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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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.

"What kind of challenges?" Cooking and crafts sound fun honestly, trying to picture a world carefree enough that would allow them to make cooking videos on the internet together. What she says next gets a strange look - does he trust himself to cast a spell over her? He was thinking of a protection spell for her house, which he can't do without breaking shit more than he does usually. John swallows bile and tries not to spiral. He would never risk her soul either which is why he'd already ruled it out... "Maybe we could try one later. A challenge," he clarifies, not a spell. For once he's feeling very much like magic can solve no part of this; he just has to work through it behind the scenes.

She is glad he drops the thread for her. It does feel like tempting fate to come down on them hard. Zari dealt enough with those crazy bitches for one lifetime. She focuses on how charmed she is that he doesn't know. Zari continues her slow descent down the arm that isn't against her. "Fun stuff. I always wanted to try the 'letting my boyfriend do my makeup' challenge, but yeahhh. I didn't trust any of those idiots with a dull pencil." Especially that DJ. She is so glad Nate punched him even if it was super uncool at the time.

John starts to straighten up a little to make her job easier, but he's comfortable with their proximity and doesn't want to lose it even as he snorts at her assessment.

"That's for the best, luv. I like your eyes where they are." He's already nervous about her proposition but strangely excited too. "I'm not much of an artist, at least, not unless I cheat." Glamour spells are some of his best work, but he knows how to play the game.

He pulls back enough to meet her eyes at a comfortable distance, dark eyes scanning over every inch of her face as though he's downloading the image to his brain. He loves how the gold plays off her skin tone, maybe he can recreate her Cleopatra look... amateurishly. As usual, he'll take this far too seriously but surely, she expects that.

"Since you're dressing me for dinner, maybe I can return the favor." A beat. "You're doing our hair though." Yes, 'our.' He's not taking it back!!!

It's much appreciated. Zari finishes scrubbing over his arm, taking his hand delicately in hers as she works to scrub the digits clean. She'll never get those callouses off, but never say she isn't thorough. The influencer chuckles softly at his admission. His glamour spell on her did turn out rather nice as she recalled.

What he says next actually makes Zari stop for the time being. Her eyes go comically wide as she latches onto that 'our' for dear life. "Don't you dare take that back! I've wanted to do your hair since the first time I saw that mess passing me in the hall." Zari says seriously. This is... a dream. She is living her best life. Without a second thought, she leans forward to steal a kiss.

He lets out a startled burst of laughter against her lips before melting into the kiss, eyelashes fluttering closed immediately as a hand rises from the water to hold her face to his for as long as he can get away with. It's kind of hilarious how much she seems to love having him as her very own paper doll this week and he doesn't feel like bursting her bubble when it's entirely harmless.

"It's not that bad," he argues breathlessly, forehead planting against hers as he palms the back of her head. "When you get through with me, maybe I could be on your channel." Since no one would recognize him being the joke. He lifts his eyebrows goofily before leaning in for another kiss despite the faint burn still lingering in his chest.

She hums in appreciation at the returned kiss, eyes fluttering shut as she enjoys the feel of his mouth against hers. It feels like the kiss can't last long enough before they are catching their breath again. Zari laughs softly at the argument and his goofiness. Any thought of arguing back is stolen by the kiss. She touches the side of his face, wanting desperately to be closer before thinking better of it. His smoker lungs can't handle all this. She breaks off the kiss with a cheesy joke.

"Okay, temptress. You're not distracting your way out of me pointing out how desperately your hair needs to see a brush."

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