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nmnostalgiadrabbles · 5 years ago

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On Rivalry - KakaGai

look im realizing kakashi and gai are actually far more difficult to write than I anticipated so here's just one of a million attempts to get it right (though I'd say anyone of us stands a better chance at characterization and plot than kishimoto lol) anyway bear with me

takes place after the war, domestic-ish au, no sasuke as it should be

Gai had known Kakashi for thirty years before he saw his face, though that didn’t really describe the experience correctly; Gai didn’t just see his face, he was mesmerized by it. Had it been the right time, and under the right circumstances, Gai certainly would have kissed him. But not here, not now.

At their feet, Kakashi’s most exceptional student was trying desperately to heal his most knuckle-headed student. The war was over and long-gone, and relations between nations had improved greatly, but not all ninja had peace in their hearts. Sakura herself was injured greatly, and could only continue treating Naruto because Kakashi and Gai stood behind her with a hand on each shoulder and transferred their own (dwindling) chakra to her. It went on like so for an hour before Sakura faltered and Kakashi had to stoop to hold her upright.

“I can tell you’re both at your limits. Your chakra will be depleted within minutes.” She didn’t say it was hopeless, but her body began to shake.

Gai took a breath. “Gate of pain, open.”

(Sakura didn’t say that the new chakra burned as it passed through her.)

Later, “Gate of closing,”

“Gate of joy,”

“Gate of shock,”

“Gai –”

“It’s alright, Kakashi. Youth will continue on with him.”

“Sensei,” Sakura interrupted, and Kakashi noted that her shoulders, even if just a little, relaxed. “He’ll be okay now.”

Kakashi looked up at Gai and Gai saw that his mask was down and his face wet; it hit him that his mask had been down when he’d first came upon the scene hours before, but that the urgency of the situation had called his attention more and he hadn’t noticed. Now, Gai thought clearly that his rival had him bested in a competition he could never hope to win in a rematch – he was the most beautiful person Gai’d ever set eyes upon.

“- never been a medic, but I can stabilize you.”

Gai came back to the present to see Kakashi treating Sakura; her wound had been dire, but not to the extent of Naruto’s, so she took only seconds to work on herself while healing Naruto, and even then only with one hand, and only with the crudest technique. In the final stretch, Gai had supplied most of the chakra for Sakura to use, and Kakashi had been able to restore some of his, so he used that, in the form of his lightning nature, to fully cauterize the gash in her abdomen. If her work had been crude earlier, his was primitive. When he finished, Kakashi rubbed her neck and ran his fingers through her hair and then Gai understood.

As Naruto came to, Kakashi pulled himself together and his mask up.

Sakura mustered what strength she had left to tell Naruto, “You missed it. Kakashi-sensie’s mask was off.” To which Naruto bolted upright and started off on a long and loud list of complaints and gripes about how he had nearly died, he deserved to see his face! and Gai smiled. Sakura laughed, and Kakashi looked back at Gai with eyes he could tell were still misty. For perhaps the millionth time, he thought his rival was quite cunning.

Was that what it had been about all this time? Concealing his emotions? Gai wondered if he’d ever actually ask him.

The four only made it half-way back to the village before collapsing, and were hospitalized after a search-and-rescue found them half a day later.

Tsunade herself tended all of them, practically every hour for about three days, and then they were stable enough to be treated by Shizune and Ino. After that, it was regular nurses, and then only a few more days before they were released. By that time, Sakura was, unbeknownst to the Hokage, checking in on the others. Gai had stumbled toward Kakashi’s room, and peered through the cracked door before entering to see if his rival was sleeping, but found him instead pre-occupied with a pink-haired medic.

“How are you feeling?” He heard her ask.

“I’m fine. I suffered the least of it.”

“But you still suffered.” She lifted a hand to his cheek and pulled his mask down to plant a soft, quiet kiss on his mouth.

“You should head back to your room and rest,”

“I will, but first Naruto and Gai-sensei.”

“We’re all in capable hands, Sakura.”

To that, she pulled his mask back up and winked before making her way to the door.

“Oh! Hi, Gai-sensei – I was just on my way to see you! How are you feeling today?”

“Oh, hello, Sakura.” He cleared his throat. “My youth has not yet reached its sunset; I will be back at it in no time! Or it’s five-hundred laps around the hospital when I do get out!”

She laughed and stepped around to examine the muscles in his back and shoulders.

She hummed with some concern. “You’re still quite tight. Deep tissue will hurt, but it’ll help you in the long run. Shizune’s exceptionally skilled in massage therapy; I’ll mention it to her.”

He went to protest, but she interrupted him with, “See you later, sensei, I’m off to see how that knuckle-head is doing. You know how hopeless he is!”

Gai couldn’t help but smile, though –

“Gai, come in.”

Gai blinked and remembered what he’d come there to do.

“Kakashi – are you recovering well?”

“Never mind me. Your chakra network was sent through the ringer. Sakura didn’t say it, but you should still be in bed.”

Gai shuffled to stand in front of the window.

“Gai-sensie!” Loud and filled with love and concern came his star pupil’s voice from the door to the hallway.

“Lee!”

Lee all but tackled him. “They wouldn’t let anyone in to see you but I was so worried! Oh, Gai-sensie!”

After being discharged from the hospital, they were quite nearly at one-hundred percent. Naruto was as loud and obnoxious – albeit in his own special, endearing sort of way – as ever, Sakura was gearing up to come back to work at the hospital, and Kakashi and Gai were waiting for the next assignment. Gai wasn’t expecting company the first Friday at home after the mission, but Kakashi knocked on his door nonetheless.

“Kakashi,”

“Evening, Gai.”

Gai looked at the brown bag of groceries settled in between the crook of Kakashi’s left elbow and his hip.

“What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it fairly obvious?” He let himself into Gai’s apartment and made for the kitchen, dropping the bag on the counter when he reached it. “Cooking competition.” Behind him filed in Naruto, Sakura, Lee, Neji, and Tenten.

“Gai-sensie we have the utmost faith that you will prepare the tastiest dish tonight! Right Neji, Tenten?” Lee looked back at his teammates, who mumbled uninspired yeahs.

Gai smiled, feeling more human than he had in some time. “Naturally, my pupils. You need only sit back and enjoy the show!”

Naruto slapped Kakashi on the shoulder and grinned on the way to the couch, saying only, “I hope you’re thinking ramen!”

Sakura explained that they would be the judges of both preparation and end result of this night’s meal while Kakashi spread the ingredients from the bag out and filtered through Gai’s cabinets for spices cookware.

“I don’t believe in all our years of rivalry that we have ever faced off over the stove, but don’t you go thinking that means I’m not ready to become the undisputed champion of both this kitchen and yours, Kakashi!”

In no time aprons were fastened and spoons, knives, oil and vegetables of all kinds were flying back and forth. The students founds themselves enjoying the show more than judging, save for Neji, who remained quiet and stoic as always (with the exception of an outburst of Are you really putting cinnamon in a tomato dish?! toward Gai halfway through).

In the end, Kakashi was victorious.

“ – not to say Gai-sensei’s creation isn’t fabulous, it is, but Kakashi-sensei’s takes the cake.” Sakura said in between bites. Even Lee had to agree, with tears streaming, that though by only the smallest margin, his sensei had been bested.

The sun had set long before they’d sat down to eat, and now that they were finished, Kakashi and Gai’s students found themselves pleasantly full and yawning on their way out the door. Gai brought a half-empty bottle of sake out for the two of them to finish before eventually saying goodnight, but, as always, he didn’t expect to see the other man’s face. It had only happened before because he was so emotionally compromised and exhausted on that mission, so it did shock him and he did stare when Kakashi removed his mask to drink in front of him.

Kakashi noticed his gaze. “Hm?”

Gai turned slightly on the couch to get a better look. “Kakashi, was tonight your idea?”

“Oh, I might have mentioned something like it, but Naruto and Lee were the masterminds. You know how they get something in their heads and take off running,”

Gai hummed a laugh, because he had to respond, but really he was still occupied watching his mouth move.

“Gai, I can’t thank you enough for what you did. They would have died for certain if you hadn’t been there.”

Gai smiled. “What are friends for?”

And then Kakashi looked at him differently – why? Gai couldn’t decipher but – and set his drink down and closed his eyes and kissed Gai.

“I suppose they’re for a lot of things.”

#naruto #kakashi #gai #might gai #sakura #lee #rock lee #tenten #neji

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imagine-lcorp · 7 years ago

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A Step Into the Light (Part IV)

A/N: So, here it is! Part 4 of this fic! It took me a while to finish it cause Im preparing the last part of the whole story. Be ready for a bit of angst and a full chapter with Lena next time. Hope you enjoy it! and please, let me know what you think. Remember next update will be on wednesday!

You knew the pain wouldn't last as much as the outrage that was driving you at the moment. Still, and fortunately, you weren't that reckless to simply let bullets fly all over Lena's office and let her exposed to them. So the most viable option was to move the action to the other side of the room.

Two more bullets hit your back by the time you had knocked the first man against the wall, on the opposite side from where Lena was. Another hit your left leg ,as you took a step towards the second minion. He foolishly thought getting closer to you would make the bullets more effective. The moment you disarmed him, and left him unconscious, revolver man had shot you in the right shoulder. Making it hurt like the devil.

He hadn't moved from behind the desk but at least his attention was no longer on Lena. You couldn't see her directly, but you knew she was crouching down, quickly thinking about what to do. She was looking back and forth between you and revolver man. One part of her was decided to step in and disarm him, the other was surprised you weren't dying.

But before any of you could do anything, Supergirl stormed from the balcony. She looked at the situation and was equally surprised to find you still standing.

"Lena, keep low!" Supergirl managed to shout and a final gunshot followed.

One more bullet from that revolver had impacted in your chest, sending you backwards again. Supergirl punched revolver man, making sure it would still hurt when he woke up, and used her super speed to reach Lena.

"(Y/N) got shot!" Lena's voice was filled with panic and Supergirl was by your side in a rush.

She observed the bullet holes in your body, bits of blood barely staining your outfit. She offered you a hand to try to lift you but you shook your head no, and moved your eyes to point to your wounds. The bullets were slowly moving, pulling out from your flesh.

"Don't let her see this." You whispered through the creeping pain you started to feel. It took her a millisecond to recover from her astonishment. She nodded her understanding and went back to Lena.

"Lena, I need to take you somewhere safe. (Y/N) is going to be fine, I promise." And before Lena could protest, Supergirl lifted her in her arms and flew through the balcony. You hoped Lena wouldn't get mad at her; she didn't appreciate being dragged against her will. But it was a peculiar situation and Supergirl and you had silently agreed it was for the best.

Meanwhile, you tried to sit on the floor. The bullets caught in your chest and arm were slight bigger than the ones on your back and leg, and the wounds deeper. Your movements were slow due to the discomfort but you managed to finally sit and look at Lena's office. It was only a bit messy and three bodies were sprawled around it; behind the desk, near the couch and near a wall.

"I thought you said you could take bullets." You didn't notice when Supergirl came.

"Yeah, but I didn't say bulletproof. Help me up." You complained and made a move to stand up as she offered a hand.

"What happened? I was starting to think it was a false alarm when I heard the shots." She was studying you.

"Where's Lena?" You asked.

"I took her back to the party. She's with my sister. She's a DEO agent, she will take care of her and the rest.” She took a glance at the three men and turned her head to check up on you. “Oh, oh, wait. You're bleeding. Why are you bleeding?”

"It's nothing, it will heal soon...I think." You looked at your wounds.

"You think? Aren't you supposed to be a supernatural being with mystic powers?" Kara's tone was of incredulity.

"Like you, it doesn't mean I don't have my limits. “You were becoming impatient.

"It looks bad. The DEO must have something that can help." She offered.

"You are not taking me there." The pain making it difficult to stay composed. Your wounds weren't healing as fast as you were used, and it was clear you needed something to drink. "Look, I know you don't like the whole blood-thirsty thing but, if you want to help, take me to my place. Or I might as well get my way with these guys."

Supergirl was debating herself if it was a good idea. She still needed to get back and explain the situation to the DEO. But explaining what had happened to you would be hard. "All right, well, just hold tight." She finally conceded and took you flying.

"Is this really your home?" She said a bit confused as you landed inside the balcony of your own department. A loft on the third floor with great space and big windows.

"No. I got rid of the previous owner." You walked away with a slight limp and felt Kara's stare as you entered the kitchenette. "I'm joking, again." You sighted.

"Do you ever take something serious?" She lost her patience.

"What's the phrase? Don't take life too seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway." You took a blood bag and a straw from their respective cabinets and stared to drink. Then you made your way to one of your couches. "What's bothering you? Please, humor me for a moment here, the wounds will take a while."

"You know, Lena could have been hurt. “Kara started pacing around the room with crossed arms. "Cadmus could have kidnapped her, her family could have killed her and I'm sure you will hurt her somehow and-are you using a straw to drink that?" She stopped her rant and squinted her eyes at you.

"It prevents spilling." You shrugged. Kara sighted and sat heavily beside you, covering her face with her hands.

"Lena's my best friend and I promised to protect her. Always. And I wasn't with her when all this happened. Not as Kara, not as Supergirl." She sounded defeated.

"You're afraid she will get hurt because of you." You reasoned. Tonight's events had put Kara between a rock and a hard place, unable to help without putting her secret on jeopardy.

"No. I mean...yes. It's...It's starting to feel like this," she waved at her suit, "is opening a breach between us."

Kara let her arms fall at her sides and raised her face to the ceiling. It was true she had a complicated situation in her hands but everything was reduced to one single matter. Lena. She deserved to know. She had a right to care and worry when her best friend was out there saving the world. And how could Kara be at ease if she kept such important part of who she was from Lena? It gave you some thoughts.

"Okay, I'm not the best at this but listen. If you tell her or not doesn't matter cause Lena will find out, sooner or later. But she will get around it because you're National City's heroine, Catco's best reporter and, after all, her best friend." You tried your best to reassure her.

"What if she thinks I didn't tell her because she's a Luthor? Or worst, that I pretended to be her friend for that same reason?"

"Well, yours is a big secret, right, but is a good secret. Besides, both of you want to make the world a better place and, for what I've seen, you help each other accomplish that. Most important, you're there for each other." You said with all confidence. "And, when you finally tell her, make sure to keep that promise."

You were never that much of a dependable person but you hoped all your years had given you some useful wisdom. Kara was thoughtful for a moment, pondering your words. Maybe you were right after all.

"Thank you, I guess." She said calmer this time. Then furrowed her eyebrows and looked puzzled at you. "So, what's your deal with Lena? Like seriously? Want a taste of her, steal her fortune, offer her a membership to your clan or...what?"

"You believe me that simple?" You roller your eyes at her and then took a deep breath. "I... I fell for her."

"W-wait what?" She jumped on her seat. "As in you're in love with her?"

"Yes." You said nonchalant. It was of no use denying such a simple truth.

"Are you telling her about that? About this? About you?" She waved her hands all over you. Disbelief and confusion rising in her voice.

"I did. She didn't believe it." You took a sip of the blood bag. "That's was my fault, you know my sense of humor." You admitted.

"Then, if you wanted her to believe you, why didn't you let her see your wounds?" By that time, the bullets in your back and leg had popped out and the wounds were healed. The rest were almost done coming out.

"Too many emotions in one night, don't you think?" But then you looked at the ceiling, same way Kara had done a minute ago, and responded with the same defeated tone. "I didn't want her to see me because this will be all she sees after."

If you were to compare, Kara and you had the greatest secrets to keep. However, your circumstances were completely different. Where she was a symbol of hope, you were feared. Where Kara saved people, you had condemned them to satisfy your own hunger. While she lived under the sun, you could only live under the shadows it casted.

"I mean, you took a look at my so called records and instantly wanted me miles away from her. I can only imagine her reaction." You acknowledged with resignation.

"Well, I can't believe I'm saying this but you should follow your own advice. Tell her, (Y/N). She will get around it." It was your turn to look confused. "Because she likes you. Why do you think I background-checked you? I wanted to know if you were a good party."

"Well, thanks." You managed to say through your stupor.

"Oh, don't thank me. That sunbath is still on the table." She stood up, cutting short your conversation. "I should go back to check on Lena. What should I tell her?"

You inspected your injuries. All bullets were out and the wounds closing. You thought for a moment.

"That I'll recover. Just that...for now." She nodded and, without further ado, she left.

Her words were still echoing in your head. Lena Luthor liked you. A small smile forming in your lips. If you hadn't been so happy with that revelation, you would have surely felt a hint of embarrassment for yourself. There you were, a two hundred years old creature taking bullets for someone you had just found out liked you back.

When you finished with the blood bag, you closed the curtains of your windows. Then headed to bed, deciding it was better to worry tomorrow about everything else. Lena Luthor liked you and you simply wanted to rest and sleep with that thought on your mind.

#lena luthor #lena luthor imagine #lena x reader #lena luthor x reader #lena luthor fic #vampire reader #vamp!reader #a step into the light #kara danvers #supergirl imagines #kara danvers imagine

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ch4mb3r-blog · 8 years ago

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Tie a Yellow Ribbon // Jubes & Jono

@short-fuse-long-jacket

It was late afternoon in the middle of the week, and there was a rare sight in the faculty and staff living hall: Jono’s door was propped partway open, giving some sort of illusion of approachability. In reality he was hoping to catch Jubilee on her way back from wherever she happened to be, figuring he’d rather talk to her in person over sending any unnecessarily ominous “I need to talk to you” or “I’m leaving” texts.

Jono was dragging his feet while packing for that reason, glancing to the clock from time to time while he crammed a week’s worth of clothing into the frayed and well-worn canvas duffel that sat open on his bed. He had some time, but was already figuring it wouldn’t be enough. This was a feeling he was unused to. Normally he’d be excited about a mission, grateful for a chance to get off campus and see some action, but this felt different. It wasn’t as if he thought Jubilee didn’t worry about him when he was away before -- he’d spent his fair share of time watching the clock while she was away in past years -- but now Jono was wishing communications blackout wasn’t required so he could still check in, even if for purely selfish reasons.

/’Ey,/ he mumbled as Ex wandered across the bed and made a third attempt to climb into the duffel. /Yeh can’t go where I’m goin’, haven’t had the proper training./ Jono scooped the cat up to let him crawl onto and perch on one shoulder, pausing to settle his hands on his hips and glance around. His gaze lingered on the mission-issue tablet towards the end of the bed, still open to the dossier.

Jubilee was on her way back from a particularly raucous meeting of the GSA where Logan had sat in the corner reading ancient Japanese poetry and left her to corral the students into something resembling order. As usual her efforts met with limited success, but what success she had was worth it and she left the room smiling and shaking her head at their antics.

She was heading back to her room when the sight of Jono's door ajar made her pause for a split second. She poked her head in to find him standing near his bed with Ex up on his shoulder. "Hey, 's the world ending? You left your door open and...well, that's probably the fifth sign of the apocalypse." She caught sight of the bag and the tablet. "Oh." She shuffled her feet awkwardly until she could lean against the door frame. "You allowed to tell me where you're goin'?"

Jono started to turn as soon as he heard Jubilee’s voice, the Purrfessor launching neatly from his shoulder regardless of the height to bound over to greet her. /’Ey, sunshine./ His tone was apologetic, as if it were somehow his fault he was being tapped for this mission. /I can’t, but only because we’re not even really sure where we’re goin’, yet. Kind of a movin’ target./

He didn’t offer her the tablet but he didn’t exactly shut it off, either, stuffing a couple more shirts from the pile into his duffel before pushing it aside to turn and sit at the edge of the bed, gesturing for her to come closer. /Shouldn’t be more than a few days, though. ‘Ow was the meetin’?/

Jono tried not to seem too eager to change the subject, but he figured a little distraction at this point never hurt anyone.

She chewed her lower lip anxiously for a second but tried to put on a smile. "Well if it's Fing Fang Foom just skip all the trying to fight him stuff and just feed Logan to him. You'll be back in a coupl'a hours.”

At his motion she came into the room, closing the door behind her and stepping into his space. With him sitting she got to be taller for once and she was going to take advantage of it.

"It was good. Pretty typical, stopped Quentin from declaring himself supreme ruler again, so that's a thing that happened." She tried not to sound distracted but she was thinking about the mission and all the things that could happen.

/Savin’ the world, yet again./ Jono reached out to catch his fingers in Jubilee’s belt loops and pull her in close, his legs resting at either sides of hers and hands settling at her hips. Ex made various noises of protest from the floor before vaulting up onto the bed and making another run for the duffel. Jono didn’t bother to stop him this time.

He looked up at her with a warm, absent smile in his eyes, trying his best to be reassuring. /Shouldn’t even be a fight. ‘Opefully just recon. Some new group a’wankers callin’ itself Gene Nation. They called me in since we dealt with ‘em before./ If by “dealt with” Jono meant “got kidnapped by,” though this was probably not the time to bring that up. /But it’ll be a surprise if it’s any of the old group. They’re all missin’ or dead. Probably just some wannabes lookin’ to be put in check./

"Always." She grinned. "From pink haired baby anarchists and boring color schemes." She cupped one side of his face for a second, then thinking better of it, looped her arms around his neck. "Now there's totally gonna be a fight. You can't actually say it's going to be just recon, that's like saying Macbeth when you're putting on the show."

"Don't accidentally take Ex with you. He's not cleared for fieldwork." She inclined her head towards the bag where Ex had only his head sticking out. "You taught him that, by the way, keeping him in your coat and hoodies all the time."

She grumbled at the mention of Gene Nation. "I remember them." She leaned down and nudged her nose against his, half offering comfort and half looking for it. "When do you leave?"

/I tried to tell ‘im he doesn’t have the proper trainin’./ Jono didn’t bother to see what the cat was up to, closing his eyes and inclining his head to rest his forehead against Jubilee’s.

/Jet lifts off in less than an hour,/ he murmured, his arms looping more completely around Jubilee’s hips to draw her in against him. Jono wasn’t trying to be needy but the contact was more than welcome, wanting to take full advantage knowing that he’d have to go without for the next few days. He considered telling her he’d miss her, but wasn’t sure if that was laying it on too thick. Even if he knew it to be true.

"He fits right in around here. Wants to run before he can crawl." She said.

She made a displeased sound at the timetable. "I had to catch feelings for a superhero." She said, aiming for a wistful sigh but just ending up sounding proud. "Do you have to keep packing? Or do you want to- you've probably got stuff to do." She interrupted herself, not backing away but straightening up a bit.

/Nah,/ Jono replied quickly, even though he likely did, and his arms tightened almost instinctively around Jubilee in case she did decide to start pulling away. /I mean, it was mostly packin’. And that’s done. Minus cat./ Or plus cat, depending on how you looked at it.

He couldn’t help but pull a face for being referred to as a superhero, something Jubilee no doubt wouldn’t be surprised by, and shook his head slowly. /More like catchin’ feelings for a self-destructive git who isn’t quite sure when to stop when it comes to defendin’ people who hate us,/ Jono pointed out with all due amusement, his tone far less dour than the actual statement.

She poked him in the forehead with one finger, tilting his head back until he was looking at her. "That is, in fact the definition of a superhero." She took the opportunity to dart down and kiss him.

Jono considered arguing but figured she had a pretty good point, so he chuckled quietly and encircled his arms that much more completely around her waist as he inclined his head up into the kiss. His phone buzzed somewhere at the head of the bed and he pointedly ignored it, only pulling away a moment later in favor of bumping his nose to Jubilee’s again with an absent, contented sound.

/You ‘n Ex are going to have plenty of fun without me,/ he decided, his fingertips sneaking just under the hem of her shirt to rest against her lower back, comforted by the touch. /Y’might even go to bed at a normal hour./

She made a disgruntled sound into the kiss as his phone buzzed, only to replace it with a happy hum when he ignored it.

She shook her head at him, smirking. "Nope, we're both going to sit in the highest window, watching and awaiting your return. Zero fun, all the suffering." She bumped their noses again and at the same time his fingers made their way under her shirt, hers slipped into his hair.

"I could do that, oooor, I could finish my paper."

Chuckling again, Jono nodded slowly as he looked up at her, unwilling and frankly unable to look anywhere but at Jubilee in this moment, his hand inching higher until his palm could rest comfortably at the curve of her back. /Sounds like a much better use of your time,/ he pointed out, tone playful but also as warmly reassuring as he could manage. /’Cause I’ll be back before yeh even notice I’m gone./

She was still struggling not to ask if they could use her on the mission and it was only from years of reminding herself that if they needed her, they would have asked, that she was able to keep from saying it. Instead she made a pleased noise at the contact. "Maybe, but a fair bit of missing you is gonna happen too."

A little part of her wanted to kick him for telling her he'd be back when they both knew he couldn't promise anything of the kind, but that was probably an argument for another day. "You'd better." She said instead.

/Promise,/ he assured her, bringing his other hand up to offer his pinky and tugging her hand towards his chest when their fingers were looped. Jono’s phone buzzed again, and he shot it a brief and unimpressed look before continuing to ignore it in favor of Jubilee. /I’ll miss you, too, sunshine./

Jubilee couldn't help but smile at receiving a pinky promise that he wouldn't die, 'cause of course that's how they'd do things. "You should check that. Might be Scott or somebody, mission might have changed." She really wished he didn't have to, but this was what they'd both signed up for and eventually there'd be a mission that she'd get pulled for and they'd have to do this all over again.

"Damn straight you will."

/Mission can wait ‘til the time I was told the mission was,/ Jono decided flatly, demonstrating that legendary Starsmore teamwork and looping his arm back around Jubilee’s waist to pull her in again.

He was being a bit immature about it, certainly. But there were plenty of times in recent memory where the last thing Jono wanted to do was let Jubilee go, and the prospect of having to do so for days wasn’t helping. He closed his eyes and nuzzled his nose against her jaw before leaning in to bury his face against her neck. /I’ve got a gorgeous girl who ‘as all my attention right now./

'Since when am I the responsible one?' She mused to herself. "J- eep!" She squeaked when he tugged her back to him. It would be easy to give up there and she did let herself lean into him for a minute, tangling her fingers in his hair and rubbing soothing circles into his scalp. "If they're trying to get a hold of you then the mission might not be able to wait." He nuzzled into her neck and that was much better than letting him leave, but also not what needed to happen.

"Check your phone," she urged, angling her head a press a kiss to his temple. "If it's nothin' y'can keep holding me, and if the mission got moved up you'll get back that much sooner." Another kiss, "An' I promise when you get back we can cuddle for as long as you want."

Jono actually let out a sigh, a vestigial sort of sound, and nodded slowly against Jubilee’s neck. /Okay./ It took him a moment longer but he pulled away enough to sit up straight and look her in the eye, pointing with one hand. /But I’m only checkin’ ‘cause you asked./

He didn’t move far, his other hand still resting at Jubilee’s hip as he leaned back and stretched for his phone instead of any more sensible way to grab it. Eventually snagging it with his fingertips, Jono straightened up and tapped the screen, frowning faintly as he scanned the notifications. /Mission’s moved up,/ he muttered, turning the phone off again and tossing it aside to gather Jubilee against him again. /’Chamber, we need you ‘ere yesterday.’/

Still, Jono didn’t make any moves to get up.

She shook her head at him, trying and failing not to smile. "Your sacrifice is noted." She watched as he checked the messages, rocking back on her heels a couple times to keep herself occupied. She stopped when he relayed the message. "Balls." Was her succinct assessment of the situation. She glanced at where he'd thrown his phone. "It's radio silent isn't it?" She asked, hugging him a little harder.

"Jono..." But she wasn't loosening her hold either, she just burrowed her head into his neck. "This blows, like, mega-hard, but we'll get used to it." She backed up, trying to tug him to his feet but neither of them moved much. She giggled into his hair. "C'mon sparky, time to save the world. Our friends need you."

/Yeah. Okay./ He had to work himself up to it, but with one more squeeze around Jubilee’s middle he got himself to standing, hand coming up to brush her cheek and then briefly through her hair.

/’member, I’ll be back before you even notice,/ Jono murmured, his gaze softening as he looked down at her for a moment and then leaned in for another kiss, letting this one linger as his hand curled at the nape of her neck.

Something tightened in her chest when he stood and she wasn't sure the feeling would go away until he got back. "You want me to walk with you to the jet? Or is here better?" Probably here, considering everyone would know exactly why he was late if she went with him.

When he kissed her she let her eyes drift closed and her hands come between them to grab his jacket and hold him there (though he wasn't exactly pulling away).

/Stop it. 'M gonna notice./

Jono’s eyes were soft when he pulled away, nodding lightly and brushing his thumb against the curve of her jaw before letting her go, but not without some clear reluctance. /’Ere’s better, that way Scott’s only gonna yell at me./

He gently ushered the Purrfessor out of his duffel for the umpteenth time, offering the kitten to Jubilee before he zipped and shouldered his bag, turning off his phone to leave on the desk and grabbing the tablet to tuck under an arm. Glancing around with even more reluctance, Jono finally headed them out the door, closing and locking it behind.

Hesitating, he brought his free hand up to brush at Jubilee’s cheek again. /Back soon, luv. Try an’ behave yerself./

She managed to stop herself from holding his hand to her face when he touched it, but only barely.

She nodded her agreement, "Ok." She didn't mind Scott being upset with her, but she couldn't figure out a way to take any of the blame without earning Jono some vicious teasing. So yeah, here was better, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"I never behave, I'm a terror, remember?" She teased, her eyes sparkling. She caught his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. "Be safe, ok?"

/’Ow could I forget?/ He teased right back with a similar glint of mischief, considering that conversation and where it’d led before. He stepped in close to Jubilee and nodded, bringing his hand up to cradle the nape of her neck and pull her in for a quick kiss, paying absolutely no mind to anyone who might be passing in the hall. /And I will. No worries./

Taking a step back with an unmistakable smile that he at least hoped was reassuring, he raised his free hand to offer her a snappy salute. /See you in a few, Lee./ And before he could get distracted any more than he already had been, Jono turned on his heel to head down the hall towards the garage wing.

She returned the kiss, meeting him as close to half way as she could by standing on her tip toes. When they parted she gave him a grin that was at least 50% real and a little wave that she knew made her look adorable.

"Later, Starsmore." He turned and she watched him make his way down the hall. In her arms the Purrfessor made an concerned chirruping sound, looking up at her. "It's ok, buddy. He'll be back soon." She scratched under his chin, earning her a purr. "Promise."

Jono kept his promise to be safe but had a little more difficulty with the “back before you know it.” A few days turned into several, and it ended up being after nine days total that the team finally was able to drag itself home, largely in one piece. He hadn’t been thrilled with the amount of time it took or the energy expended, but all in all the mission had been successful and non-fatal, so it was difficult to argue with that outcome.

Barely able to keep his eyes open as he shuffled down the living quarters hall, Jono pushed a hand through his unkempt hair and thought about nothing but how much he wanted to sleep, ideally with Jubilee beside him. He rapped his knuckles against her door in passing, not waiting for the door to open but continuing to his own to unlock it and push it open.

/Jubes?/ he tried, tone thick with exhaustion and almost bordering on a yawn, if he still did such things. He dragged his feet inside to drop his duffel and sit down on the floor to start unlacing his boots. /M’home./

It wasn't the highest window but since Jubilee had gotten word that the blackbird was on its way back (thank you Rogue!) she'd been sticking as close to her room as possible. This was equal parts to avoid being a creep by meeting him in the hanger and so that she'd know as soon as he was back.

She jolted at the rap to her door, startling Ex out of a light doze. She was out in the hall by the time his tired voice reached her and skidding to a stop outside his door before he'd finished. "Jono!" It took all of a half second worth of blurred movement before she was on him, knocking him back onto the floor in her enthusiasm. "Shit! Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?"

Jono let out a surprised grunt as his back hit the floor, but that was followed soon enough by an amused and almost relieved chuckle as he looped his arms around Jubilee’s waist, apparently fine with this spot with her on the carpet. He didn’t even care if the door got shut, quite frankly. /M’fine, luv. Just bloody knackered./ He reached up to hook a finger in the bandages at his cheek, pulling them down enough to show her some of the blue energy leaking out. /Took a lot outta me, but m’in one piece./

Even though his boots were untied he hadn’t quite gotten them off of his feet by the time he had an armful of Jubilee, so he squirmed under her for a moment until he could toe those off. /Don’t breathe in,/ Jono cautioned. /Haven’t showered in days./

She gave a whistle at the color his flames had turned. "Whoa, haven't seen that particular shade of blue on you in a while." As soon as the bandages were back in place she nudged at his nose with her's. "Could'a gone a while longer without it, but I'm glad you're ok." She sighed happily, the anxiety of the last nine days starting to melt away as she nuzzled his cheek, dropping little kisses when her lips met skin.

She rolled her eyes. "Just keep your feet down there an' we won't have any problems. The rest of you smells fine." Maybe a little better than fine, if she was being honest. "'S all manly or something."

/Hm./ Amused, Jono let his eyes slide shut as he ran his hands absently up and down Jubilee’s back, obviously appreciating the ability just to be near her again. /’m too tired to care if yer just blowin’ smoke, so I’ll take it./

He opened one eye again enough to look up at her, tried to think through the million different ways to express how much he’d missed her, and instead only managed to return the nudge to her nose and say it simply. /I missed yeh, sunshine./

"And I totally noticed you were gone." She wiggled a little, trying to get comfortable on top of him.

"For waaaay longer than you said you'd be, jerkface." She pouted her lip out, hiding an obvious smile behind it. She shook her head and reached up to push her hair over one shoulder when it fell everywhere. "I missed you too." She added, her eyes and voice soft.

/I know, m’sorry./ His tone was amused regardless, since he knew Jubilee was just giving him crap. He reached up to playfully tweak her lower lip. /Superheroes have a piss-poor concept of being on time./

Jono also had a terrible concept of being on time in general, but. For once, at least, it wasn’t his fault.

He helped Jubilee out with brushing some of the hair over her shoulder with a firm and affectionate touch, his knuckles coming back to brush the length of her cheekbone. /Can yeh miss me for another forty-five minutes? ‘Cause regardless of smellin’ manly, I would kill for a bath right now./ He paused, and despite exhaustion, he was never too tired to tease. /Or, I mean. Yeh can watch./

She squeaked when he pinched her lip, all pretense of pouting gone. "Irredeemable." She said with a nod, remembering his comment about punctuality, "proud that you can admit you're a superhero though."

He helped her get her hair in order, which she appreciated. It's the longest it has ever been and she threatens at least weekly to cut it short again for convenience's sake. The brush over her cheek had her sighing in contentment, happy to have this again.

"I guess." She said, sounding put upon. The tease though, had it been about anything else she would have been all kinds of flustered, but the memory of barging in on him in the bath had been...rather frequently referenced in her mind since she started falling for him and she had opinions on that matter. She gave a considering hum instead, running a fingertip over the spot where his mouth would be. "Not tonight, but someday," she promised biting her lip as she decided how far to take it. "And when I do," though watching had its own appeal, "I'm thinking less spectator sport and more full contact."

/Full contact, huh?/ It was difficult for Jono to mask how pleased he was whenever Jubilee escalated their teasing, his hand slipping past the hem of her shirt as it’d done the afternoon before he left, hand palming the small of her back. /You really did miss me,/ he murmured with some amusement in return, inclining his head towards her touch and briefly distracted by the way she bit her lip.

/We’ll stick with ‘someday.’/ Jono closed his eyes again and bumped his nose affectionately to Jubilee’s, relaxing that much more underneath her. /Since I hope that someday, every one of my bleedin’ muscles won’t hurt as much as they do now./

"Mmmhmm." She confirmed, because yes, someday that was happening, but for now the hand on her back was enough. "I did." She said, with what might be a too eager nod.

She returned the nose bump and surprised him with a quick kiss while his eyes were closed. "Probably a good decide." She rolled off of him and to the side so he could get up, sprawling ridiculously on the floor. "My research says that you should be sore after, not before." She flashed him a mischievous grin.

/And definitely exhausted,/ Jono agreed with a chuckle, keeping his spot flat on the floor for a moment even once Jubilee moved, his hand finding hers to squeeze briefly.

He was still for another moment before he steeled himself and pushed up to sitting with a bit of a groan, slipping out of his jacket and dropping it behind him on the floor as he reached out with one long leg to swing the door shut. That accomplished, Jono reached behind his head to grab handfuls of his t-shirt at his shoulderblades and tug that off, too, leaving his bandages in haphazard array with some cracks of blue energy peeking through. He paused there and just… sat, his legs in a lanky V in front of him as he looked like he might fall asleep just like he was, blinking tiredly.

Jubilee watched the slow struggle to an upright position, quietly proud of him. She'd seen him collapse when he'd used that much energy before, so the fact that he was still going had her impressed. There was also a strong impulse to baby him that she tried to resist, not wanting to be too clingy, but it's not like they hadn't helped each other before they started this. "Can I help?" She asked, rolling onto her side and hooking two fingers in his bandages and tugging.

/Yeah./ There was a lot of relief in that one word, like he’d been reluctant to ask (and he was) but was happy to accept when offered. Despite being terrible at asking for help in general, Jono never minded accepting it from Jubilee -- probably because he knew for a fact she never offered out of pity, only out of a genuine desire to make his life less awful. And he really wished he had a better way to express just how grateful he was for that.

Instead, all Jono really managed was leaning back on one hand and reaching over with the other to give Jubilee’s knee an appreciative squeeze, his tone sheepish. /Thanks, luv./

Her smile when he said yes was easily the brightest thing in the room. Sure, it involved a half naked Jono (something she was decidedly pro about), but when it came down to it she really just liked helping him and the fact that he trusted her with this...she wasn't sure she knew a word for how that felt.

She rolled up onto her knees and pressed a kiss to his cheek before positioning herself slightly to the side and behind him. The first few inches, his face and neck were easiest and when she made it to the base of his neck he paused to touch the rarely seen skin there and leaned in to kiss one of the upper notches of his spine before continuing down. The part where they crossed over his chest to cover his shoulders took the longest, weaving ends in and out in that repetitive pattern became almost meditative. It wasn't until his shoulders were free that she realized how subdued his flames were. Normally there were a few licking over his shoulder but the now there was only a lazy blue glow.

She wound the bandages as she went, setting the rolls aside as she finished them until she had three balanced in a neat little pyramid. "All set." She stroked a hand down his back. "Go get your bath so you can get some sleep."

Jono’s shoulders sagged bit by bit with the easing of the pressure as Jubilee unwound the bandaging, the relief evident in the way he rubbed at his side to try and soothe some of the angry red lines left in his skin by the fabric. Tight quarters with the rest of the team meant he hadn’t had much respite from the bandages even when sleeping, and he was glad to be rid of them, especially considering the low level of the flames. Jono’s hand hovered at the edge of them as he examined the blue tinge, eventually bringing his attention back to Jubilee as she ran her hand down his back and he shivered faintly before smiling. /Thanks, luv./

He tilted his head to look at her, glancing over her face for a moment before continuing. /You can stay in ‘ere, if you want. It’s okay if yeh don’t, I know it’s early,/ he amended, running his hand lightly up and down the outside of her thigh where he could reach it. /And you probably don’t want t’watch me sleep for ten ‘ours straight. But I’d still like to see more of yeh… before I do./ His tone was a bit awkward, trying not to appear too needy, but… yeah, he was feeling needy.

That earned him a wry smile. "I was gonna ask you if it was ok if I stayed." She covered his hand with her's, giggling. "What is it with you and me watching you do stuff?" She shook her head. "I plan on being an active participant in this ten hours nap," she shifted a little awkwardly, shrugging, "I might not have slept great while you were gone..." Another shrug, "I'll go change into pajamas while you're in the bath?" It was a struggle not to reach out and touch him, wondering if she could get closer than the flames would normally allow. Ok, it was a struggle she lost. She ran her fingertips down the side of his neck, edging closer to the edge of the furnace.

/Yeah. Sorry ‘bout that, luv,/ Jono murmured sympathetically, glancing down at where Jubilee’s hand rested over his, giving her leg what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze.

He stilled as he felt the tips of her fingers sliding carefully towards the front of his throat, but didn’t bother to warn against it. Jubilee knew better than most of all the dangers, of this he was certain, and he wasn’t about to insult her on that front by telling her to be careful. Instead Jono focused on dampening his energy just a little bit more, not having much difficulty considering the state of it. The blue flames seemed to coil in on themselves as he concentrated, forming a vague shape almost like a memory of a jaw beneath the other half of his face.

She shrugged and shook her head. "Don't be. It's just how missions go sometimes. 'Sides, you're worth loosing a bit of sleep over."

As with most things she did, her current exploration was mostly fueled by impulse. She half expected him to jerk away or tell her she was going to get hurt but it never came. He simply sat very still and as her hand drew closer to the wisps of blue flame they receded, pulling back into his body. She tilted her head as she watched them, her fingers maybe a half inch away from the place where skin ended and fire began. It was warm and she could feel the hair on her arm stand up as a rare bit of flame came out to lick near her fingertip. The flames only drew back so far, but they more they did the more Jubilee was left with the impression of an indistinct shape where he'd once been flesh. "Are you...have you ever done that b'for?"

Jono was so focused on keeping his energy in check that when Jubilee spoke his response was delayed, both due to the time it took to process what she said and a measure of confusion for figuring out what she meant. He tried to look at her out of the corner of his eye, in favor of not moving any part of him towards her by turning his head. /Done wha’ before… ?/

With an equal amount of care she used her free hand to get her phone out of her pocket and flipped through the filters until she found one that looked the most like what she was seeing. She snapped a bunch in a quick burst and with a last brush of her fingertips, pulled her other hand away.

"This." She said, scooting closer for him to see. She flipped through the pictures, pointing out the vague boundary the fire seemed to form, the line of a jaw and throat. As far as she could remember, Jono had always depended on the bandages to keep the flames in check and all his training had been centered on how to project them outwards, rather than drawing them in.

/Huh, tha’s… / Jono trailed off, leaning in closer against Jubilee with an absent frown, one hand reaching up to rub absently at the back of his neck. The energy started to lose form as he stopped paying attention to it, back to a more nebulous, curling shape. /... tha’s strange. I don’t think I ‘ave./

He couldn’t help but stare at the shape of it, shaking his head slowly as his frown deepened. What was that supposed to mean? There was still some sort of… shape under there, under the energy? It certainly answered some questions, but it raised a lot more. Eventually Jono sat up straighter again, hand moving to rub at his eyes. /’Ere I thought I wasn’t gonna get any weirder./

"Explains why the bandages stay the way they do," she said, her tone considering. "And why they don't move with the flames."

She watched his expression closely, trying to guess at what he was thinking. She pushed his hair back from his face and brushed the backs of her fingers over his cheeks. "It's not something to worry about now. You're exhausted. Go clean up, I'll go change and we'll both get some sleep, okay?"

He still looked concerned but seemed to pull back from the emotion, rubbing at his eyes. The only response she had to his comment was an almost dark laugh, "Oh Jono, you're an X-man. There's always room to get weirder."

/Yeah./ Jono couldn’t help but chuckle and only a little bitterly, shaking his head and dropping his hand to his lap again as he looked to Jubilee with a grateful sort of expression. /Always somethin’, innit?/

He patted right above Jubilee’s knee before giving it a firm squeeze and starting to move again, managing to get to his feet with minimal groaning and only one or two swears. /’least you know that if I fall asleep in the bath I can’t drown,/ Jono figured with a tone of amusement, draping an arm around Jubilee’s shoulders as soon as she was standing to pull her into a careful side-hug.

Jubilee watched him get to his feet before jumping lightly to her own. "Hm. That's one of the things that I find so attractive about you." She teased, leaning into the hug. "Being impervious to drowning is such a turn on." She hopped up a little to try and kiss his cheek but it wasn't quite enough. "If I didn't think you'd fall over I would just climb you." Instead she tugged on his arm until he leaned down enough for her to kiss. She was going to have to wear heels more often.

"I'll check on you in a bit to make sure you haven't fallen asleep." Her eyebrows shot up after the words left her mouth, "With the link!" She'd been talking such a good game before but apparently that streak was over. "Not, you know, with my eyes-" she could feel herself blushing. "Imma pajamas now!" With that she bolted out of the room and into hers.

"Smooth, Lee." She said to her reflection, "Hella smooth." She changed into her pineapple print pajamas, grabbed a book and gathered up the Purrfessor (still sleeping quite heavily). She locked the door behind herself in Jono's room and slid in under the covers. /Ex and I have invaded your bed, but we're gonna say we discovered it and claim manifest destiny./

Jono hadn’t wasted much time in drawing a bath and stripping down, but as soon as he sank into the hot water and salts he’d added he was far more concerned with relaxing and letting his muscles un-knot than actual scrubbing. Arms draped over either side of the tub to keep himself from sinking in entirely, he leaned his head back against the rest and smiled softly when Jubilee’s voice came over the link. /So, what we were sayin’ earlier was right, then -- y’are a terror in bed./

Knowing that Jubilee was waiting for him prompted him to speed up the process, methodically washing his achy and occasionally bruised limbs while ever-mindful of the edges of his energy. His hair was more difficult to handle in that respect, the occasional droplet or splash landing in the calm blue flames, prompting a brief expression of discomfort each time. The fact that the shallow water was already starting to cool by the time he was done with that encouraged him to get out that much more, and Jono let the bath drain as he pushed himself up and out of it.

He dried himself off quickly and looped one towel around his waist, grabbing a second to rub at his hair as he pushed the door open and stepped back into the bedroom, finding Jubilee (and Ex) exactly where promised. Jono smiled absently, rubbing the towel against the back of his head and already looking infinitely more relaxed, if still exhausted. /S’long as there’s room for one more, y’can claim as much of my bed as yeh like./

Jubilee settled into bed, letting Ex figure out where he wanted to be before she opened her book. /Normally yes, right now I'm a conquistador./ she looked up from her book even though he wasn't in the room.

A couple chapters later he came back out in a towel looking clean, sleepy and much less tense than he had when she left. "I..." She started the sentence and immediately lost it to distraction.

"Yeah, plenty of room." She finally managed, scooting over and pulling back the sheets for whenever he was ready. She didn't watch as he got ready, instead turning her attention towards the fact that they were sharing a bed on a semi regular basis before going much further than kissing and wondering how weird that was supposed to be (probably very?) vs how how weird it actually was (not really at all?).

Those kinds of thoughts couldn’t have been further from Jono’s mind, except on the front of being far more concerned about getting into that bed with her in the first place. Too tired to put a whole lot of regard into modesty, he slipped on a pair of boxer-briefs per usual and tossed both towels in the vague direction of the bathroom, making a noise that could only be described as a mental yawn as he crossed to the bed, but hesitated before actually climbing in.

/If it’s okay with yeh,/ Jono started tentatively, though it wasn’t as if he actually expected Jubilee to take an issue with his request. /I’d like t’not bother with the bandages right now./

Watching him putter around getting ready for bed was one of the cutest things she'd ever seen. Again, she wondered how other people could be scared of him, though she figured they'd probably never seen him blinking himself awake in his underwear before.

"Then don't." She said, simple as that. "You probably shouldn't put them back on anyway." She looked pointedly at his side where the red marks from keeping them on for so long were still visible. She didn't question his reasons for keeping them on so long, she knew other people kept their distance when he wasn't wearing them, not to mention it being hella conspicuous. "C'mon, I was promised a nap."

Jono nodded sheepishly as he raised one arm and craned his neck to try and get a better look at the ridges he could feel along his side with his fingertips, making a face. He’d experimented with a number of different fabrics and constructions for housing his flames over the past few years but to his dismay, had yet to find anything that was quite as versatile as the bandaging.

/Coulda started without me./ Jono smiled and reached down to give Ex a generous scritch behind the ears before he shooed the cat back towards Jubilee, making himself some space to sit down on the bed and stretch out with a low groan. As soon as his head hit the pillow he nodded slowly, eyes sliding shut. /This. This is exactly what I wanted,/ he mumbled, his hand finding Jubilee’s to slip into and intertwine their fingers for a firm squeeze.

She made a dismissive noise. "Like that was gonna happen." She scooped Ex up and put him on the other side of his legs, knowing that otherwise he'd just try to go right back to Jono's spot and probably get squished in the process.

She laid down on her side and watched him settle in with a smirk. "Don't think I've ever seen a man so happy to see his pillow." She drawled, but squeezed his hand right back when he reached for her's.

"I..." She felt dumb repeating it but she felt like she needed to say it a thousand times. "I'm really glad you're home, Jonothon."

/Me, too,/ he murmured, turning his head enough that he could look at her out of the corners of his eyes, mindful of the proximity of his flames to the pillow under his head. Jono’s thumb brushed slowly back and forth against Jubilee’s and he looked at her quietly for a moment, his eyes eventually turning more curious.

/Were you really that worried?/ His voice was quiet even in her mind, the tone neither teasing nor admonishing; merely a question. /That somethin’ coulda happened to me?/

"I...yeah. I really was." She shrugged and gave his hand another squeeze. "Not, sit-in-the-highest-window-and-wait-for-your-return, kinda worried but... Yeah, I was worried, and I missed you."

She chewed her lip, thinking. "I never like it when people I care about go on a mission without me but with you it might be a little worse..." She thought back on the last couple missions he'd been pulled for, trying not to think about how long ago those were, "Has been for a while." A light blush rose in her cheeks, "I can't actually decide if it's better or worse now that you know..." She tried to weigh her options again, 'I never told him,' vs, 'but we only just started.'

She shook her head at her own nonsense. "It's not exactly a zero percent chance that one of us won't make it back someday..." Those were just the facts of the lives they led.

His eyebrows raised slightly when she mentioned it’d been a while, but Jono opted not to comment on that in light of Jubilee’s last thought instead. His hand gave hers a careful squeeze as he barely shook his head, and as much as he wanted to argue the point they both knew it’d be in vain.

/S’not goin’ to get any easier,/ the pessimist in Jono had to figure, shifting to bring his other arm up under his pillow, his eyes turning towards the ceiling again. /But… there’s a ‘undred percent chance I’ll blast the arse outta anythin’ that tries to keep us apart./

"Funny." She said, "I was thinking it would get easier the more it came up. Or that we'd get better at dealing with it." She cocked her head, running through scenarios in her mind. "Maybe not though. Guess we'll have to wait and see."

His rebuttal startled a laugh out of her. "That's a much better plan. Plays to our strengths. 'Cause you know I'd do the same." She promised.

She suddenly remembered something. "Ummm. Can I see your phone for a second?" She figured he hadn't checked it since he got back and hoped he'd hand it to her without looking at the texts she'd sent him.

Jono pretty obviously had more thoughts on the matter, but seeing as none of them were terribly positive, he figured he'd save them for some other time when they weren't so happily reunited. Sometimes they were next to crippling, the thoughts Jono had about what they could become to each other only to have one of them die in the field, just like that. In an instant. The reminder was enough that his hand briefly tightened in Jubilee's, but the sound of her voice brought him back.

/Eh? ... my phone?/ Jono screwed up his face in a mixture of confusion and inconvenience, but he glanced over and stretched one arm towards his desk, managing to snag his phone and bring it around to offer her. /Haven't even turned it on yet. Whatcha need it for?/

She knew that look in his eyes, he was going someplace dark in his head and she was having none of it. All you get for stressing about things you can't change is misery now and later. She squeezed his hand back even harder and changed the subject.

"I uh...might have texted you one night when you were away."

/... oh, really?/ The confusion in Jono’s eyes changed to something closer to mischief and intrigue, hitting the power button on his phone and moving it out of Jubilee’s reach again. It wasn’t a concerted effort, considering how tired he was, but he turned his head to look over at her in amusement. /Now I’m curious./

"Jono..." She threatened. "Give me the phone." She reached for it and he moved it away. "Get your stupid long arm back over here and gimme the phone." She wasn't really ashamed of the texts she'd sent, so she was smiling even as she waved her arm after the phone, finally rolling her eyes and flopping back, knowing the teasing was inevitable.

Jono couldn’t help but laugh at the ‘stupid long arm’ comment, which only encouraged him to stretch it to its full potential in keeping the phone out of her reach. If Jubilee had fought harder or seemed more embarrassed he might’ve taken some pity on her, but when she gave up after a moment with nothing more than an eyeroll, he smiled and tapped the notification that popped up (amongst others) that bore her name.

/’Ow bad could they be?/ He figured, still smiling as he glanced at Jubilee and gave her one more chance to protest.

She gave a shrug, not really knowing how embarrassed she should be. She didn't say anything she wouldn't have before they started this (dating?!?), but there was an added layer of meaning now. Or...both parties were aware of the full meaning. "Not too bad...I don't think." She considered making another grab for the phone but decided against it.

"Just get it over with." She said, feeling her face heat. She still wasn't sure why she'd done it. She knew his phone was still in his room and that there was no way he'd get the messages while he was away, but somehow it made her feel better. She waved at him to get on with it.

He couldn’t help but notice her blush, though it didn’t do anything except endear her that much more to him -- not that Jono really thought it was possible, at this point. He gently worked an arm under Jubilee’s shoulders to draw her carefully closer against his side, ever mindful of his energy but wanting to keep her close.

His thumb scrolled through the messages she’d left him, and something about the fact that she’d sent them when she knew Jono wouldn’t even get them until he was back was oddly comforting. Maybe it was the idea that she kept sending them because she trusted well enough that he’d return soon enough to read them.

He wasn’t even disappointed that they weren’t as embarrassing as they could’ve been, and once he set his phone aside again and shut off the lamp beside his bed, Jono inclined his head until he could nuzzle his temple against Jubilee’s -- about the safest show of affection he could manage, other than another squeeze to her shoulders. /... thanks, luv. For thinkin’ of me./

She gave a contented sigh as he pulled her in, curling against him and relishing the warmth. She edged a leg over one of his and a hand across his stomach below the flames. The close proximity made the hair on her arm stand on end, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling in the slightest. It actually reminded her of the feeling just before she made a plasmoid form, almost like static.

She watched him scroll through the messages and saw his eyes go from gleeful to something softer. He set the phone aside and turned the light off, leaving the room lit in the cool blue glow of his flames. He leaned in and she returned the nuzzle, glad to have him close again.

"It's kinda hard not to." She said, earnest and shy. "But you're welcome. Thank you for bringing yourself back in one piece."

/Or at least no more broken than I left,/ he countered with some gently amused self-deprecation, one hand giving her shoulder an affectionate squeeze as the other covered where hers was settled against his stomach. Jono was quiet for a moment, seeming to mull over whether or not to say something before he shrugged faintly and apparently decided to.

/I’ll always come back to yeh./ His tone was quiet but firm, and reassuring. /Tha’ was true before. But even moreso now. Alright?/

She jabbed a finger into his stomach in retaliation for making fun of himself but didn't say anything against it. She just took the squeeze and curled a little closer into him, mindful of the flames even as she burrowed into his shoulder.

"Yeah?" She asked, not so much question as processing.

That felt big. Scary big, but also amazing? Like seeing a present under the tree with your name on it that's the exact size and shape of the only thing you really wanted. She was almost too scared to take it, but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

"Yeah. Alright." She leaned up a little, arching to avoid the flames so she could brush her lips over his temple. "Ditto, Sparky. T'all of it." She gave him a little smile as she moved back to cuddle against him.

Being a mutant and an optimist were almost a contradiction of terms but somehow she'd managed to keep seeing silver linings in the clouds despite years of reality trying to dull the shine. And Jono, well, he's one of the most stubborn people she knows, so if any two people are going to be able to take what the world throws at them, it's her and Jono.

#tie a yellow ribbon: jubilee #short-fuse-long-jacket

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