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Beast of Burden

Summary:

JC Denton and his partner are on one of their many missions together, but JC realizes that something in the air has changed, literally and figuratively.

Notes:

Literally just got into this game and I already love JC Denton so much I can't even- He's just a little guy 🥺, I hope you enjoy it! ♡

September 6th, 2023 Edit: Happy first anniversary to this fic!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

"(Y/N) (L/N) will be your partner for this mission."

Mr. Manderley's words were ringing in JCs head the whole time he was scouting the area. "Sir?" He remembered questioning, his voice rising in his chest when he saw her for the first time. She looked more like a secretary than an agent. The papers in her hand didn't help her look the part either. "What's wrong? Do you have any objections, Denton?" Manderley suggested, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Taking a second look at her, he supposed she would be good eye candy and a huge help.

JC jumped when he heard a particularly loud noise coming from down the hall. Composing himself after the scare, he sneaked down the hallway, hugging the wall and using any boxes he found as cover. He slowed his breathing, listening as he hid behind the large crate he found at his disposal. He heard hurried footsteps coming toward him down the hallway. They were too light to be a man's- (Y/N), he thought, his hands clambering away from his gun, revealing himself from behind the crate. (Y/N) ran down the hallway in a hurry, her chest hurting from the pressure of her heart racing.

Seeing JC in the distance made her let out a sigh of relief, relieved to see a familiar face instead of coming face to face with a cold, metal one. "Denton," She puffed, eager to report her findings to him. "Hallway's clear ahead, no sign of NSF anywhere." JC made a pleased sound, a little hum of approval for (Y/N)'s good work. "Good job. It isn't over yet, though." He said, grabbing a hold of her hand. "Stay close, I can't afford to lose you." She blushed slightly, her hand feeling tight within his fist.

Fast walking through the halls, he turned a corner sharply, causing (Y/N) to bump into him. "Careful there." He said simply, keeping his eyes focused on what was ahead of him. (Y/N) grumbled slightly, annoyed at his words. She had to admit, though, that he looked rather handsome when he was focused. She watched how his lips would press together, his hand close to his gun, and his feet always directly north, never pointed askew. It made him look intimidating, yet enthralling.

"Down here." He whispered, tightening his grip on her hand. Following JC close behind, (Y/N) squeezed his hand back, breathing deeply through her nose to calm herself. "You sure you're cut out for this?" She remembered he asked her one day when the mission was getting especially intense. "Mr. Denton, I can tell you right now that I am more than qualified to do this job. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." She said to him, raising her eyebrows at his comment. She could've sworn she saw a little smirk sneak its way onto his lips. "Just making sure."

Seeing nobody down the long hallway, JC sighed gently, loosening his grip on her hand. Just then, a sweet smell reached his nose, making him inhale deeply to capture the aroma in his memory. "What's that smell?" He looked to (Y/N), seeing that she was the only one with him. "Oh, it's perfume. My mom gave it to me before I left for this job. I'm surprised it even has a smell anymore, considering she had it for such a long time." She replied nervously, her hand shaking in his. "Why, do you not like it?" JC shook his head, scoffing at the glassy look in her eyes. "No, I like it. It smells... nice. Familiar, actually." (Y/N) tilted her head questioningly, her lips curling into a soft smile. "How so?" She asked, squeezing his hand once as a reflex. "Hmm... I'm not sure. I guess it's just nostalgic." He shrugged a bit. "We'd better keep moving," JC said quickly, not wanting to press the matter further. (Y/N) nodded, readying herself to follow him once again.

To JC, it was particularly calm and quiet during this mission. Usually, that would mean at the last second everything would go to hell, but now it seemed less nerve-wracking; especially with (Y/N) by his side. Her hand in his felt nice. He felt safer, protected, even. God, she's pretty... He thought to himself, a light blush dusting his face when he looked at her features. Her cheeks were fleshy and squeezable, her hair soft and naturally light and airy, and her lips were a lovely shade of pink. She looked almost too beautiful, like a movie star. JC always wondered why she took this job instead of doing something else. But, if she did, JC most likely would never have met her. He was very much thankful for that, at least.

"Denton, what's on your mind?" (Y/N) asked, bumping him from the side gently to encourage him. JC looked at her once more, his lips pursed as he cast his gentle gaze upon her. "Not much, it's just..." He paused, thinking for a moment. "You're very... pretty." He said, mentally kicking himself for how out of the blue it was. "I'm... pretty?" (Y/N) questioned, her voice getting softer, almost down to a whisper. "You aren't too bad yourself, Denton." She blushed, smiling at him with tender, doe-ish eyes. JC looked at her, his eyes widening in surprise from behind his sunglasses. "Thank you." He said, keeping his voice low. (Y/N)'s smile faded, looking back to what was ahead of them. "I suppose this mission wasn't much of anything, was it?" She said, slight amusement in her voice. "Yeah, it's pretty rare to be this quiet, though..." He replied, his voice trailing off down the hallway. (Y/N) hummed curiously, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles, making JC let out his own light hum.

A loud noise broke both of the agents out of their thoughts. Slightly panicked, JC motioned to a door just ahead of him, noting earlier that it was unlocked, in case of an emergency. "In here." He whispered, his hand taut against hers. (Y/N) quickly followed him through the opening of the door, shutting it behind them. Pressing themselves up against the wall, behind the way the door opened inward, they waited out the heavy footsteps behind the door. JC's breathing was matted and heavy, protecting (Y/N)'s body with his own, his body like a shield looming over her. (Y/N) realized this and turned red at their proximity, her heart pounding in her chest. JC soon realized this, too, his own heart pounding within him. "Wow..." He said breathlessly, leaning closer to her to study every inch of her face. Her eyes pierced through him, watching his own eyes with longing.

Listening to the footfalls fade out of the hall, he stopped his panic, and his eyes widened behind his sunglasses. "I-I'm sorry, I should -" He heaved, stepping away from her, fearing that he had made her uncomfortable. "No, it's okay." She replied, grabbing his hand and making him step towards her once again. "I like it when you're close to me, especially like this." JC blushed, his cheeks flared up, and his hand shook in hers. Pinned to the wall, (Y/N) placed a hand on his cheek, and the heat from it radiated onto her hand. "Well, aren't you going to say something? Do something?" She chuckled, feeling her own cheeks light up. Despite her snarky demeanor, her own cheeks were lit, and she nervously rested her hand on his waist.

"Are you... sure?" He asked hesitantly, a hit of confidence coming back to him when he saw her nod her head gently. Smiling softly, he leaned in to plant a quick kiss on her lips, but as soon as his lips touched (Y/N)'s, she placed her hand on the back of his head, keeping it in place. JC hummed gently into the kiss, following her steady rhythm carefully. (Y/N) had smiled into the kiss as well, finally getting what she wanted after months of being his partner. The feeling of his lips on hers made the butterflies in her stomach stir. Pressing closer against her, JC wrapped his arms around her smaller form, holding her tight to give her comfort. A few beats later, he leaned back, letting go of the kiss but keeping his arms around her waist. "Goodness..." (Y/N) gasped, her cheeks turning red when she opened her eyes to see JC's sharp features once again. "Well, aren't you going to say something? Do something?"  He repeated teasingly, watching her flustered expression. "We should definitely do that again, not now, though." She giggled, resting her hand on his chest gently. "You're right. Let's get the hell out of here." He smiled, letting her grab onto his outstretched hand. (Y/N) let a smile of her own slip its way onto her face, holding on gently to his hand.

All she wished for at that moment was that she could have more moments like this one with JC, moments where she could hold his hand and just exist with him. Just thinking about it made her heart flutter, and her cheeks go red. JC felt his heart quiver in his chest once again. Just being around (Y/N) put him in a good mood, and everyone close to JC knew this, including his brother, Paul. He knew that (Y/N) would be good moral support for JC, so on his first day at the office, Paul had talked Mr. Manderley into letting JC and (Y/N) work together. JC had a feeling that's what happened since Paul was always so smug whenever (Y/N) was around. Or did it just happen to come down to fate? He wasn't so sure anymore. (Y/N) squeezed his hand lightly, looking at him with gentle eyes. "Hey, no matter what happens, we're in this together, alright? I won't leave you behind." She reassured him, trying to make him perk up a bit. "And I'll be here for you too, till the very end," JC whispered, squeezing her hand back, looking back at her with his sharp but loving gaze.

(Y/N) basked in this moment for quite a while, not wanting to forget this moment, or his gaze, for a long, long time.

Notes:

EEEE, I'm not really good at writing kissing scenes so please bear with me as I try to get better lol. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! ♡ (Listening to Eclipse by Pink Floyd while finishing up this story just hits different lol)