( zingo's already bouncing at her by the time marcos unhooks her from the leash and once she's free, she winds her way around jessica's legs, sniffing and jumping at her before she zips inside and finds the spot she tends to occupy when marcos is here. )
I taught her everything she knows.
( he waits until zingo's inside before he smiles at her and steps in, brushing his fingers along her waist as he does. )
She's probably cuter than me, though. That's what most people tell me.
[ She tries and fails to keep up with Zingo in order to pet her, finally catching a break when Zingo jumps up on her. Jess gives her ears a good scrub before she dashes off. ]
Most people are right. [ She says with a dry, warm look. No fisherman has ever liked what they caught, trying to coax a compliment out of Jessica Jones. Nonetheless, she leans in to kiss him. She cradles his cheek in her hand, imparting how she's missed him despite how they've not been apart long. ]
( honestly, marcos will take a kiss from jessica jones over a compliment any day of the week. he tucks his fingers into the waist of her jeans while she kisses him, pressing closer and nosing against her cheek and ear after they've pulled apart. )
Hey, I missed you too.
( and he has. it hasn't been that long but he's very attached to her now and not seeing her for a day or so is enough for him to miss her. )
She tugs him further into the office, her hand falling down his arm and hooking on his wrist. She can feel he's got the bracelet on, which, though she didn't doubt it, brings a renewed sense of comfort to her. He's so goddamn reasonable compared to reactive 20-year-olds and the black hole of decency that is William. ]
New bed. Kinda. [ She nods to the futon. It's still in couch mode but the promise of more room is there. ]
( he hadn't hesitated to put the bracelet on when the delivery had come because he knows how important this sort of thing is to her. he's slipped the pearl into his wallet since that tended to be on him all the time as well.
he doesn't stray too far from her side, letting her feel the bracelet encircling his wrist while he checks out the bed or futon. whatever, it's new. )
Fancy. ( he laughs a little. ) Though, I'll miss the couch since you basically slept on top of me when I stayed over.
Because I like sleeping beside you sometimes, too.
[ They could manage it in their rooms at housing, albeit without much more space besides. But that's option became a lot less appealing when the city consolidated the space after the cold snap and stuck everyone with a roommate again. So stupid when there are enough apartments for everyone to have their own. ]
( she's not going to find too much protest because he's a fan of sleeping beside her too. after a moment, he steps further into her office and settles himself on that futon, leaning back and stretching his legs out.
it's pretty comfortable. )
Nothing weird, no. Gangs and all roaming around but what else is new? No one looked at me twice.
[ Nothing weird about that. Jess scoops the vodka up off the table and joins him. Indulging the affectionate mood seeing him has put her in, she chooses his lap to be her seat. She casually straddles him and places the bottle down beside them. ]
You can offer this place to Lorna if you want. If she ever needs somewhere safe.
( marcos sits back to give her more room once he realizes where she's going. he settles his hands on her hips, palms rubbing idle circles while she takes her seat. )
Yeah? I might.
( his and lorna's relationship might have been different now but that didn't mean he didn't want her to be safe.
he smiles appreciatively up at jessica before he leans forward and kisses the underside of her chin. )
I'll let you know when I talk to her next, see what she says.
( he waits a minute before he ventures: )
Do you want to talk about how your meeting with William went? Or just say it was horrible and we'll move on?
[ She relaxes into him, resting her chin on the crown of his head and soothing herself with his subtle scent. Her fingers comb through his hair, thumbs rubbing gently at his temples. ]
No, it's okay. [ He should know in case something happens to her. Something that prevents her from defending herself or anyone else. And because she said she would keep him in the loop, which should be the most important factor, but does come secondary to her.
Jess leans back just enough to look at him. ] He confirmed that he can't heal from decapitation. So I'll [ she wets her lips in an impractically brief stalling tactic; it's so distasteful to admit ] rip his head off if it comes to it.
( if something happens to her, he's absolutely going to be setting things on fire and one of those things will be william, dominant or not.
but, he doesn't say that. he doesn't need to add to her burden. instead, he reaches for the alcohol she's brought over and uncaps it, taking a slow swallow before he offers it to her. his hands return to her hips, the pressure a little more firm now.
he sighs and looks up at her. )
That's something. ( not that he wants her to have to rip anyone's head off but he knows she'll do it if it stops william from fucking with anyone else. ) What about quota?
[ She accepts the bottle and has a sizeable pull. All this talk of severed heads is going to bite her in the ass if she misses a dose of her dreamkiller draught. She can't forget the tension and release of Ruben's corpse as his spine snapped, how it reverberated through the filthy water of the river. ]
I'll shell out for a private cam session a few times a month -- no faces, one way feed -- and dose him with aphros if I have to. [ That prospect is as unpalatable as straight up violence but, just like the murder option, she has to be prepared for there to be no other course of action. She sure as hell can't rely on the local justice system to do anything about him, whether in the Up or the Down. ] He's not touching me.
( it's so much for one person to take on and, while she's letting him in on some of it, it's still her burden and it feels so big. but, he knows that she's going to do it no matter what he says so he just goes with supportive. he wants her to feel like she has some back up.
leaning forward, he rests his forehead against her chest for a moment, breathing her in and then pressing a kiss against the spot where her heart beats. )
I know I can't do this for you but I'm going to keep telling you that I'm here if you need me, if you need anything for this or in general. I'll be there if you need me.
( he pulls back and peers up at her, brushing a thumb against her cheek. )
[ Her hands alight on his shoulders as he ducks his head in close to her. The kiss to her heart makes it ache sweetly, her fingertips digging into him for a moment. She's been tired in such a way that no amount of sleep can cure. It's in her bones, settled like silt. Just having him here with her gives stirs it, gives her the chance to move and breathe and rest.
When he looks up at her and tells her that, her expression is frail. But, crucially, free of pain. She's felt alone, unable to trust what Nick says or what he will do, and without Oliver's trust in turn. They're primary concern is each other, as perhaps it should be, but it makes them reckless, and it seems her every attempt to extricate them from the danger only further entangles them. She's wanted to walk away, knowing full well she can't. People would still get hurt. Jess just wouldn't have to see it.
Turning her back would mean walking through Hope's ghost, dispersing it with indignity. Spitting on her grave.
She touches her forehead to Marcos's, releasing a sigh that feels more like taking a breath. One she's needed for a while. ]
( that's something he can definitely do. it's not much but if she needs it, he'll do it without fail every time he sees her. he's quiet for a few moments, eyes closing while they sit there and lean against each other.
eventually, his eyes flutter open and his hands stroke again at her hips and waist. )
It's your burden to bear and I know it, I understand why, but while you're carrying that burden, I can carry you, when you need it.
( he's not going to try and stop her or talk her out of anything she needs to do. he's not going to go behind her back or try and usurp her.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I taught her everything she knows.
( he waits until zingo's inside before he smiles at her and steps in, brushing his fingers along her waist as he does. )
She's probably cuter than me, though. That's what most people tell me.
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Most people are right. [ She says with a dry, warm look. No fisherman has ever liked what they caught, trying to coax a compliment out of Jessica Jones. Nonetheless, she leans in to kiss him. She cradles his cheek in her hand, imparting how she's missed him despite how they've not been apart long. ]
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Hey, I missed you too.
( and he has. it hasn't been that long but he's very attached to her now and not seeing her for a day or so is enough for him to miss her. )
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She tugs him further into the office, her hand falling down his arm and hooking on his wrist. She can feel he's got the bracelet on, which, though she didn't doubt it, brings a renewed sense of comfort to her. He's so goddamn reasonable compared to reactive 20-year-olds and the black hole of decency that is William. ]
New bed. Kinda. [ She nods to the futon. It's still in couch mode but the promise of more room is there. ]
no subject
he doesn't stray too far from her side, letting her feel the bracelet encircling his wrist while he checks out the bed or futon. whatever, it's new. )
Fancy. ( he laughs a little. ) Though, I'll miss the couch since you basically slept on top of me when I stayed over.
( he was a human pillow extraordinaire. )
What made you pick up the new bed?
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[ They could manage it in their rooms at housing, albeit without much more space besides. But that's option became a lot less appealing when the city consolidated the space after the cold snap and stuck everyone with a roommate again. So stupid when there are enough apartments for everyone to have their own. ]
You get down here alright? Nothing weird?
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( she's not going to find too much protest because he's a fan of sleeping beside her too. after a moment, he steps further into her office and settles himself on that futon, leaning back and stretching his legs out.
it's pretty comfortable. )
Nothing weird, no. Gangs and all roaming around but what else is new? No one looked at me twice.
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You can offer this place to Lorna if you want. If she ever needs somewhere safe.
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Yeah? I might.
( his and lorna's relationship might have been different now but that didn't mean he didn't want her to be safe.
he smiles appreciatively up at jessica before he leans forward and kisses the underside of her chin. )
I'll let you know when I talk to her next, see what she says.
( he waits a minute before he ventures: )
Do you want to talk about how your meeting with William went? Or just say it was horrible and we'll move on?
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No, it's okay. [ He should know in case something happens to her. Something that prevents her from defending herself or anyone else. And because she said she would keep him in the loop, which should be the most important factor, but does come secondary to her.
Jess leans back just enough to look at him. ] He confirmed that he can't heal from decapitation. So I'll [ she wets her lips in an impractically brief stalling tactic; it's so distasteful to admit ] rip his head off if it comes to it.
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but, he doesn't say that. he doesn't need to add to her burden. instead, he reaches for the alcohol she's brought over and uncaps it, taking a slow swallow before he offers it to her. his hands return to her hips, the pressure a little more firm now.
he sighs and looks up at her. )
That's something. ( not that he wants her to have to rip anyone's head off but he knows she'll do it if it stops william from fucking with anyone else. ) What about quota?
cw violence, dub/noncon
I'll shell out for a private cam session a few times a month -- no faces, one way feed -- and dose him with aphros if I have to. [ That prospect is as unpalatable as straight up violence but, just like the murder option, she has to be prepared for there to be no other course of action. She sure as hell can't rely on the local justice system to do anything about him, whether in the Up or the Down. ] He's not touching me.
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leaning forward, he rests his forehead against her chest for a moment, breathing her in and then pressing a kiss against the spot where her heart beats. )
I know I can't do this for you but I'm going to keep telling you that I'm here if you need me, if you need anything for this or in general. I'll be there if you need me.
( he pulls back and peers up at her, brushing a thumb against her cheek. )
You are not alone.
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When he looks up at her and tells her that, her expression is frail. But, crucially, free of pain. She's felt alone, unable to trust what Nick says or what he will do, and without Oliver's trust in turn. They're primary concern is each other, as perhaps it should be, but it makes them reckless, and it seems her every attempt to extricate them from the danger only further entangles them. She's wanted to walk away, knowing full well she can't. People would still get hurt. Jess just wouldn't have to see it.
Turning her back would mean walking through Hope's ghost, dispersing it with indignity. Spitting on her grave.
She touches her forehead to Marcos's, releasing a sigh that feels more like taking a breath. One she's needed for a while. ]
Keep telling me. [ It helps. ]
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eventually, his eyes flutter open and his hands stroke again at her hips and waist. )
It's your burden to bear and I know it, I understand why, but while you're carrying that burden, I can carry you, when you need it.
( he's not going to try and stop her or talk her out of anything she needs to do. he's not going to go behind her back or try and usurp her.
but he can be there for her. always. )