Theme set: Delta
Title: On The Wings of Love
Rating: PG-13 b
Warning[s]: Spoilers, sex
We were strangers starting out on a journey
#01 - Beginning
"Hi, Ken. My name is Jun," she said, taking the boy's outstretched hand.
#02 - Air
At some point during their long, intense kiss they'd started taking each other's clothes off; when they came up for air, Ken turned bright red as he caught sight of her bare breasts.
#03 - Apples
Years later, she still has the first Christmas present he ever gave her: a jar of apple seeds, the only thing his limited ten-year-old imagination and lack of funds could afford that year.
#04 - Bugs
Ken couldn't help but wonder if Jinpei's newest eight-legged pets were the only reason Jun had asked if she could stay with him that night, but oddly enough he didn't really care.
#05 - Coffee
She'd gotten into the habit of having a pot of coffee waiting for him when he returned from his training or a solo mission, a habit Ken was quietly grateful for.
#06 - Dark
Galactor bases were even more dangerous when you couldn't see more than an inch in front of you, and though Jun insisted she wasn't afraid she was quietly relieved when Ken gripped her hand and told her to stay close.
#07 - Despair
"Please wake up," she pleaded, tears running down her cheeks; even though Nambu-Hakase had assured her that Ken would survive, she didn't dare hope for such a thing until he finally opened his eyes.
#08 - Welcome
"Hey," she whispered, stroking his hair as he finally regained conciousness, "welcome back to the world of the living."
#09 - Doors
"Note to self," Ken grumbled as he and Jun hurriedly straightened their clothes and she tried to explain everything to a surprisingly embarrassed and speechless Jinpei, "next time, lock the door."
#10 - Drink
She's genuinely surprised when he not only picks up the tab for his own drink, but hers as well.
#11 - Duty
Business before pleasure was all well and good when they were on the job, but Jun wondered if Gatchaman would ever let Ken out to have some fun during their downtimes.
#12 - Earth
Falling through space, the ground rushing to meet them, Swan and Eagle held tightly to each other; there was little chance they would survive the fall back to Earth, and it was like he always said: If we die, we die together.
#13 - Fall
"You're always there to catch me when I fall...just once, Ken, can't you let me do the same for you?"
#14 - Fire
I'm sorry, I love you, please forgive me, Jun, I'm so sorry, I love you; the words run like a bullet train in his head and he wishes he could throw himself into the inferno and die with her.
#15 - Flexible
The first time Jun beat him during a training spar was the day he learned just how flexible she was, it would be years until he realized the many other benefits that flexibility would have.
#16 - Flying
She loved when he would take her up in his Cessna for a leisurely ride; even when they were thousands of feet off the ground with the wind in their faces, she never felt anything but safe with Ken.
#17 - Food
His lips closed around the strawberry in a way that made her insides tighten; Jun closed her legs tightly and took deep breaths, forcing herself to focus on her plate and nowhere else.
#18 - Foot
It had been possibly the worst day of her life, not only was her shoe lost but Galactor had definitely figured out the secret of Birdstyle by now and she'd cut her heel on a rock; the only consolation was when Ken insisted on carrying her back to the God Phoenix.
#19 - Grave
Ken held a sobbing Jun in his arms as they stood before Joe's empty grave, wishing he could bring himself to shed even a single tear for his fallen friend.
#20 - Green
When he saw her latch onto Joe at the sight of the ant, Ken couldn't help but feel jealous.
#21 - Head
"So...how was she? Bet those pouty lips made it-" Joe was cut off by an elbow to his ribs and a dirty look from Ken, yes, she was damn good for a first-timer, now shut the hell up before I kick your ass.
#22 - Hollow
"I'll be fine," he said, but the words lost a little more meaning every time she watched him fly into danger alone.
#23 - Honor
"How can you regain something you never lost in the first place?" she asked, eyebrow raised in an amused fashion, and Ken realized she would never fully understand the pressures of being Gatchaman.
#24 - Hope
The fans constantly refer to her as "Gatchaman's girlfriend" and even though Ken tells them with his straightest face it's not like that, she can't help but get her hopes up when he gives her a bit of a look afterwards; someday I will be.
#25 - Light
"Dance with me, Jun?" he asked, and as she took his hand and followed him onto the dance floor, she could swear the moonlight peeked through the window at that moment just for them.
#26 - Lost
"Well Jun, it's like this-my knee had a fight with the coffee table, and the table won!"
#27 - Metal
"If I don't make it back, I want you to marry her...take care of her, Ryu, I know I can trust you," Ken says, Ryu marvels at the exquisite beauty of the engagement ring but as Ken places it in his hand the tiny piece of gold feels like a lead weight.
#28 - New
"I understand how exciting this stage of the relationship is for you two," Dr. Nambu said as he found them half-dressed in the back of Ken's plane for the third time that day, "but that doesn't give you the right to make out on the job!"
#29 - Old
When Ryu asks if there's anyone he can picture growing old and gray with, he immediately pictures brilliant green eyes shining behind a pair of glasses, gray hair piled in a loose bun and laughing grandchildren running around a vast backyard.
#30 - Strange
She looked right with the little girl in her arms, and she already had experience as a mother figure...Ken shook his head, wondering where that had come from so suddenly.
#31 - Peace
He was wary, usually their peaceful days off ended up being spoiled by Galactor, but Jun's warm hands and reassuring smile convinced him to relax and enjoy today for what it was.
#32 - Poison
"Well, you see, Doctor...a rattlesnake bit her there and I had to suck out the poison before it had a chance to work through her bloodstream!"
#33 - Pretty
Sometimes when he would scold Jun for crowing over pretty scenery during their missions, he would find himself really wanting to say that no flower or underwater garden could ever be as pretty as her.
#34 - Rain
She drops the umbrella as he lets himself fall into her arms, his tears mixing with the rain to soak her shirt as he finally allowing himself to feel the pain and sorrow and anger over his father's sacrifice.
#35 - Regret
"The only thing I'd have to regret is waiting longer for this moment," she whispers, and he slowly pushes into her; even as she winces with discomfort at the sudden stretching it feels heavenly, just to be able to share her body with Ken like this is worth a little pain.
#36 - Roses
"Here...sorry they're not real, but I don't want to get you something that's just gonna die in a few months anyway," he mumbled apologetically, pressing the bouquet of silk blossoms into her hands, "not when my feelings are forever."
#37 - Secret
"You realize there's no point in you lying anymore," Joe said, "we've known you had a crush on Ken since day one."
#38 - Snakes
He was shocked to the point of falling over to find Jun not only wasn't disgusted by Jinpei's new pet snake, but was actually holding it and talking to it as if it were a puppy or kitten.
#39 - Snow
Snowflakes catch in her dark hair and he instinctively reaches up to brush them away, she does the same and their fingers meet halfway, locking together as they share a nervous laugh.
#40 - Solid
"Solid as a rock!" Ken declared before the table's legs gave out and the whole thing collapsed in a pile at their feet; Jun rolled her eyes and tried to resist the urge to say I told you we should've looked at the manual.
#41 - Spring
Every spring she gave him a flower and he would pretend to be embarrassed, but later when no one was around he would press it into a scrapbook and mark the year next to it.
#42 - Stable
There were much worse things than spending the night in a stable, Jun decided as she pulled closer to Ken's warm body, the beating of his heart drowning out the sounds of confused animals and pouring rain.
#43 - Summer
Jun squealed in delight when Dr. Nambu sent them all on a summer vacation and while Ken pretended to roll his eyes, he secretly looked forward to seeing her in all the new swimsuits she planned to buy.
#44 - Taboo
Jun was soft and warm and her moans were music to his ears and as her hips rose to meet his with every thrust Ken didn't care whether or not they were doing anything wrong.
#45 - Ugly
"You're showing a really ugly side, and I don't like it one bit," she warned; Ken made a tight fist and walked away, what do you know, your father didn't die right before your eyes.
#46 - War
Gatchaman had saved the world from a terrorist organization and survived many a near death experience, but nothing could have prepared Ken Washio for the agony of sitting in the waiting room, waiting for his son to be born; every time he heard Jun shouting in pain he found himself gripping Joe's hand in a panic (thankfully, Joe didn't seem to mind having his fingers nearly crushed).
#47 - Water
Jun coughed and sniffled miserably as she asked for another glass of water, and he once again felt like an idiot for giving her his cold in the first place.
#48 - Winter
Jun couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him standing there, shivering in the single-digit January morning; "Have you been waiting that long for me to get up, just so you could see me?"
#49 - Wood
The little oak replica of Red Impulses's plane seemed a risky gift and Jun almost regretted it in the event she triggered his bad memories, but when he opened it his smile was warm and nostalgic; he set it gently down on the shelf and hugged her tightly, thank you, Jun, I never want to forget him, thank you.
#50 - End
When it was finally over they were no longer the Swan and the Eagle bound by their duties to the world but simply Ken and Jun, and as he slid the ring onto her finger she knew this end was their new beginning.
At the end I want to be standing, at the beginning with you
Notes:
#8: Jinpei loves to bust Jun's chops about her feelings for Ken, but I think if he actually walked in on them about to get it on, he'd freak out. Jun's almost his mother and kids generally Do Not Want to think about their parents screwing.
#20: It was the first thing that came to mind, I swear. Joe would so tease Ken about his and Jun's sex life and Ken would definitely get all GRAR at him about it.
#22: I COULDN'T RESIST A ZUKO REFERENCE. XD And to be fair Ken does seem a little like that type, if he made a big enough mistake and felt really guilty about it. Poor guy, he's really pretty messed up when you think about it. :(
#26: I did this one for the humor, but unfortunately it left me with the image of Ken doing that Peter Griffin thing.
#27: You might be wondering why Ken asked Ryu rather than Joe, his brother-in-arms. ;) While I do believe Ken would trust Joe to be good to Jun, Joe is also known to live recklessly and would gladly throw his life away for their cause. (Which he eventually does :() Ryu, on the other hand, is purposely kept away from missions because his father and brother are waiting for him back home, therefore he's Not Allowed To Die. Therefore, dude purposely being kept alive outranks dude likely to throw away his life in Ken's mind.