsoldier]

outwithaboom

They weren’t words he was particularly expecting to hear. They weren’t unwelcome by any means, but they still left a sour taste in his mouth. It wasn’t anything to be thanked for - not when it could have been avoided from the beginning. Still, when Baptiste thought of the words that had been said, of the look in the raider’s eye - he felt his stomach churn with anger.

Frowning, he focused his attention on the whiskey, taking a somewhat shaky sip while he let her appreciation hang in the air between them, not sure how to respond. Not sure if he should. Eventually, once he let out a wavering breath and blinked, he nodded in acknowledgement.

“You don– you are welcome,” he eventually murmured, still uncertain of how to respond. Baptiste could tell from how she angled her face that she was wanting him to look at her, and for a moment he couldn’t. After another swallow of whiskey, he managed to meet her eyes, briefly at first, before finally settling on them.

“I don’t try to make a habit of that kind of behavior,” he explained, wanting to make it clear that he wasn’t entirely pleased with his actions. The Boomer gritted his teeth, looking away from Casey and closing his eyes for a moment, clenching his jaw while he tried to remain calm.

“But the things that were said… they were not things to be taken lightly and I let them get to my head more than I should have.”

The anger he felt, she assumed, was the sort of blinding, white-hot anger she could relate to. The same sort of anger that made you remove people and then left you wondering if it had been necessary. Seeing Baptiste like this caused her to frown with sympathy, and she listened intent to what he was saying. “I know I’m probably just talking out of my ass right now, but you don’t have to justify anything for me. I won’t judge you,” she told him calmly, in a soft and quiet voice, then added “I’ve done a lot worse for a whole lot less.”

Her previous comment about how he was hot when he was angry was clearly not the best way to try and lighten the mood, and it left Casey feeling like she had stepped in a piece of dog shit. Judging by the look on Baptiste’s face this was something she should have taken more seriously.

Casey made eye contact with the Mr. Handy behind the bar before she reached across it to retrieve a clean rag and a bowl of tap water. “Let me see your hands,” she said and expectantly held out her own so he could lay his in them for inspection. She shifted on her stool, propping on of her legs on the foot rest of his stool, and laid one of his hands on her knee while she examined the other. She assumed from the lack of cuts and lacerations on his knuckles that he’d had something between his fists and the raider when they had gone toe to toe - or rather head to fist, if the amount of blood on his hands was anything to go by.

After inspecting both of his hands, Casey poured some of the water onto the rag and used it to wipe away the drying blood from Baptiste’s knuckles, occasionally dipping it back into the bowl to rinse it.

Overprotective [Baptiste, Casey]

[citizenxsoldier]

Casey had tried to stop Baptiste when he began following the man outside, but he had quickly pushed past her and left her standing there alone and confused. She hadn’t heard the exchange that started it, but she felt she knew the former Boomer well enough to know he wouldn’t engage in a fight for no reason. When she had attempted to follow after the two, Whitechapel Charlie had stopped her and told her it was best to let them sort out their differences alone. begrudgingly, Casey had ordered another round of drinks while waiting for Baptiste to return. Because he was going to return, right? He had to.

Minutes passed, and just when she was about to ignore Charlie’s advice, she spotted a familiar face descending the stairs. Once the frenchman was securely seated next to her again she pushed a glass of whiskey into his hands with a small smile.

It wasn’t until a few sips later that she opened her mouth again, but still didn’t say anything just yet. She sighed and leaned heavily on the bar, facing him, with her chin propped up on her hand. “You know, I don’t much like being saved, but when I have to be... I just wanted to say thank you,” she said eventually, and glanced down slightly before her gaze sought out his eyes in the dim light of the bar.

“ wow … you’re hot when you’re angry. “

[Prompt]

It wasn’t often that Baptiste lashed out at someone who bothered him. After all, he roomed with raiders half the time, and letting them get under your skin could result in death - or worse. Besides, most comments didn’t upset him - nothing he hadn’t heard or thought before.

But the raider had gone too far - not by speaking about Baptiste, but about Casey. It had started simple enough - just some crude comments about her looks and what she might do behind closed doors. But then it had gotten more than crude - it became cruel, predatory, and Baptiste had firmly told the man to stop.

When the raider didn’t take too kindly to being told to keep his thoughts to himself, he decided to tell Baptiste in detail what he planned on doing to Casey once she left the bar. That resulted in Baptiste politely - and permanently - putting an end to what the man was saying, breaking a few of the raider’s teeth with his brass knuckled fist.

Casey had witnessed the hit, and had started to speak when Baptiste gently brushed past her and followed the man out of the bar. He hadn’t planned on killing the raider, but in the scuffle outside things had gotten heated, and after being slashed with the raider’s knife, Baptiste made sure the raider wouldn’t get another chance to inflict a wound on him - or a chance to find Casey another time and left his body in the alley for the rats.

He returned after, still hot with anger and shaking from the adrenaline. He had been met with Casey’s bright smile, pushing a glass of whiskey into his hands and commenting on the way he looked.

“Don’t mention it,” he murmured softly, bloodied hand grasping his glass while he tried to steady his breathing.  

[citizenxsoldier]

“I shouldn’t have said anything.“

“No, it’s...” she cut herself off to let out a huff and rake a hand through her hair. “It’s fine, James. It ain’t like you had any way of knowing, it’s just that... Christmas isn’t really something I’m looking forward to anymore,” she told him and shrugged her shoulders slightly.

“It has become more of something I try to survive rather than celebrate.”

[citizenxsoldier]

“What kind of company are you in the mood for this evening?”

“I’d be happy with yours,” Casey replied with a genuine smile before she scooched further in on the couch to make room for him. Once he was seated she slid one of her unopened beers in front of him and gave it a light clink with her own.

“Cheers.”

[citizenxsoldier]

“ wait , did you just say you love me? “

Casey’s breathing had just begun to even out while she laid curled up against Ian’s side, spent and satisfied, and at first the question didn’t fully register. It wasn’t until a few seconds later when she’d given it proper thought, chewing on her lower lip as she did so, that she was able to reply.

“I think I just did, yeah,” she murmured with a slight but decisive nod. Judging by the way she quirked her lips and blinked a few times, this was as much of a surprise to her as it was to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make things weird,” she managed after a while, offering him an apologetic smile. Despite the apology, however, she didn’t seem terribly troubled by her slip of tongue.

[citizenxsoldier]

“Is that the best you’ve got?”

“Less talking more walking,” was all Casey said as she ushered the Boomer around the corner. The initial feeble fizzle and pop that had come from the device Casey put together was perhaps more comparable to a fly’s fart than an explosion. The second boom, which came just as she pressed her back against the wall while covering her ears, was resounding and shook the concrete beneath their feet. It was Scott who had taught her how to mix the ingredients for the expanding foam that she had poured into the safe door, and when the foam had nowhere else to go it had successfully blown the hinges clean off.

Once the dust had settled she slowly turned her face towards Baptiste with a single raised eyebrow and a smirk, as if she was awaiting an apology for doubting her.

[citizenxsoldier]

“Don’t get up just yet, I’ll miss having you next to me.”

Casey had intended to get up, but paused when she heard Gage speak. “That’s awfully sentimental, even for you. Are you going soft on me, Gage?” She teased, smirking at him, but despite her words she sank back against his side an nestled herself in the crook of his arm.

[citizenxsoldier]

Casey barely had the time to kick herself for opening her mouth before she stood up with him. This was not what she had wanted. In retrospect, maybe it had been better if she had just kept her mouth shut, but she had promised him she would be honest with him regarding these things.

“James.. don’t, please,” she said, mind and thoughts slowly coming back from the dreamlike haze from only moments prior. She reached out to grasp his wrist in an attempt to stop him from walking away. Her hand slid down slightly and her fingers moved across his palm, lingering slightly before she laced their fingers together - his metal ones and her own made of flesh and bone.

“I didn’t want you to stop,” she said in a soft voice, stepping closer so that she ended up in front of him. “You just squeezed on a bruise, and it’s still pretty tender. That’s all,” she explained calmly while running her thumb across the knuckle and first joint of his index finger. She took a small step back, still holding onto his hand, and tried to coax him into following her as she said, “will you sit back down with me?”

“Don’t squeeze so tight!”

[Prompt]

James removed his hand like he had been burned, pulling away with such speed that it looked like something physically painful had occurred to his hand. 

Usually, he was good about not using his left hand when it came to people. Unless, of course, he was meaning to cause them some pain. It wasn’t that he couldn’t control the pressure he exerted - he was very careful to keep that in the front of his mind - it was that there was no give to his grasp. It wasn’t human.

James could hold on as loosely as he wanted with the left hand, but it was still metal, still solid and uncomfortable and he was never sure if it caused discomfort to those who came into contact with it. Which is why he made the effort to keep his hands to himself.

But with how close the two had been, the way she had been looking at him, the way she had been kissing him – he had momentarily forgotten that he wasn’t all flesh and bone. Guilty, he mumbled a weak apology and stood, trying to get his blood flowing back to his brain and trying to shake the dreadful feeling that sat on his chest.

[citizenxsoldier]

“I didn’t know you were the cuddling type.”

Casey had nearly dozed off on the couch when Jaeger came to her, and with a little prompting the juvenile Rottweiler had climbed up on her stomach and made himself comfortable. He was snoring soundly when James spoke, and Casey simply offered him a warm smile. “Everyone likes dog cuddles, Jimmy,” she pointed out and ran her fingers through Jaeger’s black fur.

[citizenxsoldier]

“I didn’t know you were the cuddling type.”

Casey let out a snort before she prodded him in the ribs gently. “You have left me with precious little choice here, buddy. I don’t think I can walk just yet,” she chuckled and snuggled closer to him so that she could rest her head on his arm and shoulder.

[citizenxsoldier]

“I didn’t know you were the cuddling type.”

“I’m usually not, but you’re hot and I’m cold,” she replied, and as if to emphasize her point, she snuggled closer to Baptiste, even going so far as to moving her legs so they were draped over his thighs. “I fucking hate winter,” she mumbled against his shoulder before burying her face in the fabric of his shirt.

[citizenxsoldier]

“That’s gonna leave a bruise…”

Casey smirked against his skin and kissed the red spot on his shoulder tenderly. “Good,” she purred huskily before she reached up towards his face with her hand and turned it towards her so she could kiss him properly.

[citizenxsoldier]

“Wait… are you braiding my hair?”

“I was tempted to, but no,” she replied with an amused snort. “Just playing with it,” she added while running her fingers through his hair. She splayed her fingers and threaded them through locks of hair still wet from the shower, and began slowly massaging his scalp.