Beat Street Cleanup
Posted on Mon Sep 2nd, 2024 @ 4:26pm by Scott Summers & Bobby Drake & Jean Grey
19,307 words; about a 97 minute read
Mission:
Episode 5: Days of Fortune Past
Location: Baxter Building
Timeline: October 26, 1990
The entire block that the Beat Street Club was on had been leveled in the Sentinel attack. Combined with the loss of Peter Parker’s life, the results had been devastating for the Fallen Angels. Today was the first day the public was allowed back on site since the attack and Jean had spent the entire day helping the affected families. The work felt insurmountable Jean knew she’d be spending a lot more long days in East Harlem. Finally finished for the evening, autumn rain arrived and made it a less than desirable to walk to the subway stations to get Jean back home. Thankfully, Scott had agreed to pick Jean up tonight.
“Hi.” Jean greeted him as she hopped into the passenger seat and shut out the pouring rain that accompanied her. “Thank you for picking me up. Next time I’ll have to pay attention to the weather report so I can bring an umbrella.”
She was dressed in a pair of coveralls that Scott had gifted her. They had originally been a joke gift in response to how much she pestered him while he was working on cars, but Jean had eventually picked up a thing or two and made use of them. Today, she was dusty and filthy with a smudge of dark dirt across her cheek.
“But maybe getting drenched in the rain would be good for me.” Jean unzipped her coveralls and exposed her sweaty skin and the tank top she was wearing underneath. A fine dust of plaster of Paris stuck to the bare midriff that made her frown in disapproval upon its discovery. “You have the right to withhold affection until I clean up because I am disgusting.”
Scott furrowed his brow at the sight. While watching Jean disrobe in any capacity was usually a thrill, curiosity got the better of him in a different way. “What were you doing exactly?” he asked, his imagination running wild with images of demolition, knocking down walls, or even sorting through the ruins of collapsed buildings. “You look like Bobby that time Juggernaut knocked him clear through the wall.”
She chuckled at the thought of Bobby huffing out a large breath and the dust cloud it created. He had come out unscathed from the attack, leaving his dust covered figure a humorous memory.
“Helping them get their personal belongings out of the rubble. Baby pictures, legal paperwork, all the stuff that’s critical for getting government assistance. We were racing against this rain but I think we managed to get everything out that mattered.” She leaned back in her seat and slouched a bit so she could look up at the city lights in the rain. “I can’t just openly use my telekinesis to move all of it, I have to be careful. So some manual labor mixed in with the mental was required.”
That point touched on a sensitive subject and it made Scott visibly bristle. Revealing mutant abilities in public was more dangerous than ever before. It was infuriating that what could have been a quick action became an all-day activity. He felt even worse that he had been too busy to help out.
Jean sighed heavily. “Some of the addicts are willing to crawl through the debris to get to their stashes. It’s so incredibly dangerous… At least the rain will ruin that.”
“Things ran long at Hodge’s office,” Scott said with a tinge of regret in his voice. “Sorry about that. If I’d known so much manual labor would be involved, I might’ve postponed the meeting again.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” Jean turned her head away from the window to look at him. “What you’re doing is important too. We just have to divide and conquer sometimes. Besides, we got everything out that mattered.”
They did look like the odd couple as they sat side by side in the Jeep. Jean filthy from a day of physical labor while Scott was dressed in office attire to match the formal environment that attorneys worked in.
“How was the law office? Did everything work out?” She placed her hand over his as Scott continued to shift gears to accommodate the stop and go of city traffic.
“Not so much.” Scott’s frown deepened into a scowl. “Hodge says there’s no clear sign of where the Sentinels are coming from. Operation Wideawake was taxpayer funded, so there was a trail to follow back then. Bolivar Trask is nowhere to be found and the MRD is stonewalling on cooperating for obvious reasons.” He let out a sigh. “Trask, or whoever is privately sending these Sentinels out to hunt mutants, is hiding behind a veil of bureaucracy that Hodge says will take months if not years to penetrate…”
That train of thought did not take telepathy to follow through to conclusion. Even though X-Factor Investigations was supposed to close the chapter on adventuring for them in order to pursue the real work of social work and political activism, it was hard to forget the seasoned skills and experience they brought to the table.
“That’s disheartening.” Jean let go of his hand and pinched the bridge of her nose as she considered everything Scott was saying. “But of course they would hide themselves, that anonymity gives them the freedom to do all these really vile things.”
She sighed again and started to feel weary not just from the day of physical labor but from the blow this news delivered. “That boy who was killed was only sixteen years old. Sixteen! He won’t be the last and of course there is no one to hold accountable…”
Jean trailed off as she followed Scott’s train of thought and the call to action that sounded off inside of him. She couldn’t deny what he was thinking about what his subconscious was asking for permission to do.
“So what are we going to do about it?” She asked in such a matter of fact manner that Scott knew Jean was onboard with whatever he wanted to do next.
“If they need proof…” Scott glanced at Jean with a penetrating side-eye that was steeled with resolve. “... then we get them proof. MRA or no MRA, it’s still illegal to hunt down innocent people in the streets.” He scratched his chin. “We’re not sure where to begin. We traced Alchemax to the Friends of Humanity and formerly Shaw Industries which was the outsourced manufacturer for Wideawake and their corporate assets were liquidated after Magneto killed Shaw. At the very least, Shaw's estate is moving money around but we have no way of tracking from where. With no obvious players on the board, we don’t even have anyone to check out. Maybe the Professor can help us find Trask?”
“Trask is so slippery. He’s going to be hard to find.” Jean folded her arms across her chest and Scott could sense her thoughts beginning to race as she contemplated all the different ways Trask could sneak away and cover his tracks. “I should offer to use Cerebro to help. Asking the Professor to devote so much time to this… he would, but he has his own agenda. Besides, I can try and find that mutant Pietro mentioned while I work.” Yet another project that X-Factor had committed to, locating Wanda Maximoff. Pietro had given them a personal lead to contact but he had lost track of the man in question.
A day with Cerebro was going to be more taxing than a day of digging through rubble but Jean was willing to push herself if it meant getting answers. “Hopefully this Kurt Wagner is easier to find than Trask.”
Scott took a breath and blew it through his lips. “I can appreciate the need to find his sister… Wanda in the wrong hands is a scary thought, besides the fact that her brother wants her back. But are we sure this Kurt Wagner is a solid lead? He could just be a wild goose chase.”
Such things were hard to talk about, but Scott was never one to shy away from a hard conversation. It was all part of the burden of leadership which had been thrust upon him from an early age. He couldn’t hold it back any more than he could hold his breath.
“Don’t let it distract from the main objective,” Scott said at length. “Pietro is part of the team now. We back him up so long as he remains a team player. But that also means he puts the team first as well. The MRA and the illegal Sentinel deployment remain our top priorities.”
“I know.” Jean agreed with Scott’s desire to focus on the main objective. He wasn’t wrong, the Sentinel program could decimate thousands of innocent people. But she couldn’t help but consider the personal connections of those around them. “Pietro is here because he was unsatisfied with the Brotherhood’s lack of effort in attempting to find Wanda. Even if this guy is a dead end, the fact that we tried, that an effort was made, speaks volumes.”
She reached out and placed a hand on his knee. Her dirty nails in sharp contrast to his crisp slacks. “I have to consider team dynamics and how we work together. While I do believe that Pietro is a good person at his core, his relationship with us is new and there is a long and complicated history between us. A little effort to consider him and his needs goes a long way.”
Jean squeezed his knee before she continued and Scott felt an empathetic tug on her emotions. “He misses her terribly. It’s breaking his heart and eating him alive. You of all people should be able to sympathize with that. I have to make time for him too because his pain matters.”
“I do…” Scott’s tone softened at her appeal to sympathy. “I also know what happens when we lose ourselves to pain. Vision is lost. Mistakes are made. We can’t afford mission creep at such a crucial juncture.” His hand rested atop hers. “But you make a solid point. Team dynamics being what they are, I don’t know that we can afford to pass up any opportunity to rescue an MIA, no matter how remote.”
Having said that, Scott let out a chuckle as a thought occurred to him. “We asked for this, you know. You suggested moving to Alaska back on Muir Island and I said no. Now look at us.” His chuckle spread his frown into a grin. “We could’ve done anything and gone anywhere in the world. This was what we chose. We might as well give it our all.”
“I don’t think either one of us would have lasted very long in Alaska,” Jean confessed. “The drive to do more, to help others, to make a difference. It’s too strong inside of both of us. Neither one of us would be happy watching the world burn from a snowcapped mountain.” Scott felt her love for him as she spoke, that happiness in being with someone so like minded as her. They had been raised together, to embody Xavier’s dream for a better world. But it was in these long days and in these hard choices that Jean loved him even more for his steadfast dedication to their cause. It was a hard road they traveled on, but she was grateful to have him by her side.
“We can do this. I know we can.” Jean affirmed every choice that had been made and disregarded every obstacle in their path. “I know we can do this because we have each other and a team of people behind us that want the same things.”
As they came to another stoplight, Scott leaned over and gave Jean a kiss. “I know there’s no one else I’d want by my side.” He looked deep within her eyes as he spoke. “We were made for each other and we were made for this. As hard as times like these are… I can’t help but feel like it’s destiny.”
“We’re meant to do great things together, Slim.” She smirked at using a long forgotten nickname before sitting up and matching his kiss. Sometimes it felt silly to say but Jean missed him even after a day apart.
The taxi cab behind him laid on the horn. A blue streak of Pakistani profanity assaulted them from the rear. Scott grinned at the traffic faux pas and stole one last peck before shifting the Jeep back into gear.
“Oh, he’s mad at you.” Jean laughed at the indignation radiating from the cabbie behind them. It wasn’t an uncommon emotion to experience while driving through New York City.
The brownstones of East Harlem were replaced with high rise buildings as they paralleled Central Park and entered the more affluent neighborhood of the Upper East Side. It was amazing what invisible lines were drawn to determine who was rich and who was poor. The haves and have nots lived in stark contrast to one another in such a short distance.
“I’m worried about what’s going to happen next,” Jean said with a touch of trepidation in her voice. “The fact that one of the poorest and most dangerous areas of the city was targeted first isn’t lost on me. Layers of political agendas stacked on top of one another and masked as public safety. Combined with a hidden corporation that’s funding everything… the whole thing reeks of corruption.”
She shook her head and waved off the bevy of outraged and mournful thoughts that followed. Tomorrow was another day that held potential for more possibilities.
Scott and Jean tried to keep some boundaries between work, missions, and their personal lives. It was easy to let shop talk consume every minute of their lives, they had to step away from it in order to make time for one another. The traffic through the Upper East Side thinned and they reached Midtown and the Baxter Building much faster. Scott parked in the garage and they began to walk towards the elevators.
“I am going to scrub every inch of my body while you order dinner. Then I’m going to have a glass of wine before…” Jean’s racy thoughts were snuffed out by reality. “Bobby is going to ask me to make popcorn so we can all sit on the couch together and watch a movie.”
Behind Scott’s stoicism was a bristle of irritation. This was why he didn’t want Bobby to move in with them. There were empty apartments right next door to their master condo. Why he had to live in their spare room when he could have his own place to himself was… He shook his head. Scott knew why. He’d already had this out with Jean and let her twist his arm the rest of the way until he’d conceded.
“Sure we don’t have an errand for him to run?” Scott teased aloud. “I don’t know that I’m up for a movie right now. Maybe I’ll find an errand.”
Of course he wasn’t going to do that. He’d missed Jean as much as she’d missed him. There was nothing beyond these walls that held his interest, not when they had an evening to spend together. “What’s Pietro up to? The two of them could go out to a movie.”
“Give them an allowance so they get out of the house. What are we? Their parents?” Jean laughed as they stepped inside the elevator. She hated to admit that Bobby’s presence had become a nuisance, Jean hadn’t expected him to want to live with them for so long. She knew why he stayed but sometimes her personal wants made her forget how lonely and sad Bobby was. “Pietro is independent and keeps himself busy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already out for the night.”
“See? Bobby could learn a thing or two from him.” Scott smirked at his quip. He needed to get it out now before they went upstairs or else Jean would let him have it for sure.
“I guess we could go out,” she pondered but Scott could tell her heart wasn’t in it. Jean was tired after a long, hard day and she wanted to relax at home, alone with Scott. “Pick someplace nice and it would give you the excuse to keep that tie on.” Jean reached out and stroked the length of the silk tie as she admired him in his business attire. “It is kind of sexy.”
The urge to loosen the tie was hard to resist, especially after a gesture like that. “Well, I don’t know,” he said, his feelings conflicted. Jean already looked good in her dirty midriff tank top and work pants. She’d only look better from there, regardless of going out or staying in. “You’d have to get dressed up after getting cleaned up.” Despite the visual barrier his glasses presented, Jean always sensed his roving gaze. It took little imagination to picture Jean scrubbing every inch of her body just as she’d said. “You might feel differently later on…”
“I feel differently right now.” Jean tugged on his tie and brought him in for a kiss. That same silk tie became handcuffs in the mental images she provided. Things always heated up so quickly between them, but add on the long days apart from one another and the friction of sharing their private space with a third wheel and it turned the sexual tension between them into a loaded powder keg.
~* ‘I want to place my lips on every inch of your body.’ *~ Jean pined for him in a way that they hadn’t experienced since they were teenagers. It took the elevator door beginning to close again to finally cause her to let go of his tie and to break their kiss.
“We’ll just go to bed early.” Jean was already preparing herself to mention how tired she was before they even ate dinner. “Decline a movie, watch trash television for thirty minutes, then go to bed. How does that sound?”
“It sounds perfect.” Scott’s mouth spread into a thin smirk once Jean had pulled away from their kiss. “If I take my time changing clothes after dinner, then I could miss a good chunk of the trash TV.”
His smirk spread wider when Jean gave him a pinch for the suggestion. “Hey, I had to try.” And then he retaliated with a featherlight tickle at the exposed small of her back.
Bobby must have heard the elevator because he was standing there, ready and waiting. “You’re back!” Pizza sauce streaked across one lip. “Just in time! The pizza got here about a minute ago and I grabbed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Hard to Kill from Blockbuster! Grab a soda and meet me on the couch!”
~Steven Seagal again?~ Scott closed his eyes and sighed. ~What is Bobby’s obsession? I’ll let you handle this one~
~* ‘He likes it when Steven Seagal isn’t wearing a shirt.’ *~ A piece of information that Scott didn’t need to know and now made the movie selection even less tolerable.
“Oh… thanks, Bobby. We appreciate you ordering dinner, you can’t go wrong with pizza.” Jean was sick of pizza. It was the only thing Bobby ate and the moment the last leftover slice was eaten, a new pie was on its way. She was sick of pepperoni and extra cheese filling her refrigerator and she was sick of bad action movies filling her evenings. But Jean kept her tone pleasant and positive, he was making an effort to take care of them in the juvenile way that Bobby knew how.
“Go ahead and start the movie. I need to take a shower.” She took her thick red hair down from its ponytail as she spoke. One glance at Jean and Bobby could see that she was filthy.
“And I think Scott needs to make a couple phone calls based on what he discovered at the attorney’s office.” A half truth, these calls could have waited until tomorrow but judging by the tension carried in Scott’s jaw he was happy for the excuse.
“We’re both exhausted from work and could use a break. I don’t know if we have it in us to watch a whole movie, let alone two. So go ahead and start and we’ll join you for a little bit.” Jean offered Bobby a smile but it was hard to ignore the touch of tension in the room and the way Scott’s hand lingered on the small of her back. The two of them had worked all day and were eager to get home and unwind together.
Bobby sighed. He knew when he was being blown off. “Well, in that case I’ll save Ninja Turtles for tomorrow since that one’s new. Hard to Kill, comin’ up!” Even a brush-off couldn’t hold back Bobby’s excitement. He spun around on his heel and slid through the air on his ice sled.
“Bobby!” shouted Scott after him. “What’d I say about ice sleds in the apartment?”
“Sorry, Dad!” Bobby shouted back as he flopped onto the sofa, bouncing hard enough to displace the other cushions. “Can’t hear you, movie’s playing!” It was a lie, as he hadn’t even gotten to the VCR yet.
Scott closed his eyes and considered taking up a smoking habit. “I’ll be in the back room…”
As he wandered back, Scott closed the door on the sound of the MGM roaring lion which was quickly replaced by the rush of running water. Jean was already in the shower. Just the thought of it was enough to sweeten his surly mood.
~Are you going to be awhile?~ Scott pushed his thoughts out to their shared psychic rapport, knowing full well Jean would catch them like a lightning rod. They dripped with salacious intent.
~* ‘Why?’ *~ He could hear the smirk in her voice, Jean knew exactly why he was asking but she was willing to play along. ~* ‘Are you afraid I’m going to miss the billiard room fight in the movie?’ *~
~That’s not a fight~ Scott rolled his eyes. ~It’s a guy pretending to fight while making bad one liners~ He had already begun ditching his clothes. Dress shirt, shoes, socks, and slacks laid where they fell. Scott at least set his blazer on the armchair in the corner before stripping down to his undershirt and boxer shorts.
Jean could practically feel the rolling of his eyes and it made her giggle. Scott took all forms of hand-to-hand combat so seriously and she enjoyed getting under his skin about it sometimes.
“Got room for another in there?” Scott abandoned subtlety and poked his head into the shower.
Jean looked over her shoulder at him as she continued to lather her hair. The familiar fragrance of her shampoo filled the bathroom and it reminded him of nuzzling her neck as he held her close and buried himself in her. That idea alone was a potent aphrodisiac.
Her own gaze lingered on what parts of his body she could see and Scott felt that thrumming desire inside of her. That sensation alone was more than enough of an invitation for him to join her.
“You lost your tie.” Jean playfully pouted but her tease quickly disappeared as those lust filled thoughts began to bounce back and forth between them. That impatient hungry side of her began to appear just from the very idea of their coupling.
“Come here.” She grabbed him by his undershirt and pulled him into the shower with her.
The next section contains mild adult content. Reader discretion is advised until the next line break.
Hot, steamy water soaked Scott's white shirt to the point of transparency almost immediately. His boxer shorts fell away of their own accord, unable to stay up under the waterlogged weight. The shower water and Jean's firm grip had stretched his shirt loose. He peeled it over his head, mindful of his glasses, and tossed it over the shower door onto the bathroom floor.
“That's better,” he quipped. Standing there together in their natural state was more than better. It was superlative. Nothing could compare.
Long, slender fingers from his strong hands slid between the sudsy strands of Jean’s sopping red locks and drew her in for a kiss that began soft and sweet but soon turned deep and passionate. The weariness of the day ran off him along with the cascading jets of water. Clutching Jean and tasting her lips under the showerhead was a recharge like no other.
~Not feeling so tired anymore~ Scott’s lips hummed with a suppressed chuckle of joy. ~But no one else has to know that. Maybe we'll just go straight to bed?~
~* ‘We can’t be that mean.’ *~ Jean countered his request for an evening in seclusion ~* ‘He’s lonely and he misses us, he just wants us to spend time together’ *~ But her body betrayed her and Scott felt her skin fluster and her pulse quicken from his heady kisses. The promise of a whole night filled with this made her ravenous for him. He knew that Jean wanted this just as badly as he did.
~* ‘But I think I missed you more.’ *~
She tilted her head back and Scott’s kisses ventured down her neck and across her collarbone. Jean attempted to stifle the moan his lips created.
~* ‘Oh, how I missed you.’ *~ She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her slick, wet figure against his own. That electric sensation when they touched traveled between them and her whole body shuddered from it. ~* ‘I don’t know how long I can wait.’ *~
~Just a quick one~ Scott tempted her with his strong hands which slid down her wet back and grabbed her posterior, the firmness of their grasp promising new heights if he were to lift her up.
~* ‘Yes’ *~ Jean was pleading with him more than agreeing with him. Her ache and need for him created an almost palpable tension between them.
~A few minutes won’t hurt. We can have a small taste of the rest of tonight. That won’t ruin anything, right?~ His lips punctuated each thought with a trail of kisses across her wet neckline. The running water swirled beneath the tip of his tongue which became a miniature eye of the storm.
~* ‘No.’ *~ She continued to agree with him despite the negative word provided. Jean’s hands became feverish and urgent in their exploration of his body, her lust needing to manifest into something as he justified what was to come next.
~Give him some alone time with his shirtless action hero~ Scott didn’t bother holding back now. The full weight of his passionate argument came to bear on Jean and her eroding resistance. ~Then you can have some alone time with yours~
Scott felt her body both tense and soften against him as the impact of his words and his passion resonated through her. Jean had never wanted or needed him more than she did at this moment. Her desire became savage and broiling and she couldn’t wait any longer.
“Fuck me, Scott.” Jean was practically panting her request to him. Her lewd words matched the vehement and inflamed passion between them and confirmed what they wanted from each other. This wasn’t tender or sweet, it was raw and primal arousal that insisted they submit and succumb to it.
Jean wrapped her arms around his neck before he felt her body rise and lift against him. Her legs tightly hugged his waist as she demanded that he take her right here and right now.
When Scott slid inside her, the act alone was enough to send a surge throughout his body. He grunted at the spike of pleasure, then let it stretch into a groan as the pleasure only shot upward from there. The water flowing across their joined bodies enhanced the feeling of being connected as one.
“Jean…” Scott tried to speak as he began to thrust, but words failed him as they often did in moments like these. They weren’t necessary anyway. He surrendered himself to the ardent pumping, first bending his knees to drop weight before standing upright again. The snap thrust of his hips at the end drove full and deep inside. With maximum penetration achieved, Scott braced Jean against the tiled wall and gyrated. The combined motion and vibration left his jaw wide open as he had his way with her.
~Oh, Jean! I missed you! I needed you!~ The rush of emotions drew Scott to bury his face against her neck where his breathing hissed his pleasure just below the ear.
Things escalated quickly between them as Scott found that rough and rapid pace that matched their urgent and desperate need for one another. This moment was the culmination of a challenging day that had been filled with heartache and disappointment. Once reunited, Scott and Jean looked to banish those ugly, hopeless feelings in the best way possible, within each other.
~* ‘You have me.’ *~ Jean psychically reached out for him and Scott felt a rough pull on his psyche that brought him into her. She wasn’t gentle with him, in the same manner that matched his heated thrusts. Their bodies and minds slammed against one another in such a satisfying way that it was impossible to hold on to themselves. Every feeling of loneliness and wanting was shattered as they came together.
She threw back her head against the cool tile wall as a sharp and poignant moan passed through her and echoed in the confined space. Jean’s whole body tensed and tightened around Scott as she dissolved into their moment of pleasure.
As focused as he was, Scott couldn't withstand the pummeling of Jean's mind against his own. It wasn't an attack. His mind couldn't hold up to a sustained psychic assault from Jean. This was an unraveling of a different nature. Jean wailed against the core of his being with the force of a heavyweight boxer or a storming tempest. Each impact filled him with all the love, desire, and adoration that swelled inside her. If not for bracing themselves against the wall, Scott might've been unsure of staying on his feet.
It was supposed to be quick. Just a single act of lovemaking to whet their appetite for more to come after lights out. But time lost all meaning. Here weren’t the pressures and demands of life, no problems or obstacles to be resolved and overcome. It was only the two of them fighting to achieve their singular desire of oneness. Nothing else mattered.
“I want you…” he whispered, words almost seething through clenched teeth. “...so bad…”
Even though he had her, it didn't feel like enough. Scott railed against her again and again, their hips rolling and clapping against the water that tried and failed to come between the press of their bodies. The deeper Jean sunk into the recesses of his mind, the harder Scott pushed against her inner walls with a lustful desire that bordered on desperation. Jean’s moans signaled her surrender in body and soul, a siren’s song that called Scott toward the little death for which he longed.
“Jean…” The way he said her name was both a cry of warning and victory, a brief herald for the chant and shout that was on its way. His pace increased even more. It wasn’t even a matter of being unable to hold back anymore. Scott more felt reeled in like a fish on a line. When he finally reached his peak, Scott let out a deep, guttural roar that echoed the savagery of his desire.
~Oh, Jean!~ His thoughts were ever on her. Only of her. He relinquished everything within him and gave it over to the wash of euphoria, for she was already his everything.
Jean lowered her head and kissed him with that same fervid passion that still coursed through them. A crush of lips and teeth that was delivered with that ravenous need. She held on to him tightly as their thoughts and bodies still burned for one another. It was an almost painfully tight hold on Scott, a sensation that provided a pleasurable tinge of discomfort that helped quell that desperate demand between them.
She held onto his body and mind until they both calmed and cooled to the point of reason and a heavenly moment of total and complete satisfaction filled those aching spaces inside of them.
“Scott,” Jean whispered his name in homage as her grip on him loosened and the strain on his psyche eased. “I love you.”
The blood quit pounding in his ears enough for Scott to register the running water that was still hot and steamy as ever. His raspy breathing quieted, slowing to the point of speaking her name without too much effort.
End discretion advisory
“I love you, Jean.” And he kissed her again, this time to stamp and seal the love letter they had written together. “Thank you. I needed that. I needed you. Today…was a day.”
“Yeah, I did too.” Jean had helped survivors dig through the wreckage of their lives today. It had been heartbreaking and enraging. She took comfort in Scott’s presence and in these acts of love which rejuvenated her.
After a moment of silent reverence, Jean let go of her hold on him and her feet returned to the ground. She dropped down to her normal height and had to tilt her head back to look Scott in the eyes.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Jean reached up and caressed his cheek, her touch was gentle and tender especially when compared to the forceful telepathic hold she had held on his mind in that moment of wanton desire.
“Yes,” Scott teased. “You wrecked me. I might not survive. Should probably go straight to bed.”
He mock flinched at Jean's half-hearted smack.
“I know, I know,” Scott groaned. “We promised Bobby…”
Speaking of the devil, the bedroom door beyond the bathroom started pounding.
“Hey! You guys coming out or what?! You're missing it!!!”
Scott sighed. “We promised,” he reminded himself almost painfully. Poking his head out of the shower, he yelled, “Be right out!”
The look he gave Jean was full of disappointment. “How much longer is he going to stay with us?”
“I don’t know,” Jean said with a weary sigh as she turned the water off and reached for their towel just outside the shower. “I was hoping it would just be for a couple days while he adjusted to the new place, then he would be eager to have his own apartment.”
She toweled herself off before dapping Scott’s shoulders dry, a slight frown on her face thanks to their current conversation. “He’s so sad, Scott.”
Jean stepped out of the shower and made room for Scott to do the same. His eyes lingered on her body and the reflection of her backside in the mirror. Jean swatted him once more to help break his train of thought. “We promised.”
She moved to the bedroom and began to dress. Jean picked clothes for lounging with mixed company, old running shorts and a slightly faded Guns N Roses t-shirt. She continued their conversation telepathically now that they could be overheard from the hallway.
~* ‘He’s been running from so much of himself, his past and his pain. Combined with all the terrible things he’s endured these past couple months, he was headed for a mental breakdown. This is the first time he’s ever wanted to face any of his issues because he knows how bad things are. He’s hurting. Bobby needs his family’s love right now, he needs people to remind him that he’s going to be okay.’*~
Jean waited for Scott to finish dressing before she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “He loves you like a brother and he admires you. You have a lot more sway on him than I think you realize.” She kissed a trail across the length of his chest before letting go of him. Scott could feel how hard that was for her, she too wanted to tumble into bed with him. “We just have to be patient with him. He’ll come around.” Jean opened the bedroom door just in time to hear Steven Seagal.
“Fuck off and die!” The words echoed down the hallway from the far too loud television. The cheesy line made Jean’s brow furrow.
“One slice of pizza, we promised,” Jean said more to herself than to Scott before she exited the bedroom and made her way to the living room.
“Is it better upon its third viewing?” Jean asked Bobby while she helped herself to a slice of pizza.
“Yes!” Bobby said, keeping the fact that this was his sixth viewing to himself.
Scott had done the finger math on the run-time and deduced that Bobby had not really started it from the beginning as he'd thought. What had that roaring lion been? Maybe because the film was nearing the end.
~He was watching this before we got home ~ Scott pointed out to Jean. ~If what you said about the shirtless scenes are true, then remind me to disinfect the entire room in the morning~
The pizza was also room temperature at best, but Scott didn't care. That only made it easier to eat in fewer bites.
“Whoa! You must be starved!” Bobby laughed at how Scott devoured his slice in three chomps.
~Shit!~ Scott immediately regretted his hastiness. “Uh, yeah. Starved.” He took another slice and nibbled on it more gingerly.
~At least this movie is almost over~ Scott told Jean.
~* ‘Even better.’ *~ Though Jean felt bad about being so quick to disregard Bobby. His intentions were good, it would just be nice if he considered anyone other than himself. Jean may have been more amicable if it was more than junk food and bad movies.
“Did you talk to the registrar at the Manhattan Community College today? What did they say about a late start on the fall schedule?” His meeting at the school had been his excuse for not going with Jean to the Beat Street Club.
She sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Bobby and made room for Scott to sit right next to her. The need to be close to one another was still strong between them and Jean curled up in the crook of his arm after Scott settled.
It was at that moment that Bobby realized both of them had wet hair, not just Jean.
“About the same as Scott's phone call, I bet,” Bobby said. “If you two wanna go fuck, don't let me stop you.”
~Hey, you heard him~ Scott humorously quipped behind his stone faced demeanor. ~We have ‘permission’~
“Don't let lame old me get in the way of a good time!” Bobby's voice was getting louder now.
“What do you mean?” Scott posed innocently. “You're always the life of the party.”
Bobby scoffed. “Yeah, I know what party you two just had!”
~Alright, what now?~ Scott was at a loss. ~Do we lie?~
~* ‘Never lie.’ *~ Jean replied before facing Bobby’s accusations.
“We’re engaged and in love, Bobby, after a rather challenging time apart from one another.” Jean huffed in mild frustration over the need she felt to defend herself. “So yes, we have an intimate relationship. We are trying to be considerate but since we’re all living together, you’re occasionally going to put two and two together. We’re allowed to have a physical relationship in the privacy of our bedroom, some discretion on your part would be nice.”
“I already said it's fine!” Bobby all but shouted.
“Keep it down, Bobby…” Scott cut in. There was being upset and there was stepping over the line. He wasn't going to sit there and allow anyone to yell at Jean.
“Keep what down?!” Bobby shot back.
“You shouting,” Scott said calmly.
“I'm not shouting! You're shouting!” Bobby was on his feet with the second pizza box in hand. “I'll just go finish this in my room! Then you can fuck like rabbits and not have me in the way.”
~I’m not stopping him~ Scott sat on the couch totally unmoved. ~Are you going to stop him? Because I'm not~
Jean delivered a bombastic side eye to Scott as she got up and started to follow Bobby.
“Sayonara! Good night!” Bobby's voice dripped with a bitter cocktail of rejection, envy, and loneliness as he went down the hall.
“Bobby, wait. Stop.” Jean’s voice softened to its usual empathetic tone as she made her way down the hallway.
The trip to the spare bedroom was short enough that Bobby had already entered the room. Jean lingered in the doorway, giving him space but still eager to speak to him.
“I’m sorry, Bobby.” She apologized to him with that genuine kindness that only Jean could provide. “We didn’t mean to disregard your feelings, I understand that this is a trying time for you. Can you forgive us?”
“No, it's fine,” Bobby said while staring down at the floor and the pizza box he'd set there. “You two have each other. Scott went and found you after being the world's biggest douchebag. Why shouldn't you hump all day and night?”
~I would if I could~ Bobby thought to himself before remembering that Jean could probably hear that.
“Uh…” He blushed furiously. “Yeah, uh, let’s just call it a night…”
A loud bebopping beat came up the hall from the living room. It brought a gasp to Bobby's lips.
“Is that… no!”
Turning giddy as a child at Christmas, Bobby grabbed the pizza box and rushed past Jean back into the living room.
Scott had just sat down on the couch. When he saw Bobby return, he gave the cushion next to him a slap. “Come on, buddy. There's another movie.”
“Turtles?!” Bobby exclaimed in excited disbelief.
“The one and only,” Scott confirmed. “And bring that pizza over here. I could use another slice.”
There was only an instant of reluctance before Bobby jumped over the back of the couch and let the pizza box fly into Scott's lap. “Cowabunga!”
~Sorry~ Scott offered the solitary thought to Jean. If anybody in this world understood the gesture, it was her. ~If you need to get some sleep, I'll understand. I can stay with him either way~
~* ‘Don’t be silly, I’ll watch Ninja Turtles too.’ *~ Jean made her way back to the living room and smiled at the overly excited Bobby before she sat back down with Scott.
~* ‘Thank you.’ *~ She leaned over and kissed Scott on the cheek. Her gratitude wasn’t just for this moment but for tolerating Bobby living with them for this undisclosed period of time. Scott’s heart wasn’t made of stone but they both knew he wouldn’t have let Bobby stay here at all.
~* ‘I know you can see what a difference being with us makes.’ *~ Jean returned to her curled up position with her head on Scott’s chest and an arm draped across his waist. They both glanced over at Bobby who was wide-eyed and fixated on the television. ~* ‘He just needs some support right now, his fear of abandonment is warranted.’ *~
~I can appreciate that~ Scott agreed. The acknowledgement stirred up a few distant storm clouds of his own. ~We all cope differently. His way isn't actually that bad. Maybe I could learn something~
It was a humbling admission that Scott didn't fully believe to be true. That didn't stop him from putting it out there anyway. Sometimes he got lost inside his own head and needed someone else to pull him out. Who was he to judge?
Jean squeezed him tightly with the single arm that was draped across him. It was a small gesture but it helped banish those looming clouds and bring him back into the moment. She was here with him and nothing was going to change that.
The TV got loud with the turtles getting way too excited about their pizza delivery.
Holding up a half eaten slice, Scott offered it to Jean. “Pizza?” He grinned at the gesture. There was something else they would both rather be indulging in at the moment, so much so that it made the entire situation funny.
Jean sniggered at his offering of pizza before making eye contact with Scott. There was a brief pause as they shared a look over the overt innuendo. Mustering all her self control to stop herself laughing, she leaned forward and took a large bite out of the slice of pizza Scott had offered her. Her green eyes remained fixed on his behind those ruby lenses the entire time. A faint smirk curled the corners of her lips as she started to chew.
~Yeah, I’d prefer that too~ Scott got the picture loud and clear of what Jean would rather be rolling around inside her mouth. ~But it wasn’t so long ago that both of you were missing. I should count my blessings~
“Dude, did you see?!” Bobby squealed and pointed at the TV screen. “Haha! I wonder if we ever look that cool! You know, fighting bad guys and all that!”
“You look even cooler, Bobby.” Scott turned his smirk on his friend.
“I do? I mean…” Bobby’s surprise turned to a grin. “Ha! Scott’s got dad jokes! Guess it comes with the terr…it…tory…” His words trailed off as Bobby realized he had just potentially stepped on a landmine.
“It’s okay, Bobby. Jean and I are working that out.” Scott did his best to provide reassurance that the evening was still a good one. “It’s okay to talk about.” Then he slugged Bobby’s shoulder for good measure. It was a little out of character, but Bobby had a way of bringing out the juvenile side in everybody. “Not that I’ll let you get away with it entirely.”
Bobby cast a weather eye at Jean, wondering if she held the similar sentiments. “Yeah?” he said to Scott. “Bite me!”
“It’s okay, Bobby, you can talk about it. You can even ask questions.” Jean sat up a little in case he wanted to know more. It wasn’t her favorite topic but Bobby had been through all of this with them, if there was anyone who was entitled to an explanation it was him.
“Besides, there will be a baby around here before you know it and I am obviously not pregnant. So we’ll have to explain it to everyone else, we might as well practice now.” Her tone was a little flat and there was a touch of strain in her words but Jean approached the conversation with a degree of honesty that was always appreciated.
“Well, if we’re being honest…” Bobby glanced back and forth between them before deciding to dive full force into his candor. “How did you not bash this idiot’s face in? No offense, Scott… but you were an idiot!”
Scott flinched at the criticism but didn’t look away. “I was,” he conceded. There was more to it, of course. Now just wasn’t the time to explain himself. Bobby’s question had been posed to Jean.
“So… I just don’t get it.” Bobby shook his head. “I’m glad you two are together. You… I was always happy for you two. Like, it was always nice seeing friends so happy together, you know? But I don’t know any of… it… happened or how…” He stammered a moment and waved his hands in the air in front of both them. “... this… is still happening.”
“Love takes work,” Scott said. “Mistakes add to the workload, sure, but love is a commitment as much as a feeling. My commitment is for Jean. That’s simply that.”
Bobby looked skeptical as all hell but he didn’t know how to articulate it. “Simple as that, huh?”
“It takes compassion and understanding,” Jean replied with her side of the story. “There is a certain degree of selflessness that comes with loving someone. You have to see them and hear them even when it’s hard to do, even when it hurts you.” A brief glimpse into her pain over everything that had happened. “But you both learn and you grow stronger together when you face those challenges.”
She reached up for Scott’s cheek and turned his gaze towards her own despite the fact that she was still talking to Bobby. “When Scott and I first met as kids, we were both lost in a lot of dark and sorrowful feelings. But we faced them together and we learned who the other person was and helped each other become better people. All that hard work forged a really special type of love between us and now I couldn’t picture my life without Scott in it. These missteps and mistakes, they are just another form of adversity that we’ll face together and come out stronger because of it.”
Jean looked at Bobby but still held Scott’s head in her hand. “I have faith in ‘us’. I believe that Scott and I are better people because we love one another. I will always put my trust in him because of that.”
At first Bobby looked confused. The more Jean spoke, though, the more thoughtful he became. He nodded slowly, processing what she was saying. Meeting Scott's eyes, they even shared a nod of understanding. When Jean finished, though, he covered his face in his hands and started to bawl.
~Nobody will ever feel that way about me~ Bobby told himself. ~I don't even know if I can feel that way about someone else! No wonder I fuck everything up!~
Scott looked at Jean with concern. Obviously some kind of chord had been struck but he wasn't sure which one. Maybe it was something unmentioned entirely. He offered a shrug to confess his utter uselessness in that moment.
“Oh Bobby, if you want that, it will happen for you too.” Jean got up and sat next to Bobby to comfort him, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and held him while he cried. “But it doesn’t just happen, it takes work to learn how to love.”
She glanced over at Scott for a moment as the unspoken pieces of the puzzle fell into place for him. Jean had told him that Bobby was hurting, that he was sad, but he didn’t realize that Bobby felt so unloved and so worthless.
Jean mothered Bobby in that moment and held him until his bawling became sniffles. “You have to love yourself before you can love someone else, you have to be comfortable in your own skin and with your own thoughts. Running from yourself and into another person’s arms might seem nice at first but it always falls short. I know that’s hard to do and there will be times that you feel like you can’t but in those moments… that’s what Scott and I are here for, to support you and remind you that you’re worth fighting for.”
“Jean’s right,” Scott agreed. “She basically summed up where I went wrong. I can’t explain it away or justify it. Almost felt like someone else was making decisions for me, I felt trapped by everything that had happened.” He clapped a hand onto Bobby’s shoulder and gave him an encouraging squeeze. “But I was only trapped in my own mind. I could have broken free any time. Once I did… things got better. We want the same for you, Bobby.”
“I get it…” Bobby had stopped bawling but he still kept his face covered all the same. “I get it. I just don’t know how.” He sniffled hard several times. “Thank you, though. It feels better knowing you’re here and you understand.” His eyes dried enough that he was willing to rub his arm across his face. Everything was red and puffy from his eyelids to his nostrils. “Would it be okay if we finished the movie tomorrow? I… I think I just wanna go to bed.”
~Hell yes that’s okay!~ Scott all but screamed inside his mind. Out loud, he said, “Sure, if that’s what you want, Bobby. We can even start it over tomorrow and watch it from the beginning.”
Bobby gave a wan smile. “Yeah, that sounds good.” He pushed himself to his feet and gave them both one last look of thanks. “Good night, guys.”
“Good night, Bobby.” Jean leaned forward in her seat and watched the hallway until Bobby was out of sight and the bedroom door was shut.
~* ‘Oh my goodness!’ *~ Jean mentally huffed the words as she leaned back and into the couch. ~* ‘I love Bobby, I really do. But he’s a handful sometimes.’ *~
From her slouched position next to him, Jean looked up at Scott with a satisfied smirk on her face. “We managed to get Bobby to bed,” she chuckled. “Are we going to bed now too?”
Scott had already turned off the TV and was halfway back to the couch. “You bet we are.” He took Jean by the hands and pulled her up to join him. “We had some unfinished business from before.”
With that, Scott swept Jean off her feet and carried her down the hall with her feet kicking with excitement. His steps were hurried, as he didn’t trust Bobby to stay in his room for long. Once they were back inside their room, Scott set Jean on their bed and stepped back to admire her lounging posture.
“It’s been a long day,” Scott teased, suddenly feigning fatigue. “If you want to tuck in early, get a good night’s shuteye…”
The next section contains mild adult content. Reader discretion is advised until the next line break.
“Absolutely not.” Jean feigned outrage in response to his fatigue. “We worked hard for this quiet night at home, I’m not letting it go to waste.” Without hesitation, she began to undress with a reckless abandon, throwing each article of clothing at Scott as it was shed. It may not have been the most sensual of stripteases, but her eagerness created a buzz of excitement between them.
What the action lacked in finesse, it made up for in jiggle physics. Scott found himself quickly sucking wind at the unexpected eagerness and all the delightful visuals that came with it.
Sitting up on her knees in the middle of the bed, Jean curled her finger in a come-hither gesture as she smirked at him. “Scott Summers, you better get over here.”
Scott threw his own clothes aside, letting them commingle with the clothing Jean had tossed at him. He jumped onto the bed on all fours. It was nearly a tackle, except he halted at the last moment to keep from bowling Jean over. His face slowly leaned in to hers so that their lips could meet firmly and gently like a docking maneuver.
“I was worried you’d never ask.” He let out a sassy chuckle before renewing their kiss again, this time pulling her bottom lip to better rub the tip of his tongue along the pouty crest.
~Now that you did…~ Normally Scott’s mind was a steel trap, a closed vault that betrayed nothing except for the loosest of stray thoughts. But with Jean, he could be vulnerable. His mental armor that he used to protect himself against the world was cast aside along with his clothing, allowing himself to be truly laid bare with Jean. The lurid images that followed were only the tip of the iceberg, but they were saturated with his desire for her. ~I’m going to give you everything else you asked for~
Jean erupted into a fit of giggles as naughty thought after naughty thought passed through her mind’s eye. This joyful and flirtatious mood was invigorating and a much needed change after the long day they both had endured.
“Deviant!” She playfully chastised his lewd thoughts as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled Scott into her. Jean’s soft curves pressed into him and all those dirty ideas began to feel like reality. “I love it”
Jean kissed him with more of that repressed enthusiasm that was now coming to the surface. Hungry lips that pressed so firmly to his own that he could feel the shape of her smile that persisted.
~* ‘Which one shall we do first?’ *~ She coyly asked as their kiss turned ravenous.
~Your favorite, of course~ Scott let slip a mischievous chuckle as he pulled away from Jean's lips and quickly sunk lower. He gave special attention to her neckline, slowing from below her ear and tracing a line to the hollow of her shoulder, just for the effect it always had. The flustered gasp was like music to his ears.
~Lay back~ His hands guided her, one forward on her sternum and the other from behind on the small of her back. Kisses between each breast were hasty in his rapid descent down her midriff to his primary target.
~I’m going to kiss every inch of you~ Scott promised even as he began making good on it. ~Starting here~
His lips began at her delta and only then took their time, moving along at a crawl, all the better to savor every moment. Scott let his hands guide Jean’s legs into a more comfortable position before propping himself on one elbow.
“I love you, Jean…” he said with one last look upon her face. And then he buried his face down below, lavishing firm but tender kisses in a reserved invitation for Jean to bloom for him.
~* ‘I love you…’ *~ Jean arched and pressed herself into him as Scott began his meticulous endeavors. ~* ‘And I love your mouth.’ *~
He found a languid pace that coaxed Jean from mere excitement to wanting arousal. The change made her skin heat as all traces of tension left her body and Jean’s occasional giggles became soft moans of delight. Scott felt her thoughts ease as her lingering stress dissolved and her focus became solely on him.
“Scott,” she pleaded with him as her hands reached out for him. Jean tugged on him in a gentle request for him to leave her thighs and claim her. “I want you.”
There was nothing Scott wouldn’t do for Jean. He’d already promised that her wish was his command, so when she asked for more, he obliged. There was nothing that said he had to be quick about it though.
~You got me~ It was a pledge and a confession all rolled together. Scott moved back up Jean’s body, planting kisses wherever his hands caressed, enjoying the feel, smell, and taste of each part. The scent of the shower was still fresh on Jean’s skin, though her natural musk was still there for him to cherish.
By the time Scott’s kisses had returned to her neck, his desire had become palpable. Holding back became an exercise in futility. “I have to have you,” he whispered in her ear just a moment before he entered her. A gasp of delight followed that was carried on his hot breath. “Oh, Jean…”
He was still for just a moment, allowing the feeling to linger and spread throughout his body before he took to action. No matter how many times they were intimate, it still felt as exciting as the first time. Wherever they were and whatever they did in life, this was what home felt like. This was the paradise for which they would always labor and strive. “... I love you.”
Jean wrapped her arms around him and savored this perfect moment. Their love had always felt like fire to her. At times it roared and burned so hot that she felt all consumed and immolated by it and at other times it was docile embers that warmed and comforted her with its gentle presence. Scott could make those flames rage or smolder with a simple touch or lurid thought. He was the source of her passion and her peace.
“I love you, Scott.” Jean sought out the outline of his eyes as they paused to appreciate one another. Life was hard and terrible at times but he always reminded her of the beautiful things that made it worth living. Whenever they had a moment of calm she would do this with him because it made everything else tolerable.
She kissed him and felt that swell of heated desire inside of her. Scott groaned in return and she knew he felt it too, a thrumming beat of pounding hearts and pumping blood that spurred them to take action. Jean provocatively rolled her hips into him as a reminder of what sublime pleasure could be achieved.
Taking his cue, Scott began to rock back and forth, plunging her depths. There was always a special glint in Jean’s eyes when she could make out the shape of his irises. Not only did she grip him all the tighter between her legs, but her heart came alive with a brightness that engulfed him in her love. Jean was the only person to ever see the whole of him. When she looked through the opacity of his lenses in the same way she peered through the fog of his melancholy, it made him feel more seen and loved than he thought possible.
“Jean…” When he spoke her name again, it was both praise and a plea. He adored her with all that he had in him which made him want all of her that was to be had. The cadence of his rolling hips picked up, the pleasure being so full and complete that it barely registered anymore. Scott’s gauge was topped out, leaving him in an overdrive of ecstasy in both heart and body. His breathing quickened with tender and heartfelt yelps that occasionally punctuated the passing seconds.
Jean let go of her tight hold on him as their pace quickened, giving him the freedom to move at the speed that satiated their building desires. She placed her hands above her head and began to move in time with him in a lithe rolling of her hips that caused her whole body to undulate beneath him. Jean’s supple figure pressed and brushed against him, adding to the pleasure their union created.
~* ‘There, don’t stop.’ *~ She whispered those words in his mind but he didn’t need to hear them to know what she was asking for. The knot of tension that was building inside of her, the hitch in her breath, the haze of bliss that began to fill her mind. Scott could feel all of those things and knew she was close to the edge.
The angle was identified, the position set, and the finish line in sight. Scott doubled down and pressed his thrusts faster and harder, longing to hear that keening cry of Jean’s passion which hooked his soul from the first time he ever heard it. Such was their connection that whenever one of them went over the edge, the other wasn’t far behind. If anything, the first dragged the other into a shared moment of blissful ecstasy.
And then it happened. Scott felt the telltale sensation of looming release. It led him to wrap his arms around Jean in a tight cocoon of limbs where he delivered the final brunt of his passion until the edge came and went for them both.
~Jean!~ Scott screamed in his mind, for his senses had scrambled. All that he knew was the sublime pleasure of oneness with her. His sense of individualism blurred in that moment as happiness bonded them together as one.
As close as Scott held her physically, Jean held onto him mentally, allowing the two to savor one another until neither one of them could tell where their own gratification started or ended. Jean tensed and shuddered in Scott's tight hold on her and the confinement allowed him to feel every shiver and quiver that started in her core and moved through her body as his own pleasure took hold. She moaned and mewed in ecstasy as release overcame her and Scott plummeted alongside her.
Heavy breathing from their efforts filled the bedroom and Jean’s arms returned to holding Scott tightly against her. She remained quiet in their moment of post-coital bliss as she buried her face into his neck and clung to him. Scott felt an overwhelming pang of need for him inside of Jean that went beyond their lust filled frenzies.
She had comforted the masses as they dug through the rubble of their lives today. Broken urns of loved one’s ashes, wedding photos destroyed, family pets gone forever. Jean had held them all as they mourned what had been taken from them. It was the sort of sadness that would stay with a regular man for a very long time. But for someone like her, who heard every thought and felt every emotion, it had been like drowning in sorrow. Now that their initial need for one another had been satisfied, she could finally face the storm clouds that lingered in the back of her mind.
That’s why these moments became so necessary for Jean. It was only with Scott that she was able to swallow and overcome the darkness that otherwise would have haunted her. He had always been her safe harbor, her soft landing.
“I hope you realize how much peace you bring me.” Jean murmured into the warm skin of his shoulder.
At first Scott could only whimper ever so softly in reply. He meekly nodded which made his temple rub against the crown of her head. “I do…” he whispered at length. “About as much as you bring me.”
The confession made his voice crack with emotion. It didn’t matter what adversary, barrier, or obstacle the day presented. Knowing that he had Jean waiting for him every night empowered him to fight any battle. Just the thought of that prompted Scott to hold Jean even tighter in his arms.
“Forever,” he whispered, kissing the left side of her head, then the right, “and again.”
Jean smiled as he delivered their words of eternal devotion. A promise that had been made so many years ago that still remained true, it made her heart flutter over him.
“Forever and again.” She repeated the words to him in confirmation of their pledge to one another. Jean lifted her head and tenderly kissed his neck and the lines of his shoulders. Softy, fleeting little kisses that faintly tickled as her eyelashes and the warmth of her breath brushed against his skin along with her lips.
~* ‘Tomorrow is Saturday’ *~ Jean reminded him as her kisses continued
~* ‘We don’t have anywhere to be and it’s supposed to rain all day.’ *~ Her kisses began to linger a bit longer on the side of his neck. ~* ‘We could stay like this all day.’ *~
~We can certainly give it our best shot~ Scott did his best to ignore the outer world and even the future itself. Nothing else existed outside moments like these, or at least that's how it felt from the inside. ~The worst that could happen is we steal extra moments together~
After being apart for so long, hours felt more like years when they weren’t together. Maybe one day the intensity would diminish and they could stand to be in separate rooms, but for the time being, they were attached at the hip.
Scott smirked at that turn of phrase. They were literally attached at the hip at that very moment. His suppressed chuckle tore him away from the low mood that always threatened his inner thought life.
~Sorry…~ He steeled his mind to avoid the pessimism and focus on the positive. ~There’s nothing I would enjoy more than to spend a rainy day in bed with you~
Scott had always had a pensive mind that could easily teeter over into melancholy. All it took was a factor or two with a gloomy lining to it and he could turn it into rain clouds.
~* ‘You don’t have to apologize.’ *~ Jean replied as she gently nibbled at the side of his neck. But her response was genuine, she had never asked Scott to stop or change his point of view. Jean respected the gravity in which he approached everything, there was something to be said about a person who committed to that level of focus and consideration. The side effect of that diligent appraisal was a realist’s heart that didn’t shy away from a hard truth.
~* ‘Things are ominous right now and I will admit that I’m scared.’ *~ Jean hugged him tightly as she confessed her own concerns. ~* ‘You’re worry is valid and the amount of work we have to undertake is vast. But I don’t want us to stop living. I don’t want us to deny ourselves a single moment of the joy and happiness we find in each other’s company.’ *~ He felt a pull of devastating sadness inside of her not for what was but for what could have been. ~* ‘I almost lost you forever.’ *~
Jean’s kisses suddenly turned feverish as her resolve spurred her into action and the sorrow for a false future vanished.
~* ‘I’ll be damned if anyone comes between us or denies us what our hearts want. If the world crumbles and burns I know that I will always have you and this perfect love that we share.’ *~ Her hands began to roam across his body as he felt her need to claim him and
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