(A/N): Bringing Chapter 11 back up quickly; system restore wiped the word file that had it so getting this out as fast as I can before I forget it all.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fallout: New Vegas
Chapter 11: A Hero No More
The Following Morning- The Tunneler Cave, The Divide
"GET TO THE ENTRANCE! NOW!"
I ran as quickly as I could as Jordan continued to fire at the oncoming Tunnelers.
"SHIT! THERE'S MORE AT THE ENTRANCE!" I cried.
Jordan cursed loudly as he suddenly took off in front of me. He pulled a flashbang grenade from his belt and threw it into the crowd of monsters at the front, sending them skittering away.
"GET THE SATCHEL BACK! I'LL CATCH UP WITH YOU!" he shouted.
I turned back and much to my horror, the Tunnelers were beginning to group up.
"ARE YOU INSANE?! THEY'LL SLAUGHTER YOU!" I screamed.
"AND IF YOU STAY AND HELP ME, THERE'S A CHANCE WE'LL BOTH DIE AND THIS MISSION WILL HAVE BEEN FOR NOTHING! LISTEN TO ME AND GO!"
It tore me apart to consider listening to him but the Tunnelers continued to close in and I knew that in only mere seconds, they would be upon us. Jordan was the one who had most of the weapons because he chose to carry the weight due to his superior strength...but I knew that it was nearly impossible for him to escape if he made even a single mistake.
"GET DOWN!"
He fired his rifle, clipping a Tunneler behind me that managed to recover from the earlier flashbang grenade.
"GET OUT OF HERE! I'LL COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!"
I looked away, horrified at the likelihood of him being unable to fulfill that promise. Seeing no way that I could help him with my gun empty, no time to reload and him holding all of the flashbang grenades...I ran. I ran as fast I could as I glanced down at my PipBoy to see that there was only one minute left.
"You better make it out of here..."
I managed to escape the cave through the small opening that we dug in order to avoid the obvious entrance where people could camp and wait for us but much to my horror, I saw a Tunneler skitter over the opening, stretching out a hand to grab at me. My heart shot into my throat as I thought back to the events that led up to this.
One Hour Ago- The Tunneler Cave
"You think it's a good idea?" he asked.
"Do you think that it would be a good idea to let these things continue to roam around and kill people?" I asked.
He nodded slowly.
"That's a good point," he said as he looked at the pile of grenades.
He put a finger to his chin and smiled.
"I think we could probably wire up a large bomb from all the explosives from this bag and there's a large piece of C5 in the bag," he said.
I nodded.
"How long do you need to wire it up?" I asked.
"Give me about 45 minutes to to set it up...this amount of explosives should be able to cave in the entire tunnel," he said.
I smiled and nodded as he got to work, laying small caches of grenades and explosives at set intervals between each other. He began to place the piece of C5 in the approximate center of the caches he set up while fiddling with the timing mechanism, clearly trying to figure out how to use it. I kept watch over us, surprised that there were no Tunnelers to be found.
"Strange...this place was crawling with them in the last two visits but they all of a sudden disappeared?"
Jordan finished setting the explosives as I turned back and saw a large green number on the face of it, showing that he set the timer to five minutes. I quickly set my PipBoy with the timer to keep track of how much time we had to get out of here before the explosives brought this cave down and everything inside with it.
"The soldiers should be at the house by the time we get back so let's get out of here quickly," he said.
"They said they'd be there at noon?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Yvette is supposed to come along with two others to escort us back," he explained.
I smiled.
"Good...I was beginning to get sick of this place," I groaned.
He nodded in agreement as he picked up the satchel and tossed it to me.
"You carry it, I'll carry the rest of the grenades," he said.
I led the way, keeping watch and using the strobe lights to my full advantage as we approached the half way point to the cave, where there was a fork between two paths. All of a sudden, a horribly loud gunshot echoed throughout the cave and I turned back to face Jordan. He looked at me in confusion and shook his head, indicating that it wasn't his doing. I wasn't even holding a magnum...so it wasn't me.
Just then...it hit me.
"We were followed..."
"FUCK! HERE THEY COME!" shouted Jordan.
The sickening sound of the Tunnelers skittering to towards us filled the air as we took off for the entrance.
Present Time
I ran around to the main entrance of the cave and looked at my PipBoy to see that only 45 seconds remained. My heart began to race as I continued to eye the entrance of the cave with absolutely no sign of Jordan.
"Why did I listen to him...why didn't I just stay and help him escape...we both could've gotten through the opening just as we planned...but those things were just too numerous..."
My grip tightened around my pistol as I reloaded it and took cover behind a rock.
"That C5 explosive is incredibly powerful...if he doesn't get out of that cave and get at least as far as I am away from it...the shockwave from the blast could kill him..."
I suddenly heard numerous gunshots and I looked towards the entrance to see that he indeed was moving towards it. He was not moving very quickly however and I noticed that some of his jacket had somehow melted off. His left arm was cut deeply, blood pouring from the wound and he was barely able to hold the 10mm Pistol in his right hand as he shot at his pursuers. I quickly tried to get to the entrance but he saw me and cried out for me not to. I shook my head as I rushed inside, shooting three of the creatures as I reached him. He then let out a heavy pant as he reached into his belt to pull out one more flashbang. He pulled the pin and threw it behind him as I struggled to help him out of the walls. The flashbang went off and I heard loud screeches of agony, followed by the frantic skittering of their legs as they scattered from the blinding flash of light. He was so heavy...with all those weapons stashed in his backpack but I managed to get him just outside the walls...
~ o ~
KABOOM!
The explosives finally went off as the flames rushed in every conceivable direction in order to escape their entrapment in the cave. The sheer force of the explosive destroyed a great deal of the caves's structure, sending chunks of rock flying everywhere. Jordan knew that they were not out of range of the blast and the shockwave would arrive in mere seconds. Noticing that Janet was struggling with the increased weight of his pack, he quickly removed his arm from over her shoulder and captured her in an embrace, shielding her with the pack and his body as the wave finally reached the exit.
"DON'T LET GO!" he cried.
The force of the explosion sent the duo flying a moderate distance with overwhelming force. They landed on the sand as the Tunneler cave finally crumbled, sealing the threat for good beneath the burning rubble.
Nearly a minute would pass before either of the pair moved a muscle.
~ o ~
I considered myself extremely fortunate that I did not break any bones but the landing definitely hurt...a lot. I quickly checked myself to see if I sustained any lasting injuries and once I felt my left ankle and my right shoulder, I determined that I sprained them both. I let go of Jordan and smiled.
"We did it!" I said.
He did not respond to me, his arms now falling limply from around my back. I gasped in panic as I rolled him onto his back. Much to my horror, he was in even worse condition that I thought he was when I removed his mask and hood. His face had several cuts as well quite the bloody spot from what seemed to be an impact with the ground. I looked at his body and noticed that his left arm seemed quite out of place, indicating that it was broken completely. His left leg was in a similar state. I noticed that his shirt had gotten wet and I quickly tore it open to see that his left rib had been impaled by a branch from a dead tree that he must've landed on when he protected me from the fall with his body. There was also a lot of shrapnel, though not any large pieces, cutting his torso up. Lastly, it looked as if he was unconscious...but if he was right now, he would probably pass out from the tremendous amount of pain.
I cursed loudly and quickly used my PipBoy to try and contact the soldiers.
"Janet? Can you hear me?"
I breathed a huge sigh of relief to hear Yvette's voice.
"YVETTE! I NEED HELP! JORDAN'S HURT! BADLY!" I cried into the radio.
I could hear Yvette curse loudly.
"Where are you?"
"About 200 meters south of the Tunneler Cave! HURRY!"
I cut the radio off as I immediately reached into my bag and removed a Stimpack. I removed the branch from his left side and quickly stabbed the pack near the afflicted area and injecting it, stopping the wound from bleeding out. I then removed the needle, saving some of the life saving fluid to heal his head wound. I wiped the blood from the spot to see that his head must've collided with the rock next to us. I applied the needle to the soft spot in his temple, being as careful as I could as not to stab something vital. I emptied the contents and surely enough, the wound began to seal. It was the last stimpack...and I knew there was nothing more I could do for him.
So I held him...hoping that Yvette would make it in time to save him because right now...things weren't looking good.
Two Hours Later- The Medical Wing, Lucky 38 Casino
"I NEED STIMPACKS, SPLINTS AND COAGULANT RIGHT NOW!" screamed Jocelyn.
Caitlin frantically gathered the items and placed them in the tray beside her.
"GET ME SOME SURGICAL TWEEZERS, BANDAGES AND PAINKILLERS!" shouted Dr. Farren.
Billie immediately retrieved the items from the locker and handed them to him. Jocelyn removed all of the garments covering Jordan's torso to reveal the true extent of the damage.
There was a lot of shrapnel still in his chest though the soldiers were able to remove a portion of it. There were still quite a few cuts Yvette was smart to have taken the restored ambulance to the house in the event that the duo needed medical treatment; the conditions of The Divide weren't exactly the most hospitable.
Janet got away with being extremely sore and a few sprains...but was otherwise unscathed.
They had also used a coagulant to stop blood flow where they could, prolonging the time he had to make it back to the medical center without bleeding to death. It was risky to inject the second one...but at this rate...if he didn't get help soon, the coagulant was about all that was keeping him from bleeding out.
Jordan's eyes soon opened and he immediately started crying out in agony.
"Billie, hit him with some morphine right now," ordered Dr. Farren.
She nodded and obeyed him, sticking a needle into his right arm. He continued to scream in agony until Jocelyn showed herself. She held his cheek.
"We're going to get to work...just hang in there," she whispered.
The morphine soon began to take effect.
"Put him under," said Dr. Farren.
Jocelyn reached for the syringe beside her that was filled with a strong tranquilizer. She stuck the needle into his left arm, eliciting a loud hiss of pain as she injected it. She removed the needle and continued to hold his cheek, stroking it gently as she tried to comfort him through what could only be unimaginable pain.
"Hang in there...the pain will go away..." she whispered.
His eyes slowly began to shut down as Billie placed a mask over his face. After a few breaths, he was sound asleep.
"What blood type is he?" asked Dr. Farren.
Jocelyn looked at him, her face now pale.
"Why?" she asked.
The elder doctor examined all of his wounds, remembering everything that Janet told him.
"Janet used a stimpack to repair the impale wound he had near his ribs and also the cut he had on his head when he collided with the ground...we have no idea if he has a concussion or not and we can only use so many stimpacks before we cause him to have a relapse," he explained.
He then looked at his now deteriorated jacket took a sniff of it before nodding.
"He was hit with Tunneler venom as well...it burned through his jacket and contaminated some of his skin but thankfully, this was a baby Tunneler so we just have to wash him down; this jacket probably saved his life because it took a lot of the shrapnel from whatever did this to him...but considering the impale wound and how mediocre the coagulant the ambulance was equipped with...he had to have lost quite a bit of it," explained Farren.
Jocelyn let out a soft breath.
"He's O negative," he replied.
Dr. Farren gasped loudly; he had a very difficult blood type to provide transfusions for.
"Judging from how soaked his shirt is and the amount of time he took to get here...he's lost at least 15% of his total blood content...the coagulant slowed down his blood flow enough to allow him to make it here but we don't have a lot of O blood on hand...I don't think we have enough to save him unless we can find a donor," said Dr. Farren.
Jocelyn cursed loudly; she was AB+ which meant that there was no way that she would be able to donate.
"Let's focus on getting this shrapnel out before we worry about that; that coagulant will wear off soon and if it does, he'll bleed out right on the spot if this shrapnel is still in him," he said.
Jocelyn nodded and quickly set to work, using the tweezers with almost mechanical skill. The tray beside her soon began to get full of the bloody pieces of metal.
"He must've been forced to use a real grenade when he was trying to escape...that jacket saved him from getting even more shrapnel," said Billie.
Dr. Farren nodded. Several grotesque minutes passed until finally all of the shrapnel was removed. His torso was full of cuts that were lightly bleeding but now, there wasn't a single piece of shrapnel in his skin. Jocelyn immediately injected Jordan with a high grade Stimpack, causing the cuts on his torso to heal right before their eyes. His heart rate however began to slow down, a side effect of using the higher grade drugs.
"Do we have anyone with O blood living here?" asked Jocelyn.
Dr. Farren shook his head.
"No one that I'm aware of...we ended up having a lot of A positives here and the children who live here who are O are far too young to survive losing that much blood," he replied.
Jocelyn's face turned pale as she looked at Jordan, still sound asleep and completely unaware of the hazards that now endangered his life.
Billie immediately stepped up, remembering something important.
"I think Vanna, Lynna and Emily are all O...would they be able to do it?" she asked.
Dr. Farren put a hand to his chin.
"Vanna should be healthy enough since her injuries were mostly a result of Cazador venom which we neutralized already, I'm not sure if Emily has recovered enough but if she's willing to do it, I'm not going to refuse...Lynna should be alright as well," he said.
Billie nodded and quickly darted out of the room as Caitlin looked worriedly at her friend.
"He won't last much longer...I really hope someone has that blood..." sighed Dr. Farren.
Billie returned within minutes with Vanna, Lynna and Emily in two.
"Both of us have O positive," said Vanna as she pointed to Lynna.
"I have O negative," said Emily.
Vanna approached Jordan and held his hand.
"If I can save his life then you can bet I'm willing to help...there's no way I'm letting my best friend's brother die," she said.
Lynna nodded in agreement.
"A friend of Vanna's is a friend of mine...I'll help too," she replied.
"Is he the one that Vanna was talking about?" asked Emile.
Vanna turned to her and nodded.
"He's Flora's older brother?" she asked.
Vanna once again nodded.
"Then I'm helping him," she said.
Dr. Farren put a hand to his chin.
"Are you sure you have the specified types? You know what will happen if any of you are wrong...right?" he asked.
Vanna responded by handing her birth certificate, followed by Lynna and Emily. He smiled.
"I stand corrected," he said.
He showed them to a pair of seats, pulling Emily aside.
"You're not strong enough to survive losing blood...but if the need arises, you'll be here," he said.
Emily nodded slowly as Dr. Farren quickly set up the equipment needed to do the transfusion. Suddenly, the heartbeat monitor started to beep. Jocelyn cursed loudly; his heart rate was less than the average.
"We're losing him...we need to start the transfusion," said Dr. Farren.
Hooking both girls up to the machine and applying the proper needles and tubes, he set the machine to begin the transfusion. Jocelyn attempted to help him but Caitlin put an arm in front of her.
"Let him handle it Lyn," she urged.
The blood soon began to be transferred as he gave both girls a sedative to ease their pain; the needle was still painful despite it being a small one. After the two of them fell asleep, he sighed softly.
"It's up to him now..." said Dr. Farren.
Jocelyn tried to sit down to wait for the machine but Dr. Farren raised a hand.
"I'll keep an eye on him my dear...go and get something to eat because you haven't had a thing since yesterday morning," he instructed.
She tried to retort but the elder doctor shook his head.
"I'll take care of him...alright?" he assured.
The look of sincerity in her old mentor's eyes was just enough to make her turn away.
"He's not going to die...I promise you," he assured.
After tearing her eyes away from him, Jocelyn finally conceded to her mentor's wishes and left the room with the others.
Meanwhile- Room #6, Lucky 38 Casino
"How...how could I just leave him in there like that...if I stayed and helped him...there's no way we'd have gotten so banged up,"
I shut my eyes tightly as a few tears began to stream down my cheeks.
"I was useless...despite every effort I made to not be so...I was useless,"
My thoughts continued to linger on Jordan, despite how angry I was that he once again did the heroic thing without hesitation. He would've had me escape with this stupid satchel than to risk my life and the mission...seeing himself as disposable over me.
That kind of selflessness is extremely uncommon...there isn't a single person I can think of who would've done something like that, especially for someone like me. I'll admit that I wasn't the best when it came to people. I was close-minded and often times, it was either my way or the highway...but I just couldn't do that with him. His aura was just so warm...that it thawed all the ice around my heart. Even when he was sick, he refused to sit and do nothing so while I was out, he cooked and ensured that everything was alright around the house until I returned.
The time I spent with him...was something I hadn't felt since long before this fallout ravaged the country. And now, he was downstairs in the medical station...fighting for his life...because I couldn't do anything. Even though he always said that I was his equal or better than him in many ways...I was still powerless to help him and he sacrificed his body to protect me from the fall because despite all the times I snapped at him in the past, despite all the times I was mean and cold to him...he chose my life over his.
"I don't deserve friends like these..."
I finished writing the note before placing it on the end table where I knew Lyn would find it.
"Maybe I'll meet you all again someday...but until then, I'm flying solo; I'm not going to ever put someone at risk again,"
Putting my bag on my shoulder, I made my way to the exit.
One Hour Later- The Medical Station
"How is he doc?" asked Palika.
Dr. Farren's eyes narrowed.
"The transfusion was successful...but there are some things we need to discuss," he replied.
Jocelyn's eyes opened wide and her face turned pale.
"His left arm was completely broken...I managed to repair a lot of the damage with the heavy duty Stimpacks...but he won't be able to use that arm for anything strenuous for at least a month so he can forget doing any sort of scouting work or traveling on foot...his leg was in a much better condition and I managed to repair it fully so he can walk just fine," he explained.
He lifted one of the pages on his clipboard.
"Some of the shrapnel got into his body but I was able to remove all the pieces after the transfusion was complete...he's going to have to heal naturally because if he takes anymore stimpack drugs, he's going to go into a severe relapse...he doesn't have tetanus from the metal in his body so you don't have to worry about that," he continued.
He lifted yet another page.
"He does indeed have a concussion but not a severe one; he was lucky that his jacket was so thick because if it wasn't, that fall would've probably resulted in his death...he's going to have to rest for at least a month, no form of work for him and he'll need a lot of bed rest," he said.
He lifted another page and took a breath.
"Now as it relates to what's happened..."
He motioned for everyone to have a seat.
"I analyzed the poison that melted his jacket...it's no ordinary kind of Tunneler venom," he explained.
"Tunnelers have venom too?" asked Caitlin.
Dr. Farren nodded.
"The venom got into his bloodstream...so I had create an antivenom using the residue from his jacket," he continued.
"How were you able to?" asked Christian.
He adjusted his glasses.
"Tunneler venom is mostly a hallucinogen, which is a drug that causes the victim to hallucinate as the name implies...but it also contains some sort of compound that attacks the bone marrow and severely hampers the production of white blood cells," he explained.
"Meaning what?" asked Billie.
He sighed deeply.
"By the time I was able to counteract the venom...he lost nearly a third of his total white blood cell count," he explained.
Jocelyn's eyes widened.
"He's going to be much more vulnerable to disease...how long will he have to be like this?" asked Jocelyn.
"...A year," he replied.
Everyone gasped loudly.
"The venom made it into a great deal of his bone marrow and severely hampered his ability to produce white blood cells so until he recovers...he's going to be a lot more vulnerable to getting sick so you all have to ensure that he doesn't get into anything serious or go out into dangerous places," he explained.
"So you mean-"
Dr. Farren nodded.
"His hero days are over until he can get a marrow transplant done...or until a year passes and my diagnosis is correct," he said.
"What's stopping him from getting one now?" asked Emily.
Dr. Farren shook his head.
"I can't do this procedure on my own and he is in no condition to undergo that procedure now nor travel that far west to the best hospital in the Mojave...nor will he be for a while," he said.
Jocelyn's eyes narrowed as tears began to well within her eyes. Caitlin hugged her.
"Apart from his now very hampered immune system and his arm needing a lot of time to rest...he'll be just fine," he said with a slight smile.
Everyone sighed in relief but Jocelyn continued to sob on Caitlin's shoulder. Dr. Farren approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder only for her to capture him in a deep hug.
"Thank you...thank you so much..." she cried.
He smiled and hugged her back.
"Just make sure he takes it easy and he'll be fine...alright?" he asked.
"Is there anything we can do to expedite the process?" asked Vanna.
Dr. Farren nodded.
"He won't be able to use any stimpacks for at least a month; his body has too much of the drug within its system so after a month, I can see what I can do to help him from there," explained Dr. Farren.
Vanna nodded.
"Will he be alright to travel back to Haven?" asked Christian.
"I've already arranged for the ambulance to take him back with you now," he replied.
With a final nod, Dr. Farren left the group to their thoughts.
Later That Evening- Jordan And Jocelyn's House
"He's still asleep?" asked Carrie.
I nodded as Carrie hugged me.
"If you need anything, let me know," she said.
"Thanks..." I replied.
"He's not going to be happy to hear what happened with Janet," she said.
I nodded.
"Nor with Lily...because she's gone too," continued Carrie.
"I don't understand why they had to leave..." I sighed.
Carrie shook her head.
"We'll see them again someday...hopefully,"
Carrie took her leave as I turned my attention back to Jordan, who was still asleep from all of the drugs he was under.
Earlier That Afternoon- Jocelyn's Room
"What's this?"
I looked at the note and saw Janet's handwriting.
Dear Lyn,
I'm sorry I wasn't able to help Jordan...Mr. House entrusted the two of us to this task and I ended up falling short once again and now because of my inability to be more useful, he's downstairs fighting for his life.
He told me to run because he didn't want to risk the mission nor my life on a chance that the two of us would would fall and then the mission would never be completed. Though I understand that you're probably going to be angry with him for being the hero again...don't be; it's who he is. During the time I spent with him, I grew to see just why you care for him so much.
He's probably the most selfless person I have ever met and no matter what happens to him...he always tries to have a smile on his face. When it comes to you, there isn't a thing that he wouldn't try to do for you...because you're all he thinks about. During the time we were at the house, he always asked me my opinion on what Lyn would be doing right now or how worried she would be and I would agree with him; you two have a beautiful relationship.
I'm leaving...because I have no place in Haven in my current state. I've grown to care for Jordan...much more than a friend should. I don't want to be around him with those feelings because I don't want to lose the friendship I have with you. He's a great guy...really fucking stupid, but a great guy. He really cares for you and for that very reason, you deserve to be happy.
This isn't goodbye...it's see you later. Tell Estelle I'm sorry.
Also...tell Jordan that I'm grateful for all he's done for me.
I need to find myself and figure this out.
Till next time,
Janet Yu
Present Time
I showed everyone the letter once they realized that Janet had disappeared. It was incredibly difficult to break it to Estelle, who initially got furious at Jordan's orders to Janet but after reading the note, Estelle understood that there was no way Janet would say not to blame him unless she truly believed it was his fault. We lost Lily, Tommy, Michael and now Janet...slowly, our group was beginning to thin. We almost lost Jordan today...and that was probably the loss I feared most of all.
I noticed that he began to stir and I was instantly at his side, holding his left hand gently as he finally opened his eyes. He seemed absolutely relieved to see my face but his face immediately turned pale.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"Haven...we went back," I replied.
He nodded slowly as he let out a sigh of relief.
"I...didn't listen to you again," he said turning his head away.
I shook my head.
"If you didn't do what you did, the two of you may not have made it back...considering how banged up you were in comparison to her, I can only imagine the situation you were in," I replied.
He turned back to face me, noting how sincere my words were as well as the look in my eyes; I didn't blame him for risking his life again because Janet was just as much a part of the family as everyone else was. The two of them were pretty good friends...and I could only imagine how much they bonded when they held each others lives in their hands.
"I keep breaking my promises to you...and I almost lost it all again..." he said.
I could see tears welling up within his eyes.
"Is she alright?" he asked.
"She's fine," I replied
"Where is she?" he continued.
It tore me apart to keep it from him but considering how weakened his body was, he couldn't afford to have that kind of emotional stress on his conscience right now.
"She's still at New Vegas Strip; Mr. House had a few things for her to do," I replied.
He nodded slowly, seemingly accepting my words.
"And the others?" he asked.
"All fine...we got back about 15 minutes ago so we're all still settling back in," I replied.
He let out a sigh of relief.
"So...what's the damage on me this time?" he asked.
"You're not doing scouting work...not for a long time," I replied.
He for some reason, didn't dispute that reply. Instead, he humbly nodded.
"I could hear Dr. Farren talking to two girls when I briefly woke up...I needed a transfusion?" he asked.
I explained to all of his medical conditions and what he had to do in order to make a full recovery. He wasn't amused about being unable to help with scouting and guard duty due to the stress that would be placed on his body with firing guns or using a sword. He was however free to enjoy himself and there was nothing at all stopping him from teaching Dawn with his voice or doing light work around the place.
"So...I'm a senior citizen in a nutshell?" he asked.
I laughed softly but nodded. He sighed deeply.
"Guess I better get used to this bed then," he said with a shrug.
I doused the lantern and joined him in the bed, snuggling beside him on his right side. He leaned over and kissed my forehead. Not feeling at all satisfied with his gesture, I kissed his lips. He responded by stroking my cheek until we broke apart.
"You know...it just occurred to me that since we've been...well in...this," he said as he made hand gestures.
I laughed softly at the silly look on his face as he tried to refer to our relationship.
"And we never actually been on a date before," he said.
My eyes widened and he scratched the back of his head.
"I was...thinking we could take one of the cars over to the drive-in theater near Garnet's Respite? Jonah told me that the post had restored it and it was functional again...they're playing a bunch of old favorites like The Matrix, The Forbidden Kingdom and a whole bunch more," he suggested.
I opened my mouth to retort but he didn't seem to notice my intention to answer as he continued.
"I was also thinking that I'd cook you dinner before we went? I know I'm not supposed to be doing strenuous things but you know how much I enjoy cooking for you," he said.
I nearly started to squeal from how cute he sounded.
"And...well, if you're up for it,"
He smiled.
"I asked Jonah to do some hunting around...and he managed to get some paintball guns from some place to the west so we could do something nice for the group that's actually fun...besides drinking and playing cards," he said.
"...You're impossible,"
He looked at me in confusion.
"Even when you're practically in a coma...even when you're not supposed be even touching a paintball gun, you still think of others before yourself," I said.
His face changed to a sly smile.
"Who said we were playing paintball?...I had something far more interesting in mind,"
His voice was...smooth. I smiled deviously at him.
"Are you making a move on me Jordan?" I said raising an eyebrow.
"And if I am?" he replied, also raising an eyebrow.
He got his answer when climbed on top of him and kissed him deeply.