#ofc she can handle herself but her friends instincts were TINGLING

[pjs-everyday]

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[kirstlander]

CHUCK TAYLOR X OFC

Chuck gets protective.

A little angst but v soft and sweet. Also I'm on my phone and idk how to format it. TW for blood and fighting.

Jessie was walking back from the bathroom, squeezing her way through the dense crowd in the bar. She couldn't see over everyone else but she knew the general direction to go where Trent, Orange and Chuck were waiting.

As she spotted them through a parting in the crowd, she felt someone's hand on her arm. She whipped round to see a man - a complete stranger - saying something to her. Her first instinct was to retrieve her arm but he just grabbed it again.

He said, "You look gorgeous. I'm out with my friends, do you want to come sit with us?" He pointed vaguely to a back corner of the bar.

Jessie was too polite. She knew she could handle herself but it wasn't often she found herself in this situation. The guy was a lot bigger than her and a fair bit drunk. She was intimidated but didn't want any trouble.

"Oh, that's ok. I'm here with friends too."

"Can I buy you a drink?" He still had not let go of her arm.

"No, thank you. I need to go." He squeezed her arm tight enough that it was beginning to hurt. But then he relinquished his hold.

He smiled and leaned down a little bit. "How about a quick kiss, huh?"

Jessie finally stepped back. "No. You're drunk. Go back with your friends."

She turned away and saw Chuck's head above the crowd. He was frowning.

He watched her approach and then kept looking back at the man that had accosted her. "Was that guy bothering you?"

Jessie immediately shook her head and stood at the bar with Trent and Orange. "No. It's fine," she said quickly. She didn't want to make a thing of it, especially when everyone had had a few drinks. She just wanted to have a fun night out with her friends.

"What guy?" Trent asked. Both he and Orange searched the crowd, waiting for Jessie to point him out.

"Nobody. It's fine."

But when she saw Chuck take a step forward she quickly put her hand on his forearm. She didn't know but it was the only thing holding him back. "Don't," she hissed.

Chuck sighed and ran his tongue over his teeth. He was full of alcohol and was looking for a fight. But if Jessie told him no then he wouldn't. He nodded once and looked down at her small hand on his arm. He was thinking briefly about the warmth of her hand on him and how nice she felt when he saw red handprints on her arm.

He blinked. In his tipsy state he thought they were his but he hadn't touched her. He would have known if he had, being as self conscious of her movements around him as he was. He just kept staring until he realised what it was and Jessie pulled her hand back.

He looked her in the eyes and Jessie was taken aback by the intensity there. It was anger and a little sadness and concern.

"Did he put his hands on you?"

She saw Trent stiffen up at the corner of her eyes, whether at what Chuck said or that he knew what was coming, she didn't know.

"Hey," he said and put a hand on her cheek. "Did he hurt you?"

What was she meant to say? The guy was drunk and stupid and it wasn't like he grabbed her. Except it was and he had grabbed her arm really hard. He hadn't let go.

So Jessie looked away from Chuck's eyes and mumbled an explanation. "It's fine, Chuck, please, can we just-"

That's all he needed to hear. He left her and pushed through the crowd looking pissed.

"Oh, shit," Trent said and pushed after him, to stop him or help him, Jessie didn't know.

"Shit," Orange said to himself. He stepped forward and looked at Jessie's arm. "He shouldn't have touched you."

Jessie didn't know what to do. She wanted to go after the guys but she couldn't see where they went. But it wasn't long before she saw the crowd move and then security moving in to break it up.

"Fucks sake," she said.

Orange had hopped up onto a stool to see better. "Come on. We better go. They're getting kicked out."

Jessie couldn't believe it. She let Orange steer her though the crowd and outside. She saw Trent touching the back of his head, wincing.

When she caught sight of Chuck's bloody nose and lip she became furious. She had specifically told him not to do anything and he ignored her. But it wasn't just that. The sight of him like that and in pain crushed her and made her want to cry and she didn't know how to deal with it.

So she went into the street and began walking back to their apartment where she was crashing for the night. Orange walked a little behind her, every once in a while calling back to Trent and Chuck.

Once there Jessie had to wait for Orange to open up the door for her. She kicked off her shoes and jacket and headed towards the spare room she was staying in.

"Jessie, don't be mad at him," Orange said. "He was just protecting you because he cares about you. Trent and I do too."

Jessie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah but both of you would have listened to me when I told you not to do anything. What's gotten into him?"

Orange looked down at his feet, clearly wanting to say more but thinking it best to just leave it. They heard Trent and Chuck's voices coming into the hallway. Jessie went into her room and closed the door.

She sat for a while on her bed, feeling tired and a little dizzy. She listened to the guys talking but couldn't make out what they were saying. She heard the tap in the bathroom right next to her room being used and their deep voices coming from it. As she listened she figured that it was just Chuck in there, probably cleaning up the blood.

She sighed and stood up. She would go talk to him.

Chuck was bent over the sink, splashing water into his face. He had taken his shirt off and it was running down his chest. He wiped the water from his eyes with a towel. When he realised she was standing in the doorway watching him he looked away.

He sat on the edge of the bathtub with the wet towel. He didn't say anything for a while as he wiped at his wet arms. "I'm sorry," he said eventually.

Jessie felt sorry for him. Blood was still coming from his nose a little bit and his lip was a mess. He was probably still a little too tipsy to clean it properly.

"I didn't want you to do that " she said.

"I know," Chuck said.

"You just ignored what I was saying and went off looking for a fight anyway."

Chuck shook his head. "You don't understand."

"What don't I understand?"

Chuck sighed and buried his face in the towel. His words were muffled and Jessie couldn't understand what he was saying.

"What?"

"The idea...of a creep like that being anywhere near you. The fact that he put his hands on you." Chuck looked disgusted and angry all over again. "What did he do?"

Jessie looked down at her feet and told him about the guy and how he wouldn't let her go and how scary it was. When she looked up at Chuck she was taken aback by how he was looking at her. Then he scoffed and wiped his face, frowning at the blood smeared there.

"Let me," Jessie said gently. She sat on the edge of the bathtub next to him and took the towel out of his hands. She gently wiped at the smeared blood around his nose and mouth before tackling the harder areas.

He looked up at her like a lost puppy and she felt something inside her twinge.

"So what happened, then?" she asked to distract herself.

Chuck rolled his eyes. "I confronted him, asked what the fuck he thought he was doing, thought he could put his hands on my friends. He, uh...he said something. I lost my shit apparently. Trent was there but not before I hit the fucker. He hit me back then I did the same. Then we got kicked out." He shrugged his shoulders.

Jessie remained silent as she wiped the blood from his nose. The blood on his bottom lip was gone and there was only a small superficial cut. "You're going to be sore, tomorrow."

"It's not the worst I've had." He tried cracking a smile but immediately winced. "Ow."

Jessie placed her free hand on his jaw, holding him still while she got the last of it. She smiled at him watching her. Their faces were only inches apart.

"Jess," he said quietly.

Jessie felt her heart pounding as she looked into his eyes. She always really loved his eyes. And his smile. And how tall he was compared to her or how he liked to put his arm around her shoulders or when he would drunkenly kiss her cheek.

Jessie stopped what she was doing and chucked the bloody towel in the bath. With her hand she carefully cupped his jaw, her thumb delicately tracing his lip. She didn't want to hurt him.

Chuck closed his eyes at her touch. He tilted his face and kissed her palm. The feeling sent goosebumps down her spine. Then he kissed her wrist gently before taking her hand away from his face.

"I am really sorry," he said mumbled.

"I know," Jessie said to him. "I guess it's kind of nice knowing you want to protect me."

He was holding her hand and gently stroking it with his thumb. "I'd do anything for you," he said and shrugged like what he said didn't mean anything. "If you asked."

And Jessie knew what she wanted to ask. She hadn't let such thoughts surface because he was her friend and she didn't actually know how she felt. It was all mixed up. But when she thought about all the times he had hugged her tight or laughed with her about a dumb YouTube video she felt her heart race.

And now she looked into his eyes that looked sad but also full of affection, and at his mouth which she had watched countless times before.

"I want you to kiss me." It was out before she even knew she had said it. It was in the space between them but it only scared her a little. Because it made sense and she knew what she wanted.

Chuck looked confused for a second, as if he didn't believe her. But then his expression warmed and he looked at her mouth. He leaned in closer. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

Jessie nodded.

Then she felt his large hand slide gently across her cheek and into her hair which sent tingles all over her skin. She felt his lips against hers just for a moment as he perhaps waited for her to tell him to stop. Of course she didn't and she felt him smiling slightly as his lips pressed against hers for a moment.

As good as it felt, Jessie couldn't help but feel a little guilty that his lip must be hurting. He pulled back and she felt his nose on hers. But then he couldn't help himself and he kissed her again, softly, sweetly, his mouth parting and taking her in. Jessie had a hand on his bare chest, steadying herself but also feeling desperate to be close to him. He was going slow and feeling his tongue surprised and thrilled her until he pulled away, leaving her dizzy and wanting more.

He was smiling at her, his cheeks red. He stroked her hair. "I hope you're not letting me kiss you because you feel sorry for me."

Jessie shook her head, smiling. "I'm kissing you because I want to kiss you, dummy."

"Oh really? What else do you want to do to me?" He was just joking but the idea that his bedroom was right there was enough to make Jessie blush. It would be a stupid idea but it certainly was a tempting one.

Just then, the bathroom door opened and Trent walked in and saw the pair of them. He raised his hands in the air, as if he was fed up. "Ugh, finally. That took you long enough, dude." He said he would wait until they were done before getting washed himself.

"What does he mean?" Jessie asked.

Chuck rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the floor. "Oh, man, I've kind of had a crush on you since the day I met you."

Jessie was stunned. "That was like three years ago!"

"Hey, you can't talk! You must have been feeling something for me if you're open to kissing me."

Jessie chuckled. "Well...uh, yeah. I have. I think - I think I've liked you on some level but never let myself realise it until the last few months when I've been seeing you a lot more. It was kind of like a ding moment for me. But I know for sure now."

"So uh…" Chuck cleared his throat nervously. "Do you want to go out with me sometime? Just us?"

Jessie smiled and kissed him again, loving the idea that she could do it now. "Sure."