Work Text:
Warner
I am meeting with Kishimoto in total secrecy.
And I am not one bit pleased about it.
He wears this triumphant, infuriatingly smug grin on his face as he sits across from me in the meeting room. His arms are crossed, eyebrows raised. I wish I could punch him in the face.
For her, I tell myself, sighing. For Juliette, you will let your guard down just this once. You will not punch her friend in the face. You will not punch anybody in the face, you will not-
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Kishimoto says after a pause. He smiles like he has been waiting for this moment for a long time – the moment where he sees me breaking. Really breaking. “You, Warner, are actually asking for my help.”
“I’m simply requesting your assistance in a simple matter,” I amend.
“You literally just said the same thing I did.”
“I did not.”
“Yeah, you did. Just used fancier words.”
I breathe through my nose once, twice. Slow. Raise my eyes to him. “Can I count on you?”
“This isn’t a trick, right?” Kishimoto raises one eyebrow. “It’s not just an excuse to get me alone so you can finish what you started after the…hair accident, right?”
His eyes move to my – now perfectly trimmed – hair and he visibly cringes. It almost makes me laugh, if it weren’t for the shuddering memory.
“We’re alone right now, Kishimoto.” I lay a lazy hand on my jacket’s pocket, where I feel the contours of my gun. “If I wanted you dead, I would’ve already taken the opportunity. You’re lucky my girlfriend likes you enough for me to keep you around.”
“You want me around too, prick,” he smirks, eyeing my gesture and dismissing it. “Admit it. You consider me a friend now. You do.”
“I tolerate you.”
“Alright, I’ll take that,” he leans back in his chair. “I’d say for you, that’s already an achievement.”
The effort I have to make to stop my eyes from rolling is excruciatingly difficult. I bite back the remark threatening to spill and instead I say:
“Will you do as I requested? Will you tell the others?”
“Sure, man. Anything for my girl J.”
“Your girl J?”
“Dude, it’s an expression. Get your territorial shit out of my face.”
“I’m not territorial.”
“Which world do you live in? Uh, yeah, you’re freaking territorial. Like all the time. Like, yeah, I get it, you finally got the girl of your dreams and stuff but Christ, Warner, no need to be all-”
“If I were territorial you’d already be on the ground with a broken neck for that remark alone.”
“Jeez.”
Despite my best efforts, I form a smile. Kishimoto laughs softly, responding with a shake of his head.
“Don’t worry, man. I’ll distract her.” He then brushes a hand through his hair. “I bet I won’t have any trouble with that, I mean…with my good looks and my charm, she’ll be all over-”
“Kishimoto, stop talking.”
“You’re a party pooper, Warner.”
“Please tell the others for me,” I say, standing up. “And…Kent. As well.”
Kishimoto eyes me, his eyes doubtful, his amusement gone.
“Are you sure you wanna do that?”
“He’s important to her,” I say without hesitation. The words go bitter in my mouth, despite my intentions. “He still is. Bring him along.”
“You should talk to him yourself, you know,” he says. Not dismissively – it was a tone used by a friend giving another friend some advice.
“I know.” I don’t say anything else.
“What if he doesn’t wanna come?”
“Tell him to go fuck himself.”
“Easy enough.”
I turn away to leave, but stop momentarily. “Kishimoto.” His eyes turn to me again. “Thank you – for your help. I…appreciate it immensely.”
His insufferable grin returns, and this time, I really do roll my eyes. My hand touches the door handle.
“Hey, Warner,” he calls. I look over my shoulder. “You’re also alright, dude.” He smiles with an easiness I still struggle to achieve. “Even if you’re constantly threatening to spill my guts, you’re still alright.”
And when he smirks at me, I smirk right back before walking out.
There was still one more thing I had to do. One more arrangement. I check my watch, round a corner, knock on the door closest to the end of the corridor. Delalieu answers promptly.
“Good morning, Delalieu.”
“Good morning, Sir. Have you come to inquire about-?”
“Yes, is everything ready?”
He nods once. “Indeed, Sir. Everything is finished and prepared, as it should be. Like you requested.”
“Were you able to get them all?”
“Most of them, Sir.” He gives me an apologetic look. “Unfortunately, some…some have been completely destroyed, Sir. Even in other parts of the world, there were no records…”
“I understand. Thank you for your help, Delalieu. Juliette will be most grateful to you.”
The older man gives me a soft smile, nodding respectfully. “Good luck, sir. With the surprise.”
“Thank you.”
I leave Delalieu at his door and head to the elevator. Press the button, get inside. Check the time again as the doors close in front of me.
She must still be asleep.
Hopefully she will.
I only realize there’s a smile on my face when the elevator doors fall open and I’m standing in my bedroom.
Our bedroom.
And Juliette is still soundly asleep in our bed, one bare leg hanging out of the mattress, arms outstretched before her, under and over the three pillows she managed to gather around herself. Her hair is tangled, sticking out in different directions, covering most of her face. Yet I can still make out the slightly parted lips, the serene expression on her face. It makes me stop and stare.
She hasn’t been sleeping very well lately.
I wish there was something I could do to help her, ease that weight on her shoulders. I wish I could bear it all – the responsibility, the stress. I wish I could protect her from the world. The world who wants us dead.
I make my way over to her, my eyes trailing along the contours of her body, the length of her legs.
She looks so good in my boxers. I want to trail kisses up those legs.
I’m leaning over her. Touch her hair delicately, pulling it off her face as gently as I possibly can. Kiss the tip of her nose, in the way that makes her giggle. I marvel at the soft smile pulling at her lips. I marvel at the way she stretches, slowly, taking her time. I take it as an opportunity to roll next to her, pestering her face with kisses until her eyes are opening and her laugh is all I can hear.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” I whisper, leaning over to place a gentle kiss on her earlobe, a place that makes her squirm.
She’s looking at me like I’m the actual sunshine that’s waking her up. She smiles like her worries are all lost and her battles are all won. Like she doesn’t have a single care in the world.
My heart feels like it could burst.
“Good morning,” she mumbles back, sleep all over her voice. Her hands delicately trace my jaw, my lips. Her eyes wonder over my face, like she’s trying to memorize it.
I lean in, slowly, touch my lips to her, taste her until I’ve forgotten there’s a whole world out there. These are the moments I live for, I realize. These are the moments that make me feel grateful; to be alive, to be with her, to experience the love that she feels for me. To feel every bit of emotion Juliette feels at my touch, my lips, my words.
Her arms wrap around my neck and, with expected strength, she pulls me to her, on top of her. Hands are exploring and lips are devouring and my head is spinning. My hands part her legs gently, so I may rest on her more comfortably. Her mouth parts against mine. Playfully, I bite her lip. A joyous laugh from her.
“Happy birthday, my love,” I say. A kiss on her cheek, two, three. A peck on her lips.
“Thank you, Aaron.” I shudder. My name on her lips still takes me by surprise, still manages to steal my breath away. Her lips touch my chin, her eyes on mine.
“Did you rest well?”
A knowing, almost shy smile plays on her lips as she nods, as she takes in the meaning behind my tone. “I did, yeah.”
My hand cups her cheek, my thumb traces her jaw, her bottom lip. I let it linger until her lips part. “That’s good. You were up very late last night.”
She kisses my finger, takes my hand, entwines our fingers. I’m delighted at the flush on her cheeks.
“Also, I was very tired,” she says, looking up at me.
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” she nods, then steals a kiss from me. Her smile is playful, although that shyness is still there. I want to kiss it away. I want to say other, many more things that’ll make her flush. “I had a very intense workout before bed.”
“You did, uh?”
“I did.”
“Was it…” I lean into her ear, make sure my lips touch her skin as I whisper: “…effective?”
Juliette bursts out laughing, her hands pulling my face away to look at me. She is still smiling as she says:
“I think so,” she shrugs. “My muscles are sore. I’ll take that as a good sign.”
My eyebrows raise on their own. “A very good sign, indeed, Ms. Ferrars.”
Her smile softens as she holds me. Her fingers let go of my hand, and it goes instantly cold. But her fingers trace my hair, caressing my scalp. If not rolling my eyes at Kishimoto was excruciatingly hard, then this, having her touch me like this, so softly, and not moan into her neck was ten times worse.
My nose skims her shoulder, my teeth pinch the thin strap of her top, and I feel her smile against my ear.
“I wish I could stay here all day, all night, with you like this,” she murmurs. I feel a tingle at the soft feel of her lips making brief contact with my skin as she speaks. “I wish we had that life.”
Her words break my heart. As I pull away to look down at her, her hand leaves my hair to cup my cheek. I kiss her palm. So soft.
“We will have that life, love,” I say. “I promise.”
“I want to believe that so bad.”
“Then do.” My lips touch her cheek. My voice lowers. “Because it will happen. I’ll make sure it does. We’ll make sure it does.”
Juliette looks at me, says nothing. I can’t read her face, but I can feel that little spark of hope in her heart, wrapping itself around the love she feels for me.
“When this all ends,” she murmurs, eyes sparkling. “When we’re free of this war, promise me this won’t change.” The confusion in my eyes makes her continue: “Promise me we’ll remain as we are.”
“Why wouldn’t we, love?”
Juliette looks away from me. Instinctively, my fingers hold her chin, turning her to me. There is fear in those pools of blue, I can see it, I can feel it - the doubt.
“Talk to me,” I say. “What is worrying you?”
She hesitates. Swallows. “I don’t want this to end. Me and you. Ever.”
“Why would it, sweetheart?” I ask again.
Juliette shakes her head, looks down. “I’ve never…dealt with this. A relationship. I don’t know if I could stand…being away from you. Or something happening to you.”
My hands touch her cheeks. “Nothing will ever keep me away from you. No one will ever take what is ours. When this war ends, me and you are going to be happy. We are going to sleep through the night. Love, we will have a chance at life. I will make you so happy, Juliette. So, so happy. I promise.”
“I don’t doubt you,” she whispers. It’s her turn to kiss my palm. The little gesture makes me melt. “I just wanted to make sure that…”
“You’re what I want?”
Hesitantly, she nods.
“Do I still need to prove it to you?” My smile makes her smile. “Do I? I will do it.” My lips are tracing her neck, slow, so slow. I hear and feel her puffing out a little breath. “I will prove it to you every day. Every night, when I have you in my arms. When I undress you. When I touch you.”
Her lips find mine. They’re soft, so soft and somewhat urgent. Her hands grasp my jacket, pulls it off my shoulders. I smile against her lips, my fingers finding their way down to her waist.
“I love you,” she whispers. So slow, so soft. “I love you,” she says again. A smile.
“You’re all I want,” I say. “You’re all I need. And I love you, Juliette. So much. I promise you, I promise that we will have a future, my dear.”
“I like it when you call me dear,” she says, looking giddy. “I like the sound of it. My dear.”
“I thought sweetheart was your favourite.”
She shrugs. “Depends on the day.”
While she speaks, her mischievous fingers start unbuttoning my shirt. I raise an eyebrow at her. She responds with a little smile.
“I missed you this morning.”
“I missed you,” I say, observing her work.
“Where were you?” Her tone is suggestive. Like she knows.
I can’t seem to lie to her. So, I just give her the most neutral smile I can form.
“You won’t tell me?” She asks, eyebrows raised. She watches me shake my head, her fingers stopping their work. “Aaron. You don’t have to plan anything for me, I-”
“Who says I’m planning anything?”
“That face of yours.”
“What about it?”
She shakes her head once more, a breathy laugh coming from her lips. “It’s beautiful.”
I peck her lips. “Why, thank you, Ms. Ferrars.” My smile widens. My lips touch the tip of your nose, as my fingers brush through the front layers of her hair. Memories of my hands tangled in the strings, gently pulling her lips to mine flood my brain, and I have to shake them out. “That’s a lot coming from the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Her eye roll amuses me. I’ve started to rub off on her, it seems. “Most beautiful?”
“Why, yes. Hasn’t anybody ever told you?”
“I remember someone saying that to me…last night? I think?” She says, her eyes narrowing. “I can’t seem to recall their name, though.”
“That’s a shame,” I whisper, my eyes trailing down her face to her lips. I kiss the corner of her mouth, gently. “A real shame.”
Her eyes fall closed. “Hum.”
I feel Juliette’s fingers making their way inside my shirt, tracing my chest. I can feel my self-control dissolving as she adds her lips to my throat. Sucking.
I make to pull away, but her legs wrap around my waist, keeping me in place. She raises an eyebrow at me, a teasing smile playing on her lips.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m afraid I have matters to attend to, my love,” I kiss her lips apologetically. “But I’ll see you later.”
And she actually pouts. Pouts.
“Do you really have to go?” She asks, and I feel her foot tracing the back of my leg. She’s ruining me.
I close my eyes. “Unfortunately, yes.”
She lets me go. “Okay.” Kisses me once. Twice.
I struggle to pull my lips away from her. “Also, Kishimoto must be knocking at your door any minute now for your…morning walk.”
“Still jealous?”
I shrug. “A little bit.”
She grins. “You don’t have to be.”
“I know.”
Juliette looks me over once, twice. Starts to close the buttons on my shirt. “I like white on you.”
“Oh?”
She stops at the last button on my collar, leaving it as it is. “I prefer you without anything on, though.”
The startled look on my face makes her laugh. I can’t help myself, I lean down to take her lips again. “Ms. Ferrars, you really-”
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
“HEY J. GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED IT’S LIKE MIDDAY.”
Juliette looks toward the door. Sighs. Looks at me. “There he is.”
“There he is,” I repeat.
“I’ll miss you today,” she says. “Don’t take too long.”
I smile, kiss her forehead. “Don’t worry, my love. I’ll be right with you.”
KNOCK KNOCK.
“DON’T MAKE ME COME IN AND GET YOU.”
Juliette huffs. “Let me get dressed, Kenji!”
“RIGHT. YOU DO THAT.”
I step off her, my body missing hers already, and grab my jacket. Marvel at the fact that she’s observing me still. When I move toward the door, I look at her over my shoulder and wink. “See you later, my dear.”