2/17 Instance: Restoking the Fire

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Slarti
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Title: Damn Not Given
Nightscrawlearth Character: :icey :phoenix

2/17 Instance: Restoking the Fire

Post by Slarti »

Timelined after In Agreement

<Shaw> Miriam was wrapped up, warm, content and kicking idly in her bouncer, chewing on a plastic ring. Her father was another story.

<Shaw> Sebastian was working over his punching bag, methodically and viciously, with bare hands.

<Jessica> Having constructed a candle lit grotto down in the basement and left Shinobi and Hope with some supplies and many many blankets, Jess went in search of her husband. He wasn't hard to find. She paused in the doorway, leaning against the door frame and watching him.

<Shaw> He could sense her there, but since he wasn't quite prepared to receive the tongue lashing he knew was ahead, he continued. The burn of his muscles and the power of the impacts were building a pleasurable charge and he wasn't at all concerned with the cold anymore.

<Jessica> Drawing her own blanket around her a little more securely, Jess moved into the room and went to look in on Miriam, giving her a smile before she turned her attention back to Sebastian. "Proud of yourself?"

<Shaw> "Not particularly, no." His last impact very nearly split the leather and pressed his closed fist back against it to still the bag's swinging.

<Jessica> "Because you almost split them up? Or because you failed to?" She crossed her arms beneath the blanket.

<Shaw> "I believe you're giving me a bit too much credit, koibito. If it were truly that easy to split them up, then that's likely a sign." Sebastian studied his knuckles, watching the skin close.

<Jessica> "You know better than that. They've been through hell. Neither one of them wants to be responsible for making the other's life worse. They'd split up for the perceived benefit of the other if they thought that was going to happen and don't try to tell me you didn't think so too."

<Shaw> Sebastian turned his attention to his other hand. Predictably, the right was worse, and he hadn't even felt most of it at the time. "The thought occurred, of course. Several scenarios were possible."

<Jessica> "And you decided to just keep saying things that would set them both on edge because it couldn't possibly go wrong?"

<Shaw> "If she knew the possible repercussions to stringing the boy along, perhaps she would back down, yes. Or, alternatively, he would realize this attempt to list Tony Stark's daughter as a conquest was detrimental to his own health."

<Jessica> "Or they'll actually get somewhere in the relationship and be very happy together. Why is that such a difficult concept for you to grasp? Do you not think for one second that their situation bears the slightest resemblance to ours? No one thought we'd make it either and here we are, even though lately I've been thinking about strangling you most days."

<Shaw> That made him look up at her sharply. "It's a very different situation, love."

<Jessica> "It's not that different. You and Hope are both public figures, Shinobi and I have questionable backgrounds and no idea how the hell to go about existing like a normal person the vast majority of the time. It's the same bloody thing. And everyone was telling me it was a bad idea to see you - everyone I gave a damn about told me you were bad for me. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

<Shaw> "No, of course not, but despite your background you are a normal person." He checked quickly to ensure the couple was still in the basement. "Shinobi is not."

<Jessica> Jess rolled her eyes, "So fucking what?!"

<Shaw> "We don't know how he will react when he learns the truth, and if it's badly, he could take Hope down with him." He kept his voice down, glancing at Miriam as well.

<Jessica> "And you think doing everything in your power to make them both miserable in the mean time is going to help? Hope knows the risks, she's not an idiot and neither am I. We agreed we'd give him a stable life and let him find his own way. What changed?"

<Shaw> "He is a predator, love. So was I. So am I, I've just learned to channel it differently."

<Jessica> "He's not you!" Jess turned her back on him in frustration, "Why can't you see that? He's trying. He's trying really hard to be a good person but you're just setting him up to fail. It's like you want him to do something awful just so you can say 'oh I was right' and ship him off back to SHIELD. Is that what you want?"

<Shaw> "Is he?" Sebastian moved away from the bag to stand behind her. "Sometimes I believe he is, and sometimes I don't believe that for a moment." He cracked his knuckles loudly. "Hope may be nothing more than a calculated stepladder to him. I've seen the way she looks at him, of course, but is he capable of returning that sentiment?"

<Jessica> "Yes." She had no doubt of that - she'd felt it.

<Shaw> "Yes." He took her shoulders and turned her back to face him. "You've told me you enjoy Sarkissian's company since your powers have evolved since she lacks emotion. Yet you also quite enjoy Shinobi's company."

<Jessica> "Because he's a good kid and he needs someone who cares about him sometimes," she looked up at him, "I've felt everything they've been going through, Sebastian. From both sides. Why do you think I keep trying and trying to help them sort through this? I know how much it hurts them both when it goes wrong."

<Shaw> Sebastian sighed. "I'm still correct, however, that Tony will not react well, and he could very easily revoke the clemency he's extended to Shinobi at my request."

<Jessica> "But he just as easily might not... as long as you're on Shinobi's side with the rest of us. If Tony has assurances from us that Shinobi is getting better and not just from Hope that'll help make his case, won't it? But you don't seem to want to help... you just keep trying to see all the worst angles and I know you're just planning for the worst case scenario but... it's not the worst case scenario."

<Shaw> Sebastian remained quiet, considering her words and weighing them against those things he knew with certainty.

<Jessica> "Talk to me. Are you regretting your decision to go along with this? Do you want him to go back or are you going to actually fight to keep him free and healthy? Because, if you're not going to, I'd like to know now so I can decide how I feel about it."

<Shaw> "How you feel about it?" His head tilted, and he searched for clues in the link.

<Jessica> "Feel about what? Shinobi or your shittacular attitude to the whole situation? Because I have a lot of opinions on that second one."

<Shaw> "Well, since you put it so eloquently, I'd like to hear about them both."

<Jessica> "Fine." She set her stance, summoning up the memories of the emotions she'd felt rolling off Hope and Shinobi in the last few weeks. "This is how I feel about Hope and Shinobi. This is what I feel every time they talk about each other or look at each other. And this is how it feels every time you stick your oar in and make them feel like shit for liking each other."

<Jessica> After a moment to recover from that one because it was painful, she continued, "This is how I've been feeling about your attitude of late." She hit him then with all of her frustration and pent up rage, everything she'd squashed down for the sake of Miriam and everything she'd held back on screaming at him since she'd been born. "I don't want to feel like this about you!"

<Shaw> His fingers tightened into a vice on her arms in shock, and he jerked away from her so he wouldn't hurt her. "Good God, Jess!" Sebastian staggered back from her, shocked and horrified.

<Jessica> "Do you understand now? Why this is getting to me? I walk around with all of that every day and I keep it largely to myself. It's exhausting and I can't keep going on like this." She pulled the blanket up a little to snuggle into it somewhat, "I need to know what you want to do. How do you want this to go with Shinobi? The truth."

<Shaw> "Jessie..." Sebastian took the two steps back to her and wrapped his arms around her to hug her close. "I'm sorry, love." He kissed her through her hair and tried to gather his thoughts. "She's already grown attached to him, almost dependent. It's not as if I haven't noticed that she no longer drinks when she's with him, and she seems... happy."

<Shaw> He sighed, recalling watching them with the bananas in the snow. "It looked like the cycle of her relationship with Nord repeating, because I'm not certain she ever recovered after Storm's death."

<Jessica> "Of course she didn't recover - you don't recover from something like that, you know that as well as I do... but you can move on. Chris was a stupid choice, she knows that. But she's been in a better place since then... and Shinobi has too. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but it's something they have to be allowed to work through on their own... stop sabotaging them..."

<Jessica> She leaned against him, "I'm so tired of picking up pieces and putting them back together again... I don't have anything left in me anymore."

<Shaw> "Love, I didn't mean to make this a burden on you." He looked over at Miriam. "You have quite enough to keep you busy."

<Jessica> "We're married, Sebastian. That makes us a team. We deal with stuff together - you keeping things from me doesn't end well." She rubbed a hand over her face, "I don't want to fight with you... I want us to be on the same side. So will you just answer the question?"

<Shaw> "I didn't realize he felt the same. This morning, I saw them together, and yes, he was... any young man in love." He shook his head. "I may have overreacted."

<Jessica> "Sebastian." Jess was close to losing patience again. He knew this was one of the things that pissed her off the fastest; people ignoring her questions.

<Shaw> "Love, I'm agreeing with you." He held her at arm's length to meet her eyes. "While I have my reservations, I don't want to see him incarcerated again, not after he's proven he can be more than the weapon he was intended to be. And if he and Hope wish to be together... then I won't interfere."

<Jessica> "Good. Then we can cut all the crap and you can give them a few hours of peace before you go and apologise for being a prat."

<Shaw> "Yes, ma'am." Sebastian folded her in his arms again, and was quiet for a few minutes. "They are both quite prone to overreactions."

<Jessica> "Look who's talking." She mumbled, turning her face into his shoulder and sliding her arms around him (the blanket too).

<Shaw> "Tsk." He laughed quietly, only then realizing he must have been cold. The blanket was quite warm, making him hum in contentment. "So," he started, nuzzling her ear. "If we're giving them a few hours of peace, perhaps we can have some ourselves?"

<Jessica> "I like this plan... but can we do it in a room that's warmer than this one?"

<Shaw> "We can have the fireplace to ourselves, yes?" He smiled. "Just us and Miriam, of course."

<Jessica> "We'll have to put her somewhere she won't stare at us..." because that would be totally creepy and a mood killer.

<Shaw> "The baby books tell me she can't see more than a few feet in front of her face, but yes, I understand." Leaning in, he brushed his nose against hers.

<Jessica> "She knows where we are..." she tilted her head to bring her lips closer to his.

<Shaw> "Well, then the worst she knows is that we love each other." He cocked his head as well, just a fraction, and kissed her softly.

<Jessica> She smiled in the kiss and pulled him closer, deepening it. I do love you... even when you're an ass.

<Shaw> Excellent news. I suppose I'll have to work on less frequent jackassery. He grinned and nipped her lip, breaking the kiss. "Shall we go restoke the fire?"
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