3/5 Instance: Home Sweet Home

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

3/5 Instance: Home Sweet Home

Post by Slarti »

Timelined the night after Descent

<Hope> Hope had debated on waiting for morning to go home, but the disturbing texts from Shinobi about dungeons and the Hellfire Club sealed her decision. She made them take her back that day, rather than spend another night away in DC. Once there, a grumbly David helped her to the door and inside. "Thanks David. Get some rest." She laughed a little at his grumble.

<Hope> First things first. She hung up her coat and tossed her keys into the pocket. She felt a small pang of emotion at not being able to take her shoes off right there and leave them, but shoved it down. She didn't own this place. A glance at her phone told her it was late, and everyone would be sleeping.

<Hope> Definitely not ready for sleep herself, she plugged her earbuds into her phone and slid them into her ears. Music in place, she headed for the kitchen to make a snack that didn't require cooking. Any kind of cooking.

<Shinobi> Shinobi had been asleep for hours, although not soundly. He rolled over again, making a sound of protest. Once again, he was there. He was walking those halls, ignoring the sounds coming from the rooms surrounding him. Dr. Essex was waiting for him.

<Hope> Once in the kitchen, Hope took to the cabinets. Bread. Bread was a good start. She took that out and set it on the counter. Sebastian's words about 'cold cuts' bounced around her mind, making her smirk and shake her head. She opened the fridge door and reached in, gasping when she saw the face of Nathaniel Essex.

<Hope> She covered her mouth with her hand, shoving the door to the fridge closed. Had she really just seen that? She turned around and the kitchen melted away. She was back with Essex. She backed up to the corner of the counters, sinking down to the ground. No! No no no! Not looney toons!

<Shinobi> He sat in his office, face pale, dark hair slicked back, pen scratching against the paper as he wrote out orders - always he hand wrote his charts, his research. Later, someone - sometimes him - would transcribe it into electronic format, but Nathaniel Essex preferred to do things the old-fashioned way.

<Hope> She pulled her knees to her chest, peering out at the bastard over them. How had he found her? Where was David? Was he dead? The Shaws? Shinobi?! Where was he?!

<Shinobi> This time, the dream was different. He frowned, attention pulled from Essex. There was a woman in the room, curled up in the corner. Oh, so Essex had acquired another toy... and he looked again. No. Shinobi sucked in a startled breath when a mess of red hair came into focus. No.

<Hope> She pressed her forehead to her knees, counting to three. When she looked up again, she could see that she wasn't alone with Essex. Shinobi was there. Oh no! She looked between Essex and Obi, stuck. Of course he'd take them both. She finally settled her gaze on Shinobi, his voice in her mind startling her. Obi... Run.

<Shinobi> Hope. This was impossible, and he knew, knew what this was. He shook his head, though he found his feet were rooted to the spot. Essex's pen still scratched, the sound filling the room. This isn't real, Hope. I'm sorry.

<Hope> Not real? She shook her head and blinked when she was back in the kitchen, alone. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and hugged her knees to her chest. It wasn't real. It wasn't real.

<Shinobi> It wasn't as easy for Shinobi, still trapped in the dream, downstairs in his bed. He curled into a ball, while inside his head Dr. Essex finally looked up.

<Hope> She realized what she had done. She had left him there! If it wasn't real, it had to be in his mind. Obi!? She tried to get her feet to work and push herself up.

<Shinobi> "And have you found what you're looking for, Mister Shaw?" Essex placed his pen on his desk and steepled his fingers to stare at him with dark eyes.

<Hope> Feet firmly under her, she made for the stairs, going down them quickly.

<Shinobi> One moment, the man was seated at his desk, with Shinobi standing in front of him. Within the blink of an eye Shinobi was on his back, immobile. He struggled, but he was strapped down.

<Hope> Nearly out of breath by the time she reached the basement door, Hope paused. Privacy be damned. She opened the door and made for his bed.

<Shinobi> His powers didn't work, and his throat closed with fear - terror, rage? Unable to close his eyes, he watched scene after scene of destruction on a... screen? What was this?

<Hope> She got to him, half relieved to see he was really there. "Shinobi. Wake up!" She shook him.

<Shinobi> The screen went black and he gasped. Feeling a shove, he struck out, shocked he could move. Instinct kicked in and he rolled away from the presence he sensed, still half asleep, but rapidly aware. He phased, completing his escape from the bed to land on his feet, panting in the dark.

<Hope> The blow landed on her face, both shocking her and forcing her to jerk backward. She stumbled and went down, landing flat on her back when it was all said and done. She coughed a little. So... next time... throw cold water on him. Right. "Ow..."

<Shinobi> Still disoriented, he edged around the foot of the bed halfway. "Hope?" Realizing what he'd done, he closed the distance and slid to his knees beside her. "Oh... fuck me - Hope? Shit, I'm sorry!" He tried to smooth back her hair to see her face and help her up.

<Hope> "I'm fine, you're fine. It wasn't your fault," she tried to assure him as she accepted the help to sit up. "Are you alright?"

<Shinobi> "Did I hurt you?" He couldn't see her in the dim light and he had no idea where he'd hit her.

<Hope> "Not really. You more surprised me than anything. I wasn't expecting that. She reached out for him, pulling him to her.

<Shinobi> "Sorry, I was..." He went, gratefully, and sat on the floor beside her, his arm moving to wrap around her and encountering a cord. "Oh shit, I even knocked your earbuds out!" Tracing the cord, he held it up to her with a slightly nervous laugh.

<Hope> That made her laugh, taking the cords from him. "Oops." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked it over. Unharmed, she set it aside and found his lips for a kiss instead.

<Shinobi> He was more than happy to return the kiss, his hand tangling in her hair. When they broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers and sighed. "I missed you."

<Hope> That made her smile and close her eyes, breathing him in. "I missed you too. It felt really... weird without you in my mind too." Her fingers found his cheek, stroking it gently.

<Shinobi> "Yeah, it's..." He blinked, realizing he felt her in his head right now, and covered her hand with his own. "I was having a dream... nightmare. You were in it."

<Hope> "It's like... I didn't realize how much you were there until you weren't. And heh, no kidding..." she sighed. "I was in it. Upstairs. That's how I knew to come wake you and that you attacked because of what you were seeing." She brushed his hair back from his face.

<Shinobi> "So that was real." He pulled back, just enough to take a deep breath. "Wow. Shit."

<Hope> "Kind of? You told me it wasn't real and it ended for me. Does that help at all?" she asked, looking up at him.

<Shinobi> "Well, not real real... I meant that you were really in my dream." Shinobi ran his hand through his hair, realizing it was shaking.

<Hope> "I um... I need to tell you something." She cleared her throat. "Sebastian warned me, but I didn't think it really applied to us."

<Shinobi> "Yeah?" He looked up at her curiously.

<Hope> "So... um." How did she even explain this? "Sebastian and Jess don't just talk telepathically. They have more of a bond. A sort of telepathic link. They are always aware of the other. Feelings... thoughts..."

<Shinobi> Licking his lips, he narrowed his eyes in confusion. "I've heard of that," he said slowly. Was she saying that's what they had too? How? "But Jess isn't a telepath. Neither am I, as far as that goes."

<Hope> "You don't have to be. Apparently just... proximity and repeated contact... may have inadvertently created it for them. Annndd..." She just looked at him.

<Shinobi> "Oh, wow..." He blinked at her, owlish in the dim light.

<Hope> "I'm... so, so, really so sorry. Each telepath is a little different. I didn't really think... I had no idea... I just got this power." She rubbed her face with her hands.

<Shinobi> "It's nothing to apologize for," he said, touching her hand. So did that mean she heard all his thoughts now? Sensed all his feelings? Well. Shit.

<Hope> "I could sever it... " she offered, squeezing his hand.

<Shinobi> "Do you... want to?" He swallowed, tilting his head to catch her eyes.

<Hope> She caught his gaze, locked there for a moment. "No. But you have the right to privacy. You can say no to this. You don't have to have my baggage too."

<Shinobi> He was pretty sure he got a glimpse at her baggage just a few minutes ago. Leaning in, Shinobi gave her a soft kiss. I don't want you to sever it.

<Hope> Relieved, Hope snaked her hand to the back of his neck, holding him to her in the kiss. I'm glad.

<Shinobi> Smiling in the kiss, he deepened it and pulled her closer. I'll try to keep my nightmares to myself.

<Hope> Yeah... me too She moved as she was pulled, getting close to him and deepening the kiss herself.

<Shinobi> His hand slid to her hip, urging her into his lap, palm sliding over her thigh to the back of her knee. She wanted him, she wanted to be with him, to share this link with him... God, he loved her.

<Hope> She moved easily, sliding her fingers to his hair, toying with it. She did want him, and now she finally had a real chance at being with him. She broke the kiss to press her forehead against him, breathing heavy. "I love you. So much."

<Shinobi> "I love you too." Her hair was still a mess, so he stroked his fingers through it, his other hand still on her leg. It still nagged in the back of his mind a bit, Yukio's words, but here she was, with him. It had to mean what he believed it did. He just had to be patient.

<Hope> Hope definitely picked up on that hint of insecurity. She needed to squash that out. She nuzzled his cheek and tried to just let him feel how she felt. "I was making a snack when... are you hungry, Obi?" she asked, running her fingers through his hair again.

<Shinobi> He was hungry, most definitely, but not for food and feeling her desire for once was intoxicating. Those fingers in his hair were not helping on that count either, and he blew out a shaky breath, shifting to kiss her again. This time, he was aggressive, his hand grasping her leg and pulling her close.

<Hope> She met him in the kiss, returning it. He definitely wasn't gay. How could she have thought that?

<Shinobi> Picking that up, he broke the kiss to just grin at her, shaking his head.

<Hope> "Sorry..." she laughed a little, sighing.

<Shinobi> "It's okay." He brushed his thumb over her lower lip, eyes on her mouth. That link was a blessing and a curse. "Guess I should try to keep that to myself too, huh? How crazy you make me?"

<Hope> Hope grinned a bit, kissing his thumb. "Never."
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