"You're not giving up that baby, Clarissa!"
That was the last thing that a brunette, French-American teen - late into her unwanted pregnancy - heard as she made her way to the stairs leading to the first floor of the home.
The teenager was rubbing her stomach as she started going down the stairs in a slow and careful manner, feeling a pair of hands dig into her back and push her forward, much to her surprise and horror.
She tumbled and fell down the stairs, emitting a small cry of pain as she curled up at the foot of them and prayed that the baby she was forced to carry was okay. She might not have wanted the kid, but she still loved them, in a way.
She managed to look up, seeing her boyfriend scowling down at her and cock his leg back before kicking her in the stomach. Hard.
Clarissa cried out in pain, trying to cover her stomach with her hands as a feeble attempt to protect the baby from their rather violent father as tears welled up in her once bright, happy blue eyes that were now tinged with pain and sadness.
He spat taunts at her, calling her a desperate whore and many other things that made her heart break just a bit more.
"D-Désolé!" She sobbed out, curling up to the best of her ability. "Désolé, Mason!"
She didn't understand. How was he so mean nowadays…? When she met him, he was so nice… He promised to get her a good education…
"Shut the fuck up, you stupid bitch!" Mason snapped, storming back upstairs and leaving the brunette and her - quite possibly dead - baby on their own…
Clarissa jolted awake, feeling a hand gently shaking her awake and instinctively going to punch whoever it was in the face.
However, she was intercepted by their free hand, in which she began to spout apologies in her native tongue. She didn't even realize what was going on, the effects of the memories coming back in such a form still haunting her and burrowing in the recesses of her addled and afraid mind.
"Riss, it's me! Johnny!" A familiar voice cut through the darkness, coming from the person that had been waking her in the first place.
She looked momentarily confused, softly managing out, "J-Johnny…? Ce qui se passe?
I-I mean… what's going on?"
"I think you were having a nightmare. You didn't look too hot…" Her friend replied, slowly pulling her into a hug to try and make her feel a bit better.
She looked embarrassed as she slowly hugged him back, nuzzling into him to the best of her ability and hoping that nobody was there to see them.
"Désolé, Gat… I must've woke you up…" She murmured, sighing softly.
"Nah, you didn't. I was just going to my room to turn in for tonight, actually, but I'm not leaving you alone now."
Clarissa sighed ever so softly at his words, pulling away. "Merci, Gat… Mind if I stand? I'm fucking starving…" She decided to ask, looking over at him and squinting through the dim light from the moon, since the light in the hall only gave her his silhouette.
He chuckled and nodded, letting her get out and walking with her as she made her way to the kitchen. He made sure to turn on the light in her room on the way, knowing that she was almost blind without her contacts or her glasses, which she'd managed to misplace again.
Johnny was quite used to how she was with her eyesight, and tended to laugh a bit when she said that glasses 'looked fucking stupid' on her. Personally, he thought that they made her look cute, but he'd never admit that to her.
He followed her to the kitchen she had put in, sitting at the counter as he watched her get some things out. "French bread and cheese…? Onions?" He guessed, partially due to the packaging on the bread.
"I'm making Onion Gratin Soup." She said, glancing at him. "I used to eat it all the time, when I was a kid, since we didn't have too much food."
He hummed a bit, nodding and watching her get everything ready for the soup she mentioned. With how she was half of the time, the fact that she came from such a poor family life was hard to associate with her.
Before he knew it, Clarissa was sitting next to him, her freshly made soup sitting in front of her as she looked over at him.
"Johnny, you want some?" Clarissa asked, her voice a bit on the soft side as she smiled and offered him a spoon.
He chuckled and took the spoon. "Ah, fuck it." He said, taking a bite. "Ow, fuck, that's hot!"
Johnny heard her laugh at him, in which he shot a glare at her until her laughing fit was over. He felt the one corner of his lip twitch up a bit, though. He did act stupid, after all.
"I'm sorry for laughing, Johnny, but you not thinking about the fact that it's fresh out of the microwave is fucking funny!" She pointed out, grinning a bit.
He only managed a chuckle and flipped her off, saying, "You're really lucky that I like you, Riss."
He watched her cheeks turn red as she turned away, checking on the soup to try and hide her obvious blush. He couldn't help but chuckle yet again at the sight of his friend and boss being so flustered. It was amusing, but cute, for sure.
He heard a small whine come from between them and looked down, seeing a small, all-white German Shepherd pup with a purple collar at their feet.
"Hey, Opal, you hungry?" Johnny asked, receiving a small yip in return.
He stood and went to a small cabinet, pulling out a bag of Puppy Chow and filling the food bowl before filling the water bowl with water and setting it back down, only for the pup to start chowing down.
Clarissa smiled as she looked on, enjoying the sight of her old friend taking care of her puppy, which she'd gotten in order to help with her various mental illnesses, as well as to help calm down and become more responsible. Sort of like a baby…
Clarissa snapped out of her thoughts when Johnny tapped her shoulder, in which she looked at him with a confused look.
"Riss, you okay? You seem out of it… you sick or something?" He asked, the corners of his lips dipping into a small frown that didn't suit him.
"No, Johnny, I'm fine. Thanks for asking, though." She replied, smiling a bit as she grasped his hand. "Just thinking back on things…"
Johnny nodded a bit and took a glance at the soup between them, saying, "I think it's cooled down enough to eat."
Clarissa nodded and took her spoon, taking a bite and smiling as she watched Johnny start to eat. "Does it taste good, Gatling~?"
Johnny chuckled softly once she used the old nickname she'd given him before nodding and smiling a bit. "Yeah, tastes great. Where'd you learn how to make this, Riss…? You should cook more often…"
She laughed and blushed slightly. "I learned it from my older siblings. We're proud of being French-American, so we used to make simple French dishes. Like Onion Gratin Soup, of course." She replied, tucking some stray hairs behind an ear.
Johnny smiled a bit, glad to be able to see how close Clarissa and her siblings were in that sentence. He knew how important her siblings were to her, after all, so it was nice to hear such stories coming from her.
"That's pretty cool, Riss. Any of them a chef or something?" He asked with a small smile.
"Brannon is going to culinary school, so he'll be a chef." She said, proud of her brother as she thought about him. "I'm so proud of all of them, Johnny. They're finally getting to do what they want and not what they need…"
He smiled softly at the blonde, pulling her into his lap and making her squeak a bit in surprise as he held her close, her back against his chest.
She blushed and smiled a bit as she relaxed slightly, feeling him rest his chin on her shoulder as she heard him comment about her height.
"You're awfully small. That why you always wear heels or boots?"
"Fuck off, Gat…" She murmured with a small grin, reaching up and carefully tousling his hair. "This is pretty nice, just… relaxing, you know?" Clarissa admitted, continuing to play with his hair. She could tell that he recently showered; his hair was still a bit on the damp side.
"Yeah, it is, huh?" He agreed, leaning into her touch a bit.
She definitely has some magic hands… He mused to himself as he pulled away and moved her so she was facing him.
"Gat, what the fuck're you up to?" The blonde asked, a neat, brown brow raised in curiosity as she stared at him. She hesitantly reached up to touch his sunglasses, pausing once she felt the cool frame against her fingertips. She didn't want to make him mad, after all…
"You can go on ahead, Riss." Johnny pointed out, snapping her out of her worries as he looked at her. "I don't mind. Just this once, though." He added, giving her a bit of a smile to give her that extra reassurance.
She smiled slightly, slowly taking his sunglasses off and setting them on the counter. She locked eyes with him and smiled a bit more, glad that he was this relaxed around her.
"You have really nice eyes, you know." She pointed out, flashing him a small grin. "Seriously, take your shades off more. They might suit you, but I love seeing your eyes."
"Wait… really?" He asked, looking away with a slight blush as he cast his eyes to the ground.
"Yeah, really, Johnny." She answered, kissing the corner of his lips. "I haven't lied to you in the past, so why would I start lying now?" She asked, her voice soft and honest as she gently cupped his cheek and moved his head to make him look at her again, gazing into his eyes with a blush.
He smiled a bit at that, leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers in a surprisingly gentle manner, as opposed to previous kisses. He didn't want to overwhelm her, after all.
The French-American woman couldn't help but blush as she kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning further into him. She could feel his hands on her sides, the heat seeping through her sleep shirt as she let out a soft sigh against his lips. She could get used to this…
Soon enough, she reluctantly pulled away for air, blushing and snuggling into him. She straddled him a bit, but it was far from a sexual manner. More than anything, she just wanted to be close to him. Yes, she'd like some intimacy right about now, but she didn't feel like acting upon that. Not right now, that is.
Johnny smiled and watched her for a few long moments, seeing her yawn and rub at her eyes in that sleepy manner she possessed. "Tired, Riss?" He asked, his voice holding a somewhat teasing tone to it.
"Shut the fuck up…" She mumbled, her eyes starting to close as she rested her head on his shoulder, too tired to protest once he got up and carried her back to her room.
He chuckled and got her into bed, soon deciding to join her - for the sake of her rest, of course - before pressing his lips to her forehead. He knew that now wasn't an appropriate time to flirt with her, that was for sure. And the last time he tried to flirt with her when it wasn't appropriate, he got whacked with a lint roller. Pretty damn hard, too, so he wasn't gonna get that to happen again anytime soon.
Johnny watched her fall asleep, playing with her hair as his own eyes began to close a bit. He looked at the platinum locks of hair on top of her head, enjoying how silky and soft her hair was as he nodded off to sleep.
Sometimes, a friend can really help with the peace and quiet.