nifties | You let the Devil in 😈

You let the Devil in 😈

Ever since he agreed to go on this trip with Zari, his mind's been turning over and over about it. Technically, yes, the Legends are adults. Some of them even managed to survive for years without them aboard (which seems miraculous now.) But that doesn't make it any easier for him to leave his hatchlings, no matter how many speeches Sara has about how they only live once and they should go enjoy themselves. And he knows Ava has pulled Zari aside to essentially say the same thing just in a more Ava type way.

The thing is, even when John is running away, it's never for long and he's usually only pretending to dick off. As he thinks back over the years, has he ever taken a real vacation? Ever? Something creepy or crawly always manages to find him wherever he goes and that's weighing heavily on his mind as well. If the team will be safe without him, will Zari be safe with him?

He keeps starting and stopping packing, not like it matters when he knows Zari is going to make him get a whole different wardrobe the second they're alone. He's been avoiding that one for long enough so he's kind of resigned to the whole affair honestly. Packing means leaving though, indefinitely the way his life goes. What if they damage the timeline by being out there together? And again, what if the Legends really really need them??

Yeah, so he's spiraling. When Zari finds him, he'll be pacing the length of his room back and forth - back and forth. Every time he crosses his suitcase, he drops something new in and/or takes something out so that the job never actually gets finished. He's so absorbed in his weird, manic ritual that he doesn't even notice her coming in until she's right in front of him. Her sudden appearance (from his perspective) actually makes him jump before he manages to focus his foggy gaze on her.

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It's ridiculously intimate. Zari's skin pimples up immediately at the attention, her skin buzzing and heating from a simple touch. She can hear the way his breath catches. It is a relief on one hand that she is not the only one who responds so immediately to the attention. On the other, it digs into her skin and brain. Seeing her hasn't gotten old after all these months. What is she supposed to do with that? Zari doesn't know how to be loved and desired so completely.

She's somehow both overwhelmed and happy by something as simple as John washing her chest. "You're quiet." Zari notes without any criticism, smile soft as she regards him. She doesn't have much to say either. She allows the comfortable silence to drag on as he works and tries not to fill it with quips and banter for a change.

The words, soft though they are, startle him slightly almost as if he'd been in a meditative state. Her smile is too much for him to bear the brunt of, and so he leans in to steal it from her face with the most fragile kiss he'd dare give, lips near trembling when they touch hers. Something pops into his head then, and he lets the contact break there as he ducks his head against the water's spray to continue his trek downward with the soap, teeth tugging at his lower lip as he passes over her breasts and down her belly.

"He Who created all things in the best way and He began the creation of man from clay," he quotes from the Qu'ran, voice full of uncertainty for a change. He's studied many religions, but obviously his familiarity is mostly rooted in Catholicism. "...A rough translation, maybe."

Her eyes flutter shut once their lips touch, chest bursting from the fragility of it. The more he shows her, the more she feels like Juliet. Her love increases so steadily that it must be endless. Her breath is stolen away from both the words and the position of his hands. Zari seems to catch up enough to use her words a little bit later.

"It's still a beautiful one." She argues softly. Never one to miss an opportunity to play off John, she quotes the Holy Book as well. "It's also written: And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy." It seems a fitting thing to recall now.

He blinks a few times at her choice of verse, heart feeling near bursting though he does his best to swallow it back down and stay focused on her skin. She did ask for thoroughness and he intends to deliver, slightly calloused fingers running soapy water everywhere he can reach until he ends up gripping her side and staring into her eyes from far too close.

"Do you believe that?" he whispers, almost hallowed in the care he takes not to let his voice echo. The water surround from either direction shelters them as if they were behind a waterfall and he's certain he's never felt so alone with another person, in a good way; though perhaps it's making him too earnest. "That each one of us was carved from two halves of a whole? Soulmates, I suppose."

The gentle scrape feels heavenly against her skin. Zari's eyes flutter shut as they roam freely over her body until he grips her side. Her eyes burst open. Those beautiful brown eyes of John's are so close that she feels sucked in immediately. The question is a big one. She knows if this was literally anyone else she'd laugh it off. It's John. The entire situation makes her feel like they're the last two people on Earth, but in a good way this time. The last time, well, it put her in therapy for good reason.

There are a million things she can tell the wizard right now that will either break his heart, keep this going without any drama, or win John over for good. Zari opts for honesty, vulnerability leaking into her gaze and voice. She doesn't sound as confident, but clearly means every word of what she is saying. "I didn't before. I wouldn't be signing contracts to date weirdos if I did." She points out ruefully. "I don't know how else to explain us. Ever since the moment I locked eyes with you on that stage I just..." She trails off, embarrassed by how this sounds. Who makes that kind of connection with a stranger the second they really look into their eyes? It sounds so stupid.

She picks up nervously. "And then we were alone together at that concert. I didn't feel like I was hanging out with my brother's friend. I felt like... we were picking up where we left off in some other life and yeah this sounds crazy. I'm definitely that crazy girlfriend everyone hates." She looks away, wiping at her eyes, and just barely resisting the urge to just flee. Every part of her life taught Zari that she was too much. It started from her own parents and continued to the people she surrounded herself with. The second she opens up it just feels like setting herself up for pain.

He only recognizes the spot he put her on after the fact, in usual Constantine fashion, and he bites into his lip to keep from reacting to that contract business. Even if they never got together, thank God she met him because signing your life away never ends well - even if it's to a douchey marshmallow head and not you know, an actual demon.

John hadn't actually meant them though of course that was the context for asking the question, it was more a general belief system he wanted to establish. It's interesting to him, how she can be more religious and yet less spiritual than he is by far. His heart thumps loudly, loud enough to be heard over the din of water rushing, he's certain. "I felt it too," he assures her, hoarse and a little late, but the last thing he wants her to do is leave now so the hand holding the soap awkwardly bars across her back in a facsimile of a hug. He presses his forehead to her temple and hopes his breathing will inspire calm in Zari, too. "And I could never hate you."

Those are strong words for him, maybe stronger still than the L-word itself. Many people have crossed him and regretted it, but she could chop his heart up into itty-bitty pieces and he'd just watch her eat them. He really has no better explanation himself other than that they fit. It's the only thing in his life that's ever felt 100% right.

"You didn't ask, but I've always been of the mind that everything happens for a reason... And maybe our souls intertwined before, you never know." Though Zari 1 was chilly with him at best, he could see different circumstances bringing different thems together. He tries not to let the multiverse rule his thoughts though, or it constantly would. He speaks directly into her ear now, like sharing a secret, and in so many ways that's exactly what they're doing. "I think about it sometimes, how if I had never broken Desmond's heart and shattered the universe in the process I would never have met you. None of this would have happened. We wouldn't have Behrad back either."

He has so many regrets in his life, and so many things he can never take back. But being happy with her could never be one of them when it's brought so much good outside of just their bubble of disgusting puppy-love.

She isn't sure how to read his heart beating so loudly until he speaks up. It only then that Zari dares to look at him. She exhales audibly. The influencer had been fairly certain that she screwed up. Being too open is always a mistake. He holds her, puts his forehead against hers, and Zari tries to match his breathing. He says he could never hate her. That's a lot from him. John is high drama. She has no doubt he hates many beings especially the ones responsible for putting Astra in Hell. Being the exception to that is crazy when she accounts for just how much damage she can do just by being the one who has his heart.

Her eyes are half-lidded as she listens. It makes as much sense as anything. She has to wonder if maybe Other Zari would have come to love John after Nate inevitably didn't work out. While Zari had been polite about it, she can't pretend that Nate was ever going to be a match for her. Her other self, while rougher around the edges, would likely discover the same thing sooner or later.

She shivers when he whispers into her ear, the words making her eyes water. Zari doesn't know about Desmond or shattering the universe. She does know that if they didn't have such a powerful bond, they never would have gotten Behrad back. They became a team overnight that could take on the worst of the worst, actual gods with a tiny g, and survive.

"All I can think about is that I never want this to end." Zari admits softly, voice just high enough above the water to be heard. "I know there are a million things that could tear us apart. We already faced a good hundred of them already." She jokes even if that is likely the literal amount of zombies that tried to murder them. "But, we keep finding each other. That's why I think you're onto something. We're supposed to happen. How else can we be here together?" They're both from different times, she's another version of herself, etc. It should never work and yet here they are.

It hits him with a strange intensity then, how scared he is of losing her brought to acuity with her words and demeanor. Each word hammers home how terrifying that would be and the soap drops to the floor with a dull thud as John pulls her into a tight embrace, drawing in a sharp breath to keep himself from crying. What he says next is rough and vulnerable and he clearly means every word as he pushes them out near her lips, eyes still cast down so water rolls off his long lashes.

"I promise to keep trying to find you for as long as I live."

She never means to scare him with reality. Zari somehow always does one way or another. It's hard to feel guilty about it when he holds her close like this. Her eyes hurt from trying to look at him in such close proximity. It's impossible to try when he looks so beautiful under the water spray. She smiles softly, clearly touched by the declaration. That endless sea grows a little deeper yet.

Her hands come up to gently wrap around John, gaze so unbelievably fond as she regards him. "I'll never stop looking either. I love you, John Constantine. Don't ever forget it." She tilts her head, leaning in the rest of the way to kiss him to seal their promise. As always, they act out their parts as tragic lovers too well.

He smiles into the kiss and her gentleness, as always appreciating how tender she is at these moments when he knows only he gets to see this side of her.

"You wouldn't let me if I tried," he says aloud as a reminder though whether it's more for her or himself he really doesn't know. John leans back enough to forge real eye contact. "What's your professional opinion? Clean enough for a bath?"

Zari makes a big show of thinking it over, glancing at the ceiling like it will help her decide. "I think you served your purpose." She admits just as she reaches out to turn off the water. One of her hands trails down to his wrist, gently pulling him back towards the tub. "So I guess it can be your turn now."

He waits her out and as usual, he isn't disappointed. John leans in to kiss the tip of her nose just as she grabs for him. Turning on his heel at her behest, he narrowly avoids slipping on the soap trap he'd set for himself even while avidly following her to the tub. It smells inviting and looks even better. His hand curls around hers as he switches to lead, stopping at the edge and holding her elbow to gentlemanly help her climb inside. It's less to do with chivalry and more to save himself from her later rearranging him when he can just allow her to call the shots from the beginning.

"How gracious of ye. Considering it was just my turn for quite a while."

She suspects that's what he is up to. Zari doesn't bother looking into it. She takes the help and immediately heads for what can only be called a station. It has shampoo, conditioner, a soap she really likes for John, and a soft padded scrub since he is way overdue to exfoliate. Yes, she's overthought this. She always does.

"I know, John. I am the generous and gracious woman on the planet and in multiple timelines." She points that out with a raised finger. "That's why I will take the time out of my busy schedule to take care of my prince. It's still your day even if we had a brief detour." He might be sensing a trend here. It's still fun for him at least. "Come here please."

John has to do an almost comical doubletake at the sheer amount of things she set up in the tub without his knowledge. He has to hand it to her: when she has a plan she follows through. Conceding defeat, he makes himself a spot in front of her with his knees drawn up into his chest.

"Your days are my days too, you know." It sounds like a begrudging reminder more than an admission of any sort, and John reaches over to hold onto her leg as he bares his back to her and readies himself for whatever type of treatment she has in store. "Do your worst, luv."

Edited 2020-09-27 04:27 (UTC)

She works fast. It's one of the perks of dating an influencer. They can set a scene like no one's business. Zari snorts at his dramatics. She knows damn well he's going to love every second of it. Whatever the lady can protest as much as they want.

"Gladly." Zari reminds him cheerfully. She goes for the shampoo first, ready to take advantage of those wet locks while she can. She works the liquid through her hands before diving in with her fingers to draw small circles into his scalp. "Suffering yet?"

The second her hands touch his head, it's over for him - the charade of not enjoying this, that is. He tips his neck back to give her better access, closing his eyes with a low sound of appreciation from the bottom of his throat.

"You're asking the wrong man that," he reminds her with another little grunt, already addicted to the way her fingers send little sparks crawling across his scalp before shooting down his spine in a pleasant tingle. "But if you must ask: terribly."

Zari smiles brightly. She always loves those little sounds he makes when she is caring for John in this fashion. Not being able to do it as often as she likes due to their respective jobs and Legends' duties only makes the experience that much special.

"I can tell. I think you'll really hate it if I do this." She pauses long enough to press a handful of kisses down the back of his neck before it gets soapy. It's a brief interlude before she continues her trek up his scalp. She isn't able to contain her affection any better than he is. "Lean back some more, sweet prince." She reminds as she trails up.

He shivers at the kisses though the water is more than warm enough to make up for it and he curls his arms around his knees to better accommodate what she's asking of him.

"I've never been so miserable," he sighs gamely even while tipping his head back as far as it'll go obediently.

"I am a cruel mistress." Zari banters in that same chipper tone as she works her way steadily through over his scalp. She loves the feel of his hair between her fingers. It's tempting to draw this out as much as possible. That's really not good for John so she works quick and efficient. "Dunk, please." She requests once she reaches the end. Zari is already grabbing the conditioner.

He lowers himself beneath the water and shoots back up when he's sure the soap is gone, rubbing at his eyes and immediately leaning back for her again.

"The cruelest," he remembers to quip after a long silence had already lapsed, reaching out again for her thigh as he turns to relieve the cramp in his neck while she works. In actuality, she's one of the most caring people he's ever met. It makes him want to melt completely in her hands. "If I was from your time... would you put me in your videos?" It probably comes off as random, but he's been building up to asking for a while now.

A pleasant little surge hits her belly when he grips her thigh. Zari smiles contently as she continues to carefully condition. As a woman with long hair, it's hard to adjust to the length to conditioner ratio. She thinks she's gotten better at it. It does contribute to her sounding a little distracted at the seemingly random question.

"Absolutely. Z Nation would totally love you. They're already so respectful of your privacy already minus the usual suspects." Zari notes with a rueful sigh. There's always a group of weirdos ready to tell her that she shouldn't be dating so much or at all. There are people who think she shouldn't be dating men or what kind of men to date down to skin type, hair, etc. It's a little creepy in all honesty. Zari has gotten used to having people be weirdly entitled to her. She only bans the ones who take things an extreme.

So far it's just some concern-trolling she's long been prepared for on whether they're right for the Dragon Girl and prying questions. No biggie, but since they're alone together Zari feels compelled to share all the same.

John lets out a contented little hum, acting so much the overgrown tabby cat he is inside. He isn't exactly sure why he doubted the answer, but a part of him still feels like if they could be together all the time... it would lose its appeal for Zari, somehow. He feels bad for asking when she's bringing up creeps again.

"You would tell me, if they were dangerous?" Would she even know? Ever since he learned the somewhat predatory nature of some of her biggest fans, he's been on high alert though he'd never outright tell her to be careful. Then he might actually have to heed his own advice. John turns his head to meet her eye for just a second before turning back around so she can finish the job. When she's done, he dunks his head again to give her time to ruminate on that.

She hates that he turns around because he can plainly see the reluctance on her face. Zari sighs, knowing she can't deny it. She is always with John minus some dancing around her insecurities. She waits until he comes back for air to get into it. "Honestly? No. It's not because I don't trust you." Zari puts plenty of emphasis on that. She knows how this sounds, but walk with her on this. "I have a really good team. You don't need to worry about any normal person ever getting to me. There are literally layers of protection so even if they are dangerous no one can get past them. Trust me they have tried especially when I was younger." She glosses past that one quickly, working to lather up soap. She hates he even has to hear that, but it's reality. John could easily Google her in his current time and find out all about what Little Z has to deal with. It's better for him to hear that directly from her in case the impulse strikes him when he's away on a job with Gary. "I never even meet these people. I just submit my statement if they commit an actual crime and move on. No big deal. I'm sure you deal with much worse in your line of work." She never worries about that because he has fire hands. :)

He does tense up at the immediate denial though he should have expected it. He's not with her in her time period, he can't do anything without breaking everything again. John chews on his lip and tries to let her platitudes wash over him, but it feels too much like déjà vu to his piqued sensibilities. His hand tightens on her leg and he turns into her so his head pillows on her shoulder, not really caring anymore if he's in the way of what she's doing though it still feels nice and helps him not to completely explode.

"Maybe, but my job is rustling up danger." She's supposed to be safe, away from prying eyes. He knows it never quite goes that way for celebrities of any caliber though, logically. "If I could just cast one protection spell..." He feels like his hands are tied and it's familiar but so unsettling at the same time. He thinks about Desmond's necklace and lets out a little scoff at the memory.

"I know you can take care of yourself, but I just wish..." They weren't star-crossed, even if he knows it's the only way they work. "What kind of videos would you make me do?" he asks suddenly, trying to lighten the mood. If she hasn't caught on by now, he's trying to make himself feel better about what she does. He knows she loves it and that it's afforded her freedom she wouldn't have otherwise, and for that he's grateful and tries to find the silver lining when he can.

Yeah, she had a feeling he wouldn't accept that line. Zari saves the frustrated line about John making her job harder by opting instead to start from his neck downward. A part of her wishes she let him stay in the dark about the dark side of the job. Zari knows it's only a matter of time before it would get exposed either way. All John had to do was get a little too curious once for it to become obvious that some people have some really weird ideas about her and get aggressive with them. Her moderators are top notch, but they only need to be slow on a comment once. She has no control over the videos other people make about her either.

Zari lets him start to work through it, mulling over the idea of giving in just enough to help John cope. She knows it's harder for him given his history. She is sensitive to the fact he may need to feel like he's done something for her. They are star-crossed. It's not like he'll ever have the luxury of walking her to her car after a long meeting or watching the crowd while she picks up her favorite vegan donuts. "Oh, we'd do challenges obviously. I could always use a partner on my cooking or craft videos." She does enjoy making those from time to time. Zari rubs gentle circles into his skin before deciding to circle back to what he said earlier.

"I'd be willing to let you cast a protection spell if you promised me it wouldn't turn out like it did with your friend. I don't need a verse to know that's super haram." She's not risking her soul to make John feel better. That is where the line gets drawn for Zari.

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