Chapter Text
Death in Paradise
Manditory Self-defense
Chapter 1
"I don't think that I need this." Richard muttered annoyed as he stepped onto the mat.
Camille sighed as she looked at his clothes. "Really?" She asked as she eyed him.
"Yes, really. The commissioner-"
"-Yes, so you explained in detail this morning. Several times." She cut him off quickly. She didn't feel the need to hear for the tenth time why he found the idea of him learning self defense totally unnecessary. The commissioner had to order him to take lessons from Camille after he had been attacked by a murderer and wasn't able to defend himself quite that well...And to be honest, she had been worried about him too. The moment the murderer had stepped towards him and punched him in his face... Worry had spread through her whole body and it was as if she herself had been hurt. If only Richard learned some techniques he could have easily evaded the murderers fist and wouldn't be in pain for days.
"I'm not that much into contact with murderers." Richard began his plea again.
"I meant the suit. Did you never even go to the gym in London?" Camille asked, ignoring the other subject. She wasn't going to start a discussion with him again.
"Well.. No..."
"What did you do to keep fit then?" Camille asked surprised.
"Well I..." He swallowed. Nothing? Somehow he felt ashamed. He felt the need to prove himself to her. And he felt like he was failing miserably at that.
"Yo Camille, how's it going?" A tall athletic man asked as he gave her a high five and walked past them smiling widely.
Richard swallowed, he was feeling even more insecure now. With all these very muscular and tall men around him. They were more her type. And he... Well, he just felt.. Insufficient.
"Lose the suit." Camille ordered when her old schoolmate had left the small gym room they were in.
"I don't have anything else to wear."
"You could have shopped." Camille blamed him somewhat annoyed. "How long are you on the Island now? Months already."
Richard sighed hard. "I really didn't feel the need to go shopping for a pair of sweat pants." As if he didn't have better things to do! Like read... And talk to Harry... And... Well, anything... Anything was better then this...
"You should, they can be very comfy." She explained as she took a piece of her pants in her hand to prove her point somehow. "It soaks your sweat up just like that." She explained. "And it's really soft. It fits like a glove too."
Yes, it did. He thought as he swallowed and didn't try to ogle. He was just looking at her. Not ogling. Just looking at the fabric that soaked up her sweat so easily, as she implied herself. Nothing more. He looked at the light purple shirt she was wearing over a black tank top. He couldn't even imagine that she would sweat, and if she would, it would probably not smell bad. She'd still look amazing.
"You don't like the heat, but still you insist on wearing these thick suits." Camille complained. "I thought after all these months you trusted us enough to at least let go of your tie."
"It has got nothing to do with trust." Richard defended himself quickly, he almost felt insulted by her words.
Camille stared at him knowingly from under her eye lids. She suspected that he used his suits as armor. To feel safe. To feel at home. "Just loose the jacket at least. And the tie. It's dangerous."
"If a murderer would attack me again, he wouldn't first wait until I'd taken of my jacket would he?" Richard stated in a belligerent tone.
She sighed out loud. "You can be so... Difficult!" She groaned. 'Fine! Keep the suit on, even when you are working out." She muttered as she shook her head. "If we are going to fight, a tie can be dangerous."
'Fight?" He repeated somewhat afraid. He hoped she hadn't picked up on the fear he was feeling. He had learned to rely on her intuition. She noticed things, felt them. How? He had no clue. She just did. And he had started to trust in that more and more, because usually, she was right. Wel..., Almost all the time.
"It's rather hot today. Maybe we can do this another time." Richard began as he turned around. Maybe he could still get away from all of this...
"Non!" She snapped in a bossy tone. "You must learn things like this as soon as possible. I can't believe you haven't already." She shook her head.
"Well, in the past." A long while ago. "Yes, but it was never needed. I work with this." He said as he pointed at his head. "Not with..." He didn't know where to point for a moment and then finally decided on his bicep. He felt awful. He wanted to disappear
'Great, well, what did you learn in the past? Maybe we can start there?" Camille asked interested.
"Er... No... I've quite forgotten about that." He said as he put his clammy palms against his pants and looked around him. They were in a separate room at the gym but still he didn't feel at ease. Although no one was watching. But the two large dark eyes directed at him that belonged to his DS were enough to make him squirm.
"Okay." Camille said as she walked towards him.
'What are you doing?!" He asked alarmed as he put up his hands toward her to stop her.
She looked at his green wide eyes. "I'm coming closer to explain something?" She answered as she studied his face. He was so tense!
"Okay." He said as he nodded. "Okay.." He said again. "I want you to know that I will fully cooperate with this. Even though this is not on my priority list." He said as he swallowed. Would it hurt?
"I'm happy to know that."
"Also, because I know you could have been doing lots of other things right now. And this is your free time and all..." He ranted. He didn't know why he was ranting, maybe it gave him the illusion of control, or the illusion of this whole lesson not happening... The more he ranted.. The more she would get annoyed and maybe walk away? That sounded like a good plan...
"Grab me." Camille said as she straightened herself.
'Wh-... What?" Richard asked as he looked incredulous at her. He couldn't grab her! He didn't even know where to start. She looked so fragile. Everywhere.. He knew she wasn't of course. But her skin... It looked so good and glowing, he didn't want to bruise her. And she was so thin. He just didn't want to-
'Grab me.' Camille repeated. The patience she had to have with this man...
Richard felt a wave of irritation flowing of her so he moved his hands and then hovered in front of her body as he pondered where to put them. At the arms? No, at the shoulders? No too close, maybe the...
Camille sighed. "You didn't have much trouble grabbing me at the pool." She reminded him. "Let me make it easy for you if that helps." She said as she turned around and gave him a very nice view of her backside.
He swallowed as he tried not to ogle how her tight pants showed her muscular legs and butt. He wondered how her butt would feel underneath his hands... He chastised himself immediately.
"It's just... What you did then... You almost twisted my arm out of my body that afternoon." He wrinkled his nose at the pain she had inflicted upon him. Not to mention the girly squeal that had erupted from his throat when she did so, he didn't want to repeat that!
"So?" She asked as she turned towards him again.
'Well, might it be an idea to be a little less... How shall I put it... Aggressive this time?" He suggested carefully.
"Aggressive?" She asked heatedly as she put her hands on her hips.
Uh Ooo... He had said the wrong thing. "No I didn't mean that you are aggressive." He tried to calm her down. "I just meant that with all of your strenght... You could really hurt a man." Better to catch bees with honey, after all... He could always try to manipulate her...
'That's the point." She said curtly as she turned her back towards him again. "Hurry up, I don't have all day."
"Maybe we should first set some ground rules." Richard offered.
She turned around angrily now. "Just touch me!" She ordered in an angry, impatient Camille-voice.
Richard swallowed hard and almost took a step back at this outburst. In all of his dreams at night, in all the ways he had wanted her to say these words, he had never imagined them to come out of her mouth like this, in a situation like this.