nifties | it's all so incredibly loud //

it's all so incredibly loud //

The ship just seems so incredibly... quiet, without Ray. He knows he has no right to think that, he's not an OG member of this little crew, but he's learned the ins and outs of how they operate anyway. At first it was begrudgingly and now, as always, he finds himself in the crux of every stupid decision they make. He can scarcely remember the day he moved in now, some stupid quip about not playing dress-up; but it feels like a different lifetime. It was, wasn't it? A different timeline, anyway.

He hears footsteps past his doorway at every hour and he's learned to identify them all. The purposeful stride of Ava, the sharp staccato of Sara, the lumbering oafishness of Rory, the light and carefree steps of Behrad... and most recently, the high-pitched clack of Zari's heels. Most nights, he hides in here, drinks a fifth of a bottle or enough to sleep, whichever comes first. His priorities have shifted a bit since their jaunt out of time. It's the first truly selfish thing he's done in forever and he knows it was for Zari, too. It's what keeps the guilt from consuming him, though his fingers itch for a drink or a smoke. He bought another pack at some point, but it remains pristine in a drawer like an insurance policy rather than anything he intends to use.

The sound startles him, her heels outside his door. His heart pounds, trying to make himself wait and see if she'll pass by. Certainly, she would if he didn't intervene. He's not that interesting when he isn't doing magic, at least by his own perception. Yet she sticks around, she listens to him. He tries not to let it remind him of anything - or anyone.

At the last possible moment, he stumbles to the door, opening it with that unsatisfying Star Trek button. He misses wooden doors, tangible things. Convenience is all well and good, but he's an old-fashioned guy, and maybe just an old one, too. That's how he feels tonight anyway, taking a half-step into the hallway so that they nearly collide. He reaches out automatically to grab both her arms, feeling like he tripped and fell anyway, her eyes once again capturing his as he forgets to speak.

"...Hey." It's soft, betraying his vulnerability as well as the wetness in his own gaze. "You weren't comin' to see me, were ya?" Probably just wishful thinking, he knows, but when she rejects the notion he can just laugh it off like always.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Zari finally cools down once it's clear he's not mad. She loves that Brits are apparently cool with parent-bashing. She gently tucks the picture in his pocket once they're close and settles in to listen. She's not disappointed in the slightest. The way he holds her is refreshing; like she's something precious. It melts her heart all over again if that lovesick way she stares at him is any indication. The advice is something she absolutely needs to hear as someone who still after her parent's approval and love even to this day.

Zari nods, softly agreeing for a change. "This could be a good family. The whole reincarnated lover thing with Nate is still super weird, but all that aside? Everyone here listens to me. I never got that without a camera or paycheck in front of me before. It's nice." She grins brightly. "And big plus? They still love you even when you're super gross and weird. I'm fabulous, but you're kind of rough around the edges. You should really settle for them." She jokes, but also she's serious. Never leave them, John!!

It's a deflection for a necessary talk. Her eyes flit away guiltily. "I can't actually introduce you to them... ever by the way. They refuse to meet anyone I date. They're still salty I turned down every guy they brought around the second I turned 18. And then I crushed whatever was left of their dreams after I graduated college and shockingly still didn't want my end goal in life to be someone's pretty wife and resident baby-maker. Probably didn't help that I made all of them cry too." She grimaces and chances to look back at him. "If it makes you feel any better about being a part of my parent's endless shame, Behrad will have tea with you. He totally loves you. You should have heard his intro speech about you when he was showing me around. It was very flattering." Zari did not buy into it for five seconds though. She feels like he knows that already.

He tries to look offended, but it's hard when she's staring at him like that. John gives into his impulse to lean in and kiss her temple softly. His forehead rests against hers as she goes on, chuckling at her assessment, that he doesn't fully disagree with. He's grateful for the contact when she brings her parents up again.

"You can make me cry any time, darling." Somehow, he makes it sound romantic, but that's his superpower, isn't it? "Don't need to meet them when I know how amazing you are in spite of them."

Maybe that's what impresses him the most about her, really. She always makes the most out of a crap situation. John only ever manages to make things worse himself. When Behrad is mentioned, he's glad she can't see his expression. Love is very accurate for how he feels about her brother, not like it's so easy to admit when he hasn't even said that word to her yet.

"I think you should recite it for me now. Seems only fair."

He does make that sound crazy romantic. Zari nuzzles against his face appreciatively. She can't find issue with what he says. She really can't say her parents are responsible for her success. It was very much in spite of them and their complete indifference to what their eldest child was up to. It feels good to hear someone acknowledge that much less someone she... is very fond of. Yep.

Zari reluctantly pulls her face away to meet his request. She sighs like she's being inconvenienced. "Fine, but let me get into character. And I'm not telling my side of the dialogue. You have to pay for a full scene." She winks just for the fun of it. Zari takes a breath, frees up one of her hands, and gets right into it. She actually can play a very convincing Behrad despite having a much softer voice. Really only his expressions and hand gestures being slightly exaggerated for dramatic effect.

"And this John's room. He's our magic guy. He's off having a magical adventure right now. You know keeping the forces of darkness at bay? He's cool like that. He'll be back soon. We just have to keep an eye out for him. He's kind of skittish so be gentle with him. You know like an alley cat? He's basically our stray cat. We have to leave him treats and be extra patient with him or else he runs away and hisses at us. It's okay because we know he loves us deep down and is just scared we'll hurt him like his previous owner. Long story, but all you need to know is no matter how much he hisses he has our backs so don't be afraid if he starts glowing and saying really crazy stuff. It's only hurts the bad guys. And hey you love cats! So be nice to him. I'm serious. Don't make him cry like that guy from the VMAs last year who had the same accent. His accent is real so don't try to catch him slipping out of character."

Zari snaps her fingers. End scene! She'll take her Oscar now!! "And then we argued for an hour if you were legit or doing some really intense method acting like that loser at the VMAs. I still owe him a favor so thanks for not being another annoying British actor. It was really inconsiderate of you."

He settles back to hear this, figuring it'll be about as ridiculous as it is, give or take a few degrees. John can totally picture Behrad saying all of it, and he can't really find anything to dispute about the speech as much as he tries.

"That's okay, luv. I can't help but commit to a role." He pauses a beat before indulging in a bemused chuckle. "You should probably never go to Liverpool, then. Unfortunately, we all sound like this."

He tosses her wink back at her before gesturing for her to lean in like he has a secret to tell her, but then he presses a kiss to the rise of her cheek instead. It should be criminal how soft her skin is. Then he makes a little spinny motion with his free hand to try and get her to turn around. Reluctantly, he lets go of her hand when/if she obliges so he can rub her shoulders to pay her back for the impromptu massage he received earlier.

She smiles like an idiot when he presses a kiss to her cheek. It's official: Zari hates him. She giggles despite herself and decides she hates him even more for that. "You are such a loser." Why does she make it sound like the highest compliment she can give him? Zari turns on cue if only because he's earned that much from her at this point. She groans softly the second he puts his hands on her. Zari has needed this so badly. "I haven't had a massage since the week before I got here. You're the best." She might actually be close to tears. Don't mind her. She really misses it, okay??

That smile is contagious and suddenly he's glad she's facing away from him now as fingers gently dig into the muscle to slowly start loosening her up.

"Shhh," he murmurs, leaning in to kiss the nape of her neck as he slowly works in over her clothes. "Just returning a favor." If she hasn't gleaned it by now, he's not the best at taking a compliment, even a flippant one.

That kiss makes her spine tingle. Zari weighs the merits of pulling her dress off to give him better contact. His inability to take a compliment gets priority over another round of temptation.

She snorts. "You really can't take a compliment, can you?" She groans as he hits a particular tense spot. "I'm gonna have so much fun with that."

"Didn't know calling me a loser was a compliment." But it was the way she had said it: details. And deflection, pretty much his only skill besides magic. He slows down to work the knot from that spot, surprisingly patient and diligent with the work. When her skin starts to warm under his touch, John slips his hands beneath her dress and starts to dig in more firmly. "Dunno how much fun you could have with it... you'd run out of things right quick."

What does he have like three redeeming qualities tops??

Zari sighs contently when his hand slips under her dress. "Oh ye of little faith." She leans into his touch and decides the Hell with it. She pulls the straps of her dress down to expose yet another lacy bra that somehow managed to stay concealed under there and lets it rest on her waist. Being able to wear impractical and gorgeous bras without them being visible is her real superpower.

"It was a compliment if I tell you what I meant." Zari clarifies as her hands go to rest on the bed. "You're really sweet, John." She means that even with the excuse of just saying things to bug him ready and waiting to be used.

John's eyes immediately trail down newly-revealed flesh and he bites into his lips at the feelings it inspires in his belly. He remembers to keep touching her a moment later, fingers more tentative and less sure at first though he's quickly getting back to picking up where he left off over her dress.

He's glad she's facing away when she explicates. He knows she doesn't actually think he's a loser, well, mostly; but somehow she makes it sound like more than that and his face heats up though she's said nothing suggestive. The actual compliment gets under his skin, as annoyed as he is flattered, and he's sure that was her aim so he'll have to concede this round.

"Don't move," he implores softly, getting up once again to toss things around, though this time he knows exactly where the item is that he's looking for. He carts an ancient-looking bottle over to the bed before settling in behind her, obviously taking this very seriously. The oil he coats his hands with before touching her again smells vaguely of rose petals, and he lets the work calm him back down when he knows on some level she's teasing him. He's determined not to give in, not when this is something he can actually give her.

"Sweet, huh?" he asks belatedly, caught between bemusement and disbelief. His thumbs press into her shoulderblade, alternating between deep pressure and lighter touching to try and break up the painful knots for her as much as possible. Who knows when she'll get back to her masseuse!! "If you say so, luv." Only he could be so confused while literally giving something of himself she didn't ask for and didn't even know he could do just because he saw a way he could help and leapt at the chance to prove himself.

One thing she loves about John is that he never seems to take her for granted. Even the fact it takes him a minute to pick up where they left off at the sight of flesh she's let him view up close as often as he likes holds meaning for Zari. She loves him more for it even if that's something she holds tight in her chest. They haven't been together for that long. She's had years of conditioning to tell her that no one likes a girl who falls too fast and too hard even if that's obviously the case.

Zari stays prone on the bed, smiling fondly as he effectively tosses his room apart again. She raises a brow at the bottle, but doesn't question it. If there's need more proof how stupidly in love she is already, it's the fact the woman with an established routine for maintaining her skin doesn't even blink at something foreign going on. Zari trusts him. It feels nice to be taken care of by someone who truly cares for a change after years of strange ones going through a sterile routine for an established fee.

She sighs contently as the scent hits her. Zari, unsurprising given her name, loves flowers. Half the perfumes in her room are just an odd variety of floral scents from all over the world. It would be relaxing enough to lull herself if not for those knots. Wow. She really should go back for a professional massage when she has the time. Zari groans softly as he hits them, but doesn't complain. She chuckles instead at how clearly he does not get it. Okay, time to spell it out for John.

"You're literally taking care of me without being asked to with fancy oil from who knows where, but you're right. Not sweet at all." She notes sarcastically.

He loves seeing her so relaxed, it's more than enough reward for his side of the equation.

"I'm a wizard, of course I have fancy oil." Why do you think he smells like incense half the time??? Come on now. He carefully avoids talking about the taking care of her part, it's something he tries to avoid doing in general yet he seems to always take in strays. In this case, a whole ship full. But of course, his relationship with Zari is so much more than that. "Feeling any better?" he asks in that lower register only reserved for her after a few moments of working her sorest muscles. He continues rubbing in lighter circles and leans in to kiss her neck affectionately.

"I don't get your memos, John." Zari points out flatly. That's all she has to say for a while. She is very content with the feeling of his hands on her back, smoothing out every knot and hard edge that's formed so far. She smiles widely at the kiss. For all the jokes, Zari actually feels like a princess right now. It's wonderful.

"Honestly? Yeah. This feels amazing." She takes in a deep breath and exhales through her nose. "Can we just keep doing this forever? Being a time-travelling superhero is so overrated. People should really learn to fend for themselves so we can be doing more important things." Like spoiling her. :)

"I'll send my most reliable pigeon next time," he quips, determined to keep touching her until she tells him to stop or his hands cramp - either way. Without noticing he's doing it, he performs a bit of reiki, his hands heating up when they pass over where she holds the most tension. It helps signal him to where he needs to go deeper and hopefully she can feel it working too.

He smiles at her suggestion, wishing it were that simple. Sometimes when he's with her - like right now - it almost feels like it could be. Almost.

"You'd bore of me doting on you all the time," John points out while not believing it for a second.

If they weren't talking, she'd definitely have fallen asleep by now. Zari breath hitches as he hits the spot where she carries most of that tension. She relaxes slowly as the heat settles in deep. Her comment comes a second off as a result. "I convinced 51 million people to hang off my every word. You think your attention could ever bore me?" She lets the implication be what it is. She loves the way he looks at her. It is better than a million likes or heart emojis.

Zari does know it isn't that simple. She reluctantly admits, "I'd feel bad after a couple of days. That guy with the glasses would probably get Mick to break down the door before that." He is pretty needy. Since Zari has no idea what stunts Gary pulled with her brother, she just regards him as a strange man child they've all seemed to have collectively adopted.

When she says things like that, it's a reminder that he'll never be part of her world, for better or for worse. He can't relate to the dedication to the rise and fall of her Social Blade, because he doesn't even know what that is. But he doesn't have to know what she's talking about to get the gist, which is sort of how their whole relationship goes in either direction, isn't it?

"Unfortunately, I've probably taught him enough magic to do it himself." And isn't that a scary thought? "What do you think is the maximum amount of time we could disappear without the villagers gathering their pitchforks?" He's genuinely curious now, though he's never been the type of person to 'vacation.' Maybe he has a reason to now.

It'd be a scarier thought if she knew much about Gary. The most Zari can think is that it's unfortunate for John. The other subject interests her more. While Zari's breathing is shallow, she's still hanging onto the waking world so far. That drowsiness is leaking into her voice though.

"Two days if we leave separately at different times. I've actually got a shoe launch coming up so that'll buy me some time before one of the dummies figures out there's a party they can crash." She yawns. Ava already has become like the influencer boogeyman; a random blond who will ruin your launch and toss you into a fountain at the end. DJ Smoremoney is currently in therapy after Nate's 'violent assault' too come to think of it. She can only imagine what chaos they'll cause this time.

"Where are we going?" Obviously they're doing this now.

The yawn inspires a slow smile as he realizes what's happening and he starts to ease her down on the bed so the pillow can catch her when she inevitably falls. He takes a bit more oil before setting the bottle aside and continues to rub her back in looser circles, less about targeting pain and more about relaxing her now.

"Somewhere far, far away." It sounds heavenly, actually, even as he vaguely recalls the first 'vacation' the Legends tried to take. Of course, he hadn't been invited yet but he sure ruined that for them anyway. "Ever been to Holland?"

Zari follows his lead like a sleepy child. The words do a lot to drive her closer to sleep. It's nice to dream of far, far away surrounded by a sweet floral scent. "I don't remember a party so no." She can feel her arms slip beneath her. She makes a token effort to stop herself as they talk. "Your time?"

He snorts at the way she apparently remembers things. He tends to count his memories by exorcisms though so he can't really judge.

"Maybe yours so we can go incognito. Amsterdam is always Amsterdam." x

Zari hums as she gives that some thought. Her numbers in Europe are just low enough that could actually work. Besides, she loves disguises and the opportunity to spend a lot of money. "Okay, but you should accept now I'm buying everything. Don't be that boyfriend that tells me he's paying for dinner." She won't accept it!!! Let her enjoy her stupid amount of wealth that remains even after paying people fair wages.

He switches to rubbing her shoulders, sliding her bra straps down so he can get in deeper. After a few moments, he presses featherlight kisses after his fingers, scattered over the top of her shoulders and up the side of her throat.

"What about me makes you think I'd object to a proposal like that?" he teases. It's lowkey always been a strategy of his, to surround himself with wealthy people who will fund his weirdo lifestyle. So if she enjoys spending money on him, he can't find a reason to complain. "I'll just have to come up with a way to repay you. Somehow."

She smiles at the flurry of kisses as they hit her skin. Zari thinks she could get used to this; get used to them. What a scary thought. Good thing she's too sleepy to really fear anything. "You're carrying everything for starters. I hope you don't skip arm day." She says like that means anything to a pale British guy who doesn't own a phone. She continues with her demands even as the kiss to her neck makes her squirm.

Maybe she's a little ticklish there. "I also demand unlimited massages and cuddles. Seriously if I feel alone for even a minute, I'm suing for that creepy murder house. Little Zari would love to play in that." Time travel, everyone.

John wraps his arms around her waist from behind and lays his head on the pillow, guiding her to do the same. Noticing the spot that made her squirm, he rubs his nose against it to hopefully spark a similar reaction.

"Your terms are acceptable," he teases against her ear, but otherwise goes still, trying to give her an excuse to finally let her mind rest.

She squirms again right on cue, a soft giggle escaping her. "Rude." Zari complains in a sleepy huff. She says nothing more than that. The pillow against her head is soft or maybe the scent of roses and the warmth of John's arms are getting to her. Either way, Zari stills too. Her breathing slows until she finally dozes off then and there.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

it's all so incredibly loud //

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject