nifties | I'm way too young to lie here forever⭐️

It is ridiculously cute how flustered she gets. Zari only turns a darker shade of pink at his follow up. As usual once he plays with her, she can't help playing back. "You really want to go there?" She challenges just before she makes her move. It is extremely unfair to shove a man who is trying to get his pants and yet that is exactly what Zari does. She pushes him onto the floor and straddles him to prove a point. As if this in any way teaches John a lesson about embarrassing her. "Because you really don't look in charge right now."

Caught off-guard, it's extremely easy to overpower him, and he goes down hard. It knocks the wind out of him, but as he's catching his breath just as she pins him to the ground with his pants around his ankles and not one button done up on his shirt yet.

"Only cause you caught me with my pants down," he jokes with a dry laugh that quickly spirals into a cough.

Despite the actual violence she just displayed, he can't help the way his body wants to react to her right now though he knows they don't have the time. The only way he can think to retaliate is by nudging his hips up into hers, it seems suggestive until he uses it to flip her over so he's covering her on the floor now, his hands pinning her wrists against the hard floor.

"Why so red, sweetheart?" Nevermind the bright red flush crawling up his chest and onto his own throat.

Edited 2020-11-28 04:49 (UTC)

It makes for a pretty picture in Zari's book. Maybe it wasn't the nicest thing to do. She's certainly appreciating the view from above. Zari soon feels the nudge and prepares to shut that one down just as flips the script on her. She lets out a soft sound of protest as her back hits the floor. Zari glances at her wrists irritably as once again she remembers that he can do that.

"I could ask you the same thing." Zari meets his gaze, then drawing attention to the red creeping at his throat with her eyes, back up again. She's determined to play it cool even as she feels her body react, nipples pebbling underneath the silk. At least the robe is a nice cover for that, Zari thinks.

"You should get dressed, sweetheart. You look ridiculous." And you know if it gets her up that's just a nice perk. Actions having consequences is so overrated.

He feels the way her body goes rigid against his, even through silk, and he has to bite into his lips to keep from making an embarrassing sound. His thumbs brace against her pulse-points, feeling the rushing of her blood beneath them in a way that washes over and comforts him.

"Oh, I look ridiculous, do I?" he can't help but taunt her, not wanting to let go until she at least puts up a fight. Instead, predictably, she's trying to talk herself out of a tight spot. "As I recall it, was trying to pull my trousers up when you started in on... this."

Even if she won't fight him, John thinks it's high time she answer for her crimes!!

Zari pouts when he doesn't take the bait. She really is used to being able to talk her way out of anything. John knows her too well at this point. He sees her tactics a mile away. How annoying of him. "You were picking on me. I had no choice, but to teach you a lesson. I feel like you've learned from this since you still look ridiculous with your pants around your ankles while I look amazing from every angle." Zari boasts, still feeling pretty confident she has this under control. Sure, he knows what she is up to, but she is Zari Tarazi. It's only a matter of time before he sees things her way.

"Now are you ready to get up? I wouldn't mind breakfast and I'd hate to have to teach you another lesson so soon."

He makes a show of thinking that over while he brackets her hips with his thighs, effectively locking her in.

"You know I can't deny that." How good she looks, and how it makes him feel no matter the context, but that hardly means he'll let her win. He is a Taurus after all. "But that only means I'm used to looking silly next to you. I could do this all day."

And food isn't much of a bribe for the guy who eats like a bird most of the time, either. Sorry, Zari. It's not going to be that easy today. His smile turns a little mean as dark eyes latch onto hers from above.

"I'd like to see you try that, princess." And if she really thinks that through, it's a win-win for John any way it falls out so she had better tread lightly if she wants to come out of this with a shred of dignity whatsoever.

This should really be the point where she remembers how this went last time. Zari does have enough sense to know she's in deep. It probably would have been best to put up a struggle and tap out in about five minutes. The thing about Zari is that she has a lot of pride. It's not easy for her to admit she is outmatched even when it is super obvious she is on the losing end of this. Taking the L just isn't in her vocab.

That smile does literally nothing to cool down that drive to win either. Yes, logically she knows he's loving every second of this and literally can't lose at this point, but swallowing pride?? That's a step too far for her. "You'd be surprised by how resourceful I am." Zari remarks sweetly just before tilting her head up to nip at the first bit of flesh she can get.

John emits a sharp yelp before he can stifle himself, her act of rebellion sparking another kind of jolt from behind his abdomen. At this moment, the game is just a pretense for how much he wants to have her now and his gaze is full to the brim with desire when he finds hers again.

"That doesn't surprise me in the least." It sounds fond despite the power struggle they're having and his head dips down to capture her lips suddenly in a fiercely possessive kiss he feels powerless to stave off. Blunt nails dig into the soft flesh of her wrists as he moves his mostly naked body against silk-clad curves in a way designed to drive Zari as insane as she's driving him.

Zari smiles smugly. She is so pleased with herself for getting a reaction even if she's positive she will pay for it later. It softens when she catches the fondness in his voice for the few seconds before he covers her lips with his. Her eyes flutter shut at the contact. It's not in Zari not to respond in kind even if she can't compete with that level of fierceness from her current position.

She doesn't realize what kind of trouble she's in until he starts moving against her. She feels electricity hit her belly hard as the hard line of his body moves into hers; drawing attention to how perfectly they slot together. The way he digs her nails in brings up memories of their previous escapades. Zari whimpers against his mouth, finally trying to move beneath him even if she can't be sure to what end. "That's cheating." Zari complains with a gasp when their kiss finally breaks for a second.

Thoughts of breakfast, the Legends and even their anniversary plans go completely out the window when she kisses him back, his eyes fluttering closed as he draws out the contact until he positively cannot breathe. The way she whines and squirms against him has his body hard and ready in seconds though it was exactly the situation he was trying to avoid. He spears her with his frustrated gaze, but finally lets go of her hands even if he can't resist dragging his palms down her perfectly silk-hugged body on his first attempt to pull away.

"You tackle me to the ground and I'm the one who's cheating," he complains without any bite, leaning in to kiss her again and roll them both onto their sides even while his lungs burn unpleasantly. He kicks his pants back off so when he does try to get up he doesn't trip and fall (again.)

She feels him harden against her. Zari does feel a twinge of guilt. She definitely instigated this one when there was no time to handle it. At least her constant horniness isn't so visible. "I'm sorry." She apologizes before he kisses her again. Once again Zari returns it, dropping her freed hand against the back of his head before ending it early. If she's a little out of breath, his lungs must hate him by now.

She strokes his hair gently as she works up the will to sit up. "I knew I shouldn't have brought up the font sizes. I was basically asking you to jump on top of me." Zari points out seriously even as she struggles to keep a straight face. Good thing he likes it when she's mean.

He closes his eyes again to savor her gentle touch though it makes it exponentially more difficult to talk himself down.

"Exactly. This is all your fault." John has to laugh at the pair they make, only they could screw up getting out of bed this badly. "Good thing you're going to make it up to me later." He strokes a hand over her face and through the hopeless mess her hair has become, leaning in like he might steal one last kiss before instead using her as leverage once again to get himself to his feet.

Zari pouts again when he fails to deliver on the kiss. "Tease." She sighs loudly like he's personally slighted her by denying even that tiny shred of affection. Never mind the fact she is guilty of everything she accuses him of. She pushes herself off the ground and heads for the mirror. Of course she's horrified by what she finds.

"You have some making up to do too! Look at my hair!" Zari grabs some leave-in condition to try and sort this mess out. So rude!!

He shrugs at the assessment, finding his tie wrapped around her lamp as he decides to start with the top half of his body this time in order to give everything else time to simmer down. He, as always, looks like a walking trainwreck, but he embraces it and as a result, everyone else seems to follow his lead.

"They're just going to make us get in some poncy fancy dress anyway." He makes a face at her as she continues to fuss with her hair, looking extra ridiculous with a shirt and tie on and nothing else.

Zari keeps to fixing her hair like it's a ritual. She sprays, she smooths with her fingers, and repeats the process with another quarter of hair. It is quickly getting back under control. "I know, but they don't know what I look like and Behrad doesn't remember." When she's anything else than perfect she means. John is really the only person who ever sees Zari at her least glamorous. Even her casual breakfast look is something carefully constructed to make them see just how effortless fabulous she is.

Edited 2020-11-29 00:17 (UTC)

John can't help but roll his eyes even as halfway through getting his pants back up his legs he's realizing she's serious. And here come his own insecurities flooding back that if Zari had better self-esteem there's no way she would be with him, let alone for a whole year. He manages to get some facsimile of dressed and steals a couple spritzes of whatever random perfume is most handy before meeting her at her vanity and encircling her waist with both hands so they can look in the mirror together. The memory of the last time they did this does nothing to help his situation, but he doesn't think he can let this moment pass him by; not this time.

"Zari, you're the only one who cares if your hair is messy. Look at you." John is dead serious, he really wants her to look. A sun spot here or there, some darkness under her eyes and around her mouth. No real wrinkles that he can spot, especially not compared to his face just behind hers, but all the tiny flaws make up the most beautiful image he's ever seen. "What do you see?"

Edited 2020-11-29 12:39 (UTC)

She feels that familiar surge when he gets behind her. The words effectively cool that down. Zari is confronted with what she said instead of being able to be written off as eccentric or a brat. To say she's uncomfortable is an understatement. The influencer can't be angry with him when it comes from such a place of love. He really does look at her like she's the most beautiful creature he's ever seen even at her least glamorous. Isn't that beautiful in itself?

She forces herself to look at the image reflected back at her, settling down the bottle to keep from fidgeting with it. Zari hates that she can't see what he sees. She hates more that she has to admit it. Her bottom lip trembles just before she forces the words past them. "Things I have to fix." It comes out flat and small like she's embarrassed. She is, of course. He's not supposed to see this part too.

Zari's eyes meet his in the mirror. "It's different for me, okay? They're expecting gorgeous Zari. I can't look like this around them. They'll stare." You know at the millions of flaws that have been beaten into her head since the age of ten.

He carefully watches her expression, and soon it's enough to shatter his heart in his chest. John smoothes out a few strands of her hair that are statically clinging and probably driving her insane. He hates that she can't see it too, but that doesn't mean he has to help feed her psychosis.

"You already are her." She's always gorgeous to him, and he sighs, squeezing her around the middle and drawn to stare at her reflection again. "And if they do stare, it's because they see what I see." John kisses the side of her face gently, knowing saying that probably won't change anything, but he has to try.

Edited 2020-11-30 01:39 (UTC)

It absolutely was driving her insane. Zari sighs in relief when the stands finally stick back down. She wishes this conversation could be enough to undo years of damage from being picked apart by everyone. It does make her feel a little better. Zari rests her hands over his, gratitude clear in her expression as she looks at him. He's so good. She wonders not for the first time if he sees it too.

"You're just saying that because you're so in love with me that it's blinded you." Yes, she is kind of quoting Padme Amidala. If Behrad is going to pick Star Wars for every movie night, she had to find something to love about those movies!! (Even if now she cries whenever Natalie Portman comes up.)

Zari doesn't want to dismiss what he's saying outright. She picks something she thinks she can be comfortable with. "But, in case you're onto something... maybe I can start slow. Like no makeup? During breakfast. They'll be too focused on their food to say anything." Or more likely no one will notice because those dummies love her too except Mick who will probably prefer it tbh.

"That must be it," he agrees with a warm smile, kissing at the rise of her cheek again and starting to reluctantly disentangle himself. Since they are in front of a mirror, he tries to get his hair not to stick straight up off his head, but quickly abandons the effort to track down his boots. Just as he starts to turn away is when she drops the bombshell, however, and he ends up frozen in place. It's the last thing he expected her to offer, but that such a simple thing literally elates him ought to be a little weird. "But with my admittedly very clouded judgment... I think I might be onto something, too."

He bites into his lip to keep from ruining the moment, tapping on the surface of the dresser idly before heading on his way. This is their makeshift family, John thinks they can deal not seeing Zari perfectly done up. Not to mention they'd appreciate the extra bathroom time.

His efforts to fix his hair actually make her smile. John's approval even more so. It's not like she's chasing it or anything. He's changed her too in ways she hasn't quite accepted yet. One of the biggest ways is helping make her more comfortable in her own skin. Sure, Ava helps too just by existing as someone so confident and free from Zari's perspective. John's love does a lot of the heavy-lifting. "See you at breakfast, sweetie."

Zari ends up doing a simple side braid that manages to look just messy enough to appear authentic. She stays in her pajamas to go enjoy her tea, vegan eggs, and roasted veggies with their family. Naturally no one notices and the usual bickering continues. It turns out to be a great way to start the morning.

He heads out before her, but is even more pleasantly surprised when actually Zari shows up looking undone. Things proceed as normal throughout the day from there, complete with some time crisis nearly killing them all. It all seems very status quo to John, but that could just be because he's thinking of the night to come. They've never been on a real date, at least, not one where they could actually be themselves in public. Though he hadn't planned much, he did order a suit in advance. One that was warm-colored as Zari suggested, but also slightly dressed down for their dinner-and-spa ordeal.

John waits at their table, checking his watch and pushing his shades up onto his head as he feels nerves fill his belly like fluttering moths. He expects her to be "fashionably" late, though he never did understand the phrase. He orders a scotch and runs his free hand over his freshly shaved face, frowning at the sensation. If he had bothered to get a haircut, he might actually look like a completely different person, and his back is to the door as she comes in, not wanting to make himself even more nervous than he already is.

They've never been on a real date. Zari obsesses over creating the right look for it. She needs to fit in comfortably with the year while also looking amazing. It's a unique challenge, but when has the Zari Tarazi ever back down from anything?

She ends up in a red and black dress she thinks he'll appreciate and white heels with a black blazer over for modesty (and sweet pockets for her makeup) even if her legs are on display as usual. Her hair remains down with her natural curls covering her shoulders. The totem is attached to her wrist at Behrad's insistence. Something, something about threatening to crash her date by throwing it at her head and running away. She's not even going to try to figure out how he knew their anniversary much less that they were running off for it.

Zari catches eyes as usual as she glides through the restaurant like she owns the place. (For the record, she is late.) That familiar mess of hair identifies John before any staff can help her. She saunters up to cheerfully, heels announcing her as always. "Look who decided to dress up for his anniversary..." She starts to tease as she grabs the seat across from John without really looking just yet. Zari settles in to appreciate the view. Her smile drops the second she takes a good look at him. Zari is honestly so shocked she can't even school her reaction. "What happened to your face?!" Happy anniversary. :)

Edited 2020-11-30 22:42 (UTC)

The clack of her heels gets him to look up from his drink, setting his glasses down from fidgeting with them and taking her in through the beautiful bouquet of dried roses in the center of their small table. He opens his mouth to comment on how gorgeous she looks when instead he's flushing at hers and reaching out to take another sip from his glass.

...And then wishing he hadn't when the follow-up hits him and he nearly spits it out. John just barely manages to swallow the booze and set it down without incident, teeth digging into his bottom lip to keep from laughing at her dramatic antics. Not like he's usually any better.

"I shaved... for you. You're welcome." Okay, he's choking on his saliva a little despite all the effort not to.

A hand goes to her chest in a classic drama queen move. "I'm just in shock! Don't choke on me." Zari pleads very loudly. The poor staff is trapped between watching and trying to work as they try to figure out if this man actually will choke. John seems okay enough. Zari agrees considering she's still staring at him and making zero effort to help.

"I've never seen you without facial hair. Is this what your face looks like when you're not trying to be dark and mysterious?" She reaches over to actually touch his face. What? They're past personal boundaries. He would literally be naked all day in her bed if she let him as far as Zari is concerned.

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