026 [Video/Action for Cherrygrove PokéCenter]

[soggypastry]

[Hi, Johto. Hve you been enjoying your...odd weekend? Hopefully so, because it's about to get weirder. Enjoy your view of Lightning hunched over a stove in the Cherrygrove Pokémon Center, stirring something in a pot. It's an odd sight, both with her hair twisted up into a messy bun and the fact that she's...actually cooking. Anyone who knows her knows that's not a good sign. Especially when she's starting to look a little bit frazzled.]

No, no, no...come on. Don't you dare burn.

[Yes, she's talking to her pot of...something. Unfortunately, this doesn't help her with the cooking and it's with a rather frustrated sound that she takes that pot off the stove, camera tracking her movements while she places it in the sink before scrubbing her face, leaving smears of chocolate down her cheeks as she takes a breath to regain her composure. Is she giving up? Not on your life.

She's just turning back to the counter, where there's enough ingredients for one more try along with a recipe book she's looking back at.]

You could always help, you know.

[A startled "Pika!" and...end feed. Spark still enjoys being Camera-chu, it seems.]

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[soggypastry]

[There's a part of her that agrees with him whole-heartedly; yes, he was a total ass and an idiot to boot because the reason she thinks this is about really was a stupid one, but...she doesn't say any of that. She just regards him pensively for a moment, slowly relaxing her posture. She knows it takes a lot for him to apologize, and she knows he means every word, so there's only one way to go about this.]

Apology accepted. On one condition. You tell me why you acted like that. What about it made you so upset?

[As always, she just wants to understand his reasoning. It's reminiscent of the previous summer only there's no punching. Yet. There probably won't be any, either. If his luck, and the song, hold.]

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[adamant]

[She accepts his apology; a weight lifts from his shoulders. he knows he's not nearly out of the woods yet, though. He brings his fist to his chin thoughtfully, mulling over how to explain.]

It was childish, but I felt cast aside, like you didn't think I was trustworthy.

[Yeah, it's childish. Sounds like it, but he was never good with words. He'd sit on the bed, but he doesn't even want to look at the bed right now.]

I thought you didn't understand how much you meant to me. And, by that same token, I meant less to you.

[He gives her a sheepish kind of look, as if wondering how she puts up with him. Underneath all the supposed strength, the power, the walls he's built around himself, Leon...has no idea what he's doing, fumbling into this utterly blind. He's not used to having his feelings hurt this way, because he hasn't let it happen, ever.]

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[soggypastry]

[Now she gets it. She doesn't quite understand how trying to get a saddle on her horse led to him feeling that way, but she gets it. Now she just needs to explain that to him...somehow. She starts by stepping closer, shaking her head and meeting his eyes. How can she put up with him? Simple. She loves him. Hopefully he can see that.]

That's not what it meant, Leon. It just meant that...[sigh. words, stop failing her!] I trust you, but what happens if we get separated? What happens if we can't rely on each other for a while?

[She leaves that question there, not willing to think on if that "while" turns into "forever", and instead reaches out to put a hand on his cheek. It's a more gentle gesture than she's used to making, but hopefully it gets her point across.]

You're always going to be important to me. Even if there are some things I have to do that make it seem different.

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[adamant]

I know, I-- [But then he pretty much deserves this, because he certainly hadn't acted like he knew.]

--I know you can handle yourself, Lightning. [If anyone would know that, it's him.] I just wish you'd let me take care of you.

[Her hand on his cheek, warm and gently insistent, derails his thoughts and drags his gaze back to hers. Her reassurance is mild and feels aimed at a child, but still sends a blossom of relief in his chest. It's strange how the smallest, simplest words can have such a dramatic effect. He lets his bare hands fall to her waist, pulling her in. He bows his head lightly, nosing her hair, eyes fluttering closed out of relish.]

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[soggypastry]

[Lightning doesn't say anything at first, too content to leave her head in the crook of his neck while he holds her. She'd be lying if she said this wasn't something she looked forward to, but..take care of her?

That's what this is about? Etro, this man will be the death of her. And yet...there's some small part of her that's touched by just how much he cares, and how much he wants to care for her. Maybe, a little at a time, she can start to let him. Maybe. Mot at this moment, but someday.]

You might have to wait a long time for that. I'm used to taking care of myself, you know.

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[adamant]

[He feels her settle into his arms and smiles into her hair.]

You've told me. [Doesn't stop him from hoping. He tilts his head down further, nudging his forehead to hers until she looks up, until he can kiss her. A spike of thrill dances up his spine. He catches her lower lip between his teeth, nurses it lightly before breaking away, his breathing a little faster.]

I meant it. I know it wasn't...well said, but I hope you realize that.

[That he cares about her, often more than he lets on.]

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[soggypastry]

[The kiss is startling, but not unwanted, and her own pulse races as he pulls away. She has to stomp hard on the instinct to immediately pull him back into another kiss, because there's something else that needs saying. One last thing that will either damn them or clear this hurdle for the last time.]

I know. You never say anything without meaning it in some way.

[She knows he cares about her, just like he knows she cares about him. Even if she's never said it before. But today is a day that makes her feel like taking chances, and as such...]

I love you, too. You do know that, right?

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[adamant]

[Hearing her say that, a positive reflection on his character, makes him smile, almost shyly. When she says it, finally...it doesn't make him pause. It's not a shock, not a revelation from on high, it doesn't cause a sudden burst of euphoria. Instead, it's a slow, quiet warmth that travels out from his ribcage to settle low, like a bird nesting; because it's not a big surprise, because he knows, of course he knows, and having her say it, while wonderful, isn't a firework.

It's just natural.

So he smiles, which is a hidden, Leon way of saying 'yes', and proceeds to pick her clear up off the floor, his arms falling to the backs of her thighs to keep her in place. There's a smirk on his face, and from this angle, it's easy to kiss along her jawline and her neck.]

So let me take care of you for a little while.

[It's as close to an invitation she is going to get.]

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[soggypastry]

[It is a little startling to be picked up so suddenly, but his trail of kisses does more than enough to ease that. It also makes her hold him close, feeling his warmth flush against her body. He's familiar in all the right ways, and if he wants to take care of her...she won't deny him this. Not after all they've already been through.]

Alright.

[Because she trusts him. She loves him, and she wants this, even if she's not sure how to word that. She's ready, willing, and able to do whatever it takes. And if that means letting herself be cared for, at least this once, she'll do it. They're in this together, after all.]

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[adamant]

[He navigates to the bed, gently laying her down, his heart hammering. She's so lovely, he thinks, and he's the luckiest man in the world. If he weren't addled by the music he'd probably stop himself, but as is it seems perfectly reasonable to take her hand in his and kiss her palm, strange light in his eyes, delighted at the smell of chocolate and dish soap on her fingers.]

You're worth more than I can...more than me. [It seems like a strange thing to say, but if she knew how easy it was for him to disconnect, to convince himself that he should run, she'd think otherwise. This feelings calls for everything he can't provide, and drags forth parts of himself that make him realize how sharply inadequate he is. And yet, moments like this one, where he can feel the warmth of her, remind him how crazy this is, how crazy he is for this lady.]

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[soggypastry]

[Lightning lays where he sets her down, drinking in the sight of him as she raises her free hand to his face, caressing his cheek with her thumb. He thinks she's worth more than him? Not in this. Never in this.]

Don't sell yourself so short. There's no one else who's worth more to me.

[She doesn't know he feels that way, but...she doesn't need him to provide anything he can't. She never fell for some ideal or fairy-tale with his face and voice. She fell for Leon, flaws and scars and all. Besides, it's not like she's worth as much as he thinks she is. She's far from flawless and she knows it. They're never going to be perfect, but...that doesn't matter. Not to Lightning. This may be crazy, but it's theirs, and she wouldn't have it any other way.]

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[adamant]

[He leans into that caress, sliding a hand down her side to the curve of her hip. Hitching her leg up, his hand continues the downward trail until his fingers graze the top of her boot. Methodically, he begins unfastening it. Flawed, Lightning? Right now, she's the most beautiful thing alive as far as he's concerned.]

I'll try to remember that.

[More like, he'll keep it tucked in his heart on the days when his doubts take hold. He bows his head, capturing her mouth, his free hand in her hair for a few wild seconds before he pulls away. His eyes rove her shape, down one exposed leg as her boot hits the floor. She might have to help him with his own--he's far too focused on getting the other piece of footwear off.]

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[soggypastry]

[Perhaps she's flawless to him, but in her own mind...well, that's another story for another time. For now, that kiss has all her attention and she's returning it without a moment's hesitation. If her heart wasn't pounding before, it most certainly is now. Not that she's complaining: it's a wonderful feeling, this. She enjoys it.

And while the kiss may only last for a few seconds, it leaves her flushed, a pink tint to her cheeks that only gets deeper as his eyes rove over her body. For a moment, she wonders if he'll still look at her like that once her clothes are off, but she forces that thought to the back of her mind as he gets her second boot off and she moves to get his. No need for the things, after all.]

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[adamant]

[It's only by the time he's got both her boots off that he realizes she's been working on his, the arrangement a bit awkward with the both of them at each other's feet. With a small chuckle, he unfastens them himself, joining Lightning's on the floor. That done, he surveyed his handiwork.

Goodness, this woman has legs forever.

His gaze catches on the flash of silver at her belly where her shirt hitched up and he makes a noise, a bit wolfish, a bit inquisitive; he wouldn't dare press now, but one day he'll get that particular story out of her. Instead, he puts his hands at her hips and bows over her again, catching her by the mouth. His kiss is harder this time, more insistent, more demanding. Still, he tries not to get ahead of himself, even as the pads of his thumbs edge under the hem of her top. They have time, and lots of it. He intends to enjoy every last minute.]

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[soggypastry]

[Every last second of this is being burned into Lightning's memory: the feel of his hands on her skin, the taste of his kisses, and the scent of him as she puts both hands on his head so as to return that kiss with just as much need as he shows. She doesn't pull away when she feels his hands at her waist, but something shifts a notch regardless. Something that gives the still-terrified-of-this part of her mind pause.

Once her shirt comes off, there will be no hiding the scars. She'd do what it took to get them over and over again, but there's a part of her, however small, that doesn't want anyone to see them. The marks that designate her as terribly flawed, as someone who can't live up to what he wants her to be anymore than he thinks he can be what she needs, but if this is going to work, then he has to know. No secrets this big between them.

So, when she reluctantly pulls back from that kiss, she brings her hands down to his and nods. They have all the time in the world, yes, but she's ready for this. Or at least, as ready as she'll ever be, with the music calming her nerves and the knowledge that he loves her easing what worry is left. Scars shouldn't matter in the face of everything else they've been through.]