nifties | You poke at your phone posting aerial photos of you with your smoothie ✈️

You poke at your phone posting aerial photos of you with your smoothie ✈️

John walks Behrad to his door and just barely resists the urge to tuck the big idiot in before telling him sweetly good night and closing his door before murmuring a low incantation for no one else's ears; putting a protection seal over the room that flashes up gold for an instant before disappearing with the only proof it was ever cast. He turns quickly on his heel and almost runs directly into Zari who must be heading back to her room after leaving Nate. He smiles wide if lackadaisically, his high still pleasantly wearing off.

"Well, hello there, princess," he greets warmly, hooking her arm with his at the elbow in a way he means as charming. He clearly has no idea Zari could have seen what just happened. "I was heading to the galley for a cuppa. You'll join? It's because of these bloody clothes I'm freezing half to death." The implication being it's her fault because she dressed him, or something.

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She cannot believe the stuff she walks in on sometimes. Zari very much saw all of that. Once again John just glazes right over it. If she didn't love him so much, she'd actually lose it. Zari doesn't brush him off. When she does open her mouth to respond, there is very much an underlying tone of threat. She loves John, but Behrad is literally her favorite person. She'd trade John for him in a heartbeat.

"I'll consider it if you tell me what you did to my brother's door, sweet prince." She bats her eyes innocently at him. It might be convincing if not for her tone. He's in trouble.

John turns to face her, a little dizzy for more than one reason as her demand lands on him.

"Oh... you saw that, did you?" His eyes widen for a moment, putting his hands on his hips as he hopes silently she'll see this his way. As always, these things could go 50-50. "It's just a sigil... for protection. As long as he stays inside tonight, nothing can get to him." Is it so much for him to want 24 hours of peace?

"I did, sweetie." Zari says with the patience of a woman who may destroy him depending on the answer. She literally doesn't care how sneaky is until it involves Behrad. She crosses her arms in front of her while staring a hole into him. "Is there a reason why you need to keep my brother safe inside his room for a night?"

He takes a step in towards her, grinning though he knows all too well how close he is to death.

"You ask that like it could ever be a bad thing for Behrad to be safe."

A bit of that facade cracks and John swallows as his hands drop heavily to his sides. They tremble a little like either he wasn't exaggerating about freezing or something else entirely is making him quake.

"I just realized... after being with him tonight- that maybe a week was too long." He feels like he let Behrad down, especially after the story he'd heard. John's never had a lucky streak this long without losing someone he cares dearly about and he isn't exactly eager for it to end. "He's not locked in, alright, it's just like... an extra layer of security. Just for the night." Not that he expects it will allow him to sleep any better.

John turns again, just enough to keep one eye barely facing her.

"That kettle's waiting for us, love. Finish talking down the hall?" Where they have a lesser likelihood of waking the children, of course.

Zari catches that little tremble. His explanation further brings her back to his side. He really means well. It doesn't sound like that could backfire on them in any way. "Walk with me, babe." She slots back to his side, taking his arm securely so she can lead them down the hall. The children really will be up and in their business if they don't move it along. It gives her time to mull over what he said.

She lets him go once they reach the common area so he can serve her obviously. "Something happen with our favorite man children?"

He clings to her on the way, appreciating the anchor even if he knows she could still be cross with him and he wouldn't even blame her. Once they reach the kitchen, John makes quick work of starting up the kettle, never one for using the fabricator unnecessarily, and hops up onto the counter to wait for it to boil.

"Gary, again," he groans, rubbing a hand over his eyes, trying not to play what Behrad told him on repeat behind them. "I dunno what I'll do with that tosser this time, I really don't."

"Ugh." Zari rolls her eyes, taking a seat at the table. She is not even remotely surprised as someone who got really screwed during that whole Gary Jr. mess. "You have to lay down the law with him. I do it with Leslay all the time and the worst screw up she makes is posting the wrong content. He got me brainwashed by a dog. It's probably better for his safety if I don't know what he did this time." She might actually throw her shoes at Gary.

"No, I... I really think that's wise," John agrees, scrubbing his hand over his face and somehow looking even more tired when he sets it back down on the countertop to keep himself up. "And I'm not sure a stern talking-to will do it this time."

It might take some actual repercussions, as much as he hates the idea of delivering them.

"I just- I needed to know he was alright, for once." Now he's talking about Behrad, naturally. "The spell. As much as I want to be, I know I can't always be around to protect him." Or Zari. And the thought's enough to make him sick.

Zari raises a brow. She's actually surprised John might be capable of serious consequences with any of them. Don't expect her to talk him out of it. "Do whatever you think is best with him. I can't get involved or I'll beat him to death with my heels." She lets out a groan of exasperation.

It's short-lived when he gets to Behrad. Zari nods, immediately sympathetic. "I know it's hard. We lost him for a really long time. It's okay if you're a little protective. Just don't take it too far. He is a superhero. Behrad can take care of himself." She knows that's true even if her every instinct as a sister screams for her to do more to guarantee his safety.

"Maybe that's what he deserves," John admits darkly, clenching his fist when he thinks of everything this last week consisted of, and how a few hours completely undid any peace he felt about it. He nods to her totem as he hops back to his feet and sidles up to the kettle just in time for the whistle to blow. "We took his only defense with us. What were we thinking?" Nevermind that that whole demon situation probably would have gone down far differently without it.

"You don't mean that." Zari reminds him. She gets he's upset. Zari certainly isn't any happier about it. That is his apprentice so that affords some grace in Zari's eyes. She'd feel less if she knew Gary's full problematic history.

She is not looking for deets. Zari needs to shut down that thinking before it gets too far. "We were thinking he'd be safe between the steel guy, actual arsonist, and our captains." Zari reminds him. "John, I didn't want to take this with me," Zari admits, holding up her wrist to illustrate the point. "But, Behrad had a point. He has way more experience than I do, the backing of a full team, and a ship full of weapons. What was I going to do if someone came after me on vacation and you weren't there? I can't talk my way out of everything." Yet she always seems to. Zari couldn't argue the point at the time though.

John goes through the all-too-familiar actions of fixing tea for them both, not sure which aspect of this upsets him more.

"But you have me," he points out, driving to the heart of the issue while stirring his tea and sliding her cup over. "He didn't."

It's simplistic, but most things are as Occam's razor would suggest. His eyes start to fill with water and he leans against the counter to break eye contact with her, hand wrapping around the hot mug to try and start to warm up inside and out.

"I'm not going to take him for granted anymore."

Zari accepts her tea quietly. Dark eyes stay fixed on him as he works through explaining what's going on in that head of his. She takes a sip of her tea before stating the obvious. "Then don't take him for granted." She continues as gently, "I love that you want to protect all of us. I'm glad you are going to address the manchild who might actually murder all of us on accident. Cannot stress that enough." Her frustration leaks through as she hits him with the truth. "But, don't let your savior complex make you obsess over what could have gone wrong. You didn't doom him forever by taking a vacation, John. He is literally down the hall in those ridiculous dinosaur pajamas."

He nods, about to chime in about Gary when Zari makes John face himself instead. He looks down into the steam rising from his mug and clenches his jaw.

"You're annoying when you're right, you know." But thinking of Behrad in footie pjs napping his fool heart out is a calming imagine for him, to be sure. "It's not just... physical harm, Zari. I think he had a bit of separation anxiety in our absence." Yes... like their golden retriever would.

Zari has to school her face because hearing him talk about Behrad like a concerned parent is actually super cute. God knows their actual parents speak about either of them this way. "Really? He hasn't gotten weird about me leaving since we were little." He'd cry for days when Zari went away at the start. It tampered off as time went by. She just never realized it was less about maturing and more about resenting her leaving him.

John shrugs one shoulder helplessly, taking a long drink before trying to formulate a response.

"Don't tell him I said anything, alright? But I just spent the last hour or so talking him down."

Zari shakes her head. She's generally one to keep things private as strange as that might sound given her job. Needless to say, Mick wouldn't have had his baby daddy reveal outed publicly if she had known him better at the time. Her expression softens significantly. Maybe things never changed for Behrad; just her. "Okay so he needs some extra love from us. We can handle that." Said like she's his mom and not his older sister. Is there a difference really though?

He nods with a soft smile, glad she sees it his way.

"That's all." John sets down his tea which is still too hot to enjoy holding onto despite the chill still running through him. He reaches for her as his next best source of warmth, fingers sinking into her waistline. "How was your first break from us since this time last week? Or are you still sick of me?"

Zari shivers as his fingers connect. He is actually cold. No wonder he wears a coat everywhere. Does he even have any temperature regulation? She reaches up to grab his face with both hands regardless, cupping it like it's something precious to her. "Wonderful actually. I cannot believe you're already back just to steal all my warmth. It's very diabolical of you." Zari jokes even as her adoring gaze undermines her.

His eyes drift closed at the touch before slowly blinking back open, a hazy look in his eyes.

"Ah, yes, all part of my evil plan to lure you to the dark side, princess." John absorbs that gaze and even understanding the meaning behind it, he feels like he needs to make something clear. "But if you ever do- need space? You'd say so." They have had an intense week, to say the least. He certainly doesn't want anything to change about their routine now that they're back, but it suddenly seems important to him to check in with her about how she sees it.

Edited (one letter edit is back baby ) 2020-10-22 03:54 (UTC)

Zari looks at him like he's actually insane. She's still very happy with how obsessed they are with each other. It fills a void inside her and really who wouldn't want to be with their best friend every second of the day if at all possible? "Babe, we both have jobs and we're on a team of superheroes. I think it's okay if you want to be attached at the hip when the opportunities arise." Saying nothing of the fact they can never properly share a life together. This is all they get. Zari intends to treasure every second of it.

That's not what he asks so she announces very maturely. "I'll let you know when I need space by shoving you off me."

"Thank you," he says, a smile spreading back over his face as he moves in even closer. "That's all I ask."

Now that he feels sufficiently appeased, he leans in for a kiss, already feeling like the last time they touched was too damn long ago. Sometimes, he just has to make sure she feels the same way even when it is painfully obvious.

Zari leans in the rest of way, humming appreciatively against his lips at first contact. One hand snakes behind his head to deepen it, tongue dancing along his lip as if she needs permission. She misses the privacy they had all week already, but the other Legends already know what they're like. The baby is asleep anyways.

Her lips steal a needy sound even as he presses his body flush against hers unabashedly. As usual, John doesn't concern himself with who might walk by or interrupt. They were here first so it seems like anyone's problem but his.

Eventually, and far too soon, he has to pull back to replenish his oxygen, resting his temple heavily against hers as he sucks fresh air in greedily.

"Feels weird to be back, doesn't it?" he admits, voice low and only for her as he tries to retrain himself to being in a packed ship of eavesdroppers.

She can't find a reason to care with Behrad safely in bed. Zari presses her mouth more firmly at the sound of that noise. A shiver pulses through her spine at the sound of it. She chases that feeling until John runs out of oxygen. Zari catches her breath with him, enjoying the way it mingles with his. She nods against his head.

"I feel like we left paradise." She admits softly. It'll be a long while before they ever do that again certainly.

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