A/N: Something happened with the FFN and the previous chapter did not appear as an update. I hope that explains the lower than usual traffic. Otherwise, it was the reflection on the quality of the chapter, which is entirely possible. Here is the next chapter and, as promised, it is mostly fluff and sweetness, and some smut.
She would put it to the magic of Christmas, Kim decided. The season that started in earnest after Thanksgiving, was making every one more tolerant and forgiving. Jack called her after he left to find Kai and though he didn't say much - it's all good, Kim - she could tell that the conversation went well. So the not-date she had planned with Frank was worth it.
She hadn't seen Jack the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend, understanding that the Brewers had to be involved in some old-fashioned family therapy group session. So she texted him to let her know when he would be free, but otherwise spent time with her sister. Camilla was curious about the dynamic between the cousins and when Kim told her the story as she knew it, Camilla could only chuckle at her.
"Kimmy... And to think I thought my life was exciting. Here you had practically Shakespearean drama: rival cousins, impossible love triangles, battles to the first blood..."
"There was no blood!" she quickly intervened.
"Ok, to the first broken bone, then. Still, quite a story. And Jack living out the archetype of the honorable hero... Well, you should like it then. As much time as you spend reading and all."
"He likes to read too."
"Even better. It would have been disappointing if that physique was all he had going for him," Camilla winked at her and Kim blushed hard.
"You realize you are talking about someone, who is two years younger than you? And is my boyfriend? You should find all of this gross and juvenile!"
"Hey now. He is over eighteen..."
Kim didn't let her finish and smacked her with a pillow. Soon they had a full-blown pillow fight going on, shrieking and laughing.
Jack finally called her Sunday evening and in could only sigh in response to her standard 'how are you?'
"Well, Kai is still prickly and a massive jerk, but he is not all that bad. He still thinks that winning at all cost is the way to go, but, I think, if he spends time with Grandpa he might change that position."
"And how is your grandfather?"
"Better now that he talked to Kai. Truth be told, Kai was probably acting out a lot to get Grandpa's attention. I don't know all the details, but I think Kai would be spending a lot more time with Grandpa."
"Good. What about you and Kai? Are you guys good?"
"Well, he is all snark and bite and he thinks that I am such a bore with my 'proper life,' but it may also be a facade..."
"And you and your grandfather?"
"We did talk a bit about it. I think now Grandpa's worried that maybe he puts too much of a burden on me, expecting all the great behavior, excellent karate and living by the strict honor code," his voice got a little quieter at the end.
"Does he? Do you feel like there's too much pressure?"
He was silent for a few seconds and then, "Yes and no. His and everyone's expectations are what all of us experience, you know? Being considerate, follow a moral compass, do well in school, extra curriculars, and so on. And, I want to do all of that, because it is a right choice... But sometimes I do wonder if I reached this conclusion all by myself or if I am merely reacting to the expectations. So far I had little conflict with either my parents or my Grandpa, but who knows..."
"I see. So far your desires and your family's expectations coincided, but the time may come that you would want something that they may not like or approve of-"
"Yes, I think they'd be understanding, but..."
"But you're worried that knowing you'd disappoint them would affect your decision?"
"Believe it or not, but this year is the first high school year that I am living with my parents. In Otai, when I was so far away, I had a lot more independence."
"Do you miss Otai?"
"Sometimes. But my life is so interesting right now. I mean, it was a little awful at first, but now... Now, it pretty much awesome," he said and she could hear a smile in his voice.
"Well, I for one am glad that you are here," she responded with a smile.
"So, wanna ride to school tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
The Monday afternoon was the first time Kim was cleared to go back to volunteering since the competition. Her friends and co-workers were so welcoming and the coordinator gave her the easiest tasks. Of course, Jack shadowed her everywhere and ended up doing most of her chores. She grumbled, but was secretly pleased. As much as she swore that she as fine, the long day was catching up to her. Jack must have noticed her flagging energy and dragged her to the hospital cafeteria.
They sat at the table in the corner that was unofficially their table and Jack brought them coffee and stale muffins.
"As much as I like this place for the sentimental value, this coffee is truly atrocious. How do they manage to make it so bad?" Jack muttered after taking a sip.
"Sentimental value?" she laughed and saw him blush a little.
"Well, for a while hospital and this cafeteria was the closest I could get to you without your friends and Brody around... Maybe this week I can take you out to a more decent place that serves drinkable coffee?"
"It would have to be some other day than Saturday. I have that thing with Frank, remember?" she said with a frown. "Frank is relatively harmless, but he might get an idea or two after this..."
"Why? Speaking from experience?"
"Well, duh. He once told me that we had a belligerent UST and that sooner or later I would admit it."
Jack could only shake his head. While it was obvious that Frank's crush wasn't something he had to worry about, Kim would be dealing with a deluded guy by herself...
By herself...
Maybe she didn't have to...
"You know, if you want to, I can come as well."
"Where? Recital or ice cream afterwards?"
"Recital is probably open to public. And I can be at the ice cream parlor too..."
"Jack, you don't have to worry about me. I can handle myself," she patted his hand and jack smiled at her.
"Of course you can. I just want to make sure that you don't do something drastic to Frank."
And put strain her own healing body too much. Not that he would say that out loud.
"Jack... I hope you aren't jealous or something," there was a hint of warning in her tone and he realized that a girl as independent as Kim probably wouldn't appreciate a macho act from anyone, let alone her own boyfriend.
"I'm not, promise. In fact, Jerry or Milton can come instead."
"Right. Let's bring Grace and Brody and we'd have the whole gang there..." Kim snorted and blushed.
"And Kai, and Ryan and other Dragons-"
Kim laughed at the picture he drew and he smiled back, relishing in the easy mood.
But as much as they laughed about it, the idea stuck with him and he quietly researched the dance studio that Frank attended and the performance they'd be putting on. Naturally, it was a Nutcracker. Appropriate for the season. This was also a fundraiser for the studio to allow them to open additional classes. So Jack talked to his friends and, in between laughter and teasing over Frank's unlikely hobby, they agreed to come. Even Kai decided to come. His reasons were less charitable: he wanted a blackmail material.
So on Saturday early evening, Wasabis and Kai and Grace showed up at the community center that was transformed into a winter wonderland. Tickets were purchased and they poured inside the theatre. Jack spotted Kim upfront, fidgeting with her phone and looking pretty bored. Pretty and bored. She was wearing a red dress with a thin dark-green belt and matching shoes, echoing the colors of the season. Other people in the audience we're mostly parents in support of their kids.
Jack came over to where Kim sat and it took her a moment to realize someone was near her. She looked up and the look of surprise was replaced by a very warm smile.
"Jack, you're here. You didn't have to-"
"I might just like Nutcracker for all you know."
" Uh-huh... And you like it when it's danced by high and middle schoolers?"
"They maybe talented."
She leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek, "Thanks. At least I'll have some company here."
For all that he and his friends laughed about the recital, once the music started and dancing - at times flat footed and clumsy - began in earnest, the magic of the ballet and the classic motif of Christmas took over. There was a hush in the audience and everybody seemed carried away with the gorgeous music and the timeless story unfolding before their eyes.
Frank was part of cor-de-ballet and Jack was impressed with just how much of an athletic abilities Frank had to have to support women dancers, to jump, and to dance.
But the true star of the show was a girl dancing the main part. She was delicate and seemed to float, appearing magically lighter than air.
When the show was over and Kim remained behind to wait for Frank, Jack and others slowly made their way to the ice cream parlor. Kai walked with him and Jack had to ask.
"So, got your blackmail material?"
"Huh? What? Oh, yeah, yeah, totally," Kai said unconvincingly and then lapsed into silence.
They were already seated when Kim and Frank showed up.
Frank's face dropped a little when he saw Jack and others there, "You're here to laugh at me? Go ahead. I'm not ashamed."
"No one's gonna laugh at you," Kim said forcefully. "But, also, let's be crystal clear. I have a boyfriend."
"When don't you?" Frank muttered quietly and then said louder, "I just wanted someone there, who was my friend or family. There usually are parents, but mom couldn't make it. And I thought you might like it and not make fun of me."
Kim looked at Frank with widened and shocked eyes, as if seeing him for the first time. Jack felt the same.
"I did like it. A lot. And you were good," she finally said and as rewarded with a big smile.
"Yeah?" Frank asked, suddenly shy, and Jack simply could not believe it.
"Yeah..."
After that they all sat together and Jerry expressed his own new-found respect for a Black Dragon. It made sense. Jerry was a dancer, albeit more of a hip-hop style, but he could appreciate the skill and effort that went with the classical ballet technique.
Kai sat next to Frank and asked him about the other dancers. At first Jack thought it was just politeness, but when Kai asked about the prima ballerina, ever so casually, it became clear where this new interest led to.
"Ah, Katie. She's the best," Frank gushed.
"She' goes Seaford High?"
"Swarthmore. Senior, like us."
"Swarthmore, you say..." Kai drawled and Kim looked at him with a knowing smile. Kai actually blushed, "Shut up."
"I didn't say anything..." she said in a singsong voice.
"You didn't have to..."
"Oh, please... I was just..."
The devolved into some bickering and Jack tuned them out and relaxed.
It was a good idea to come to the recital.
Later when he finally was alone with Kim, driving her to her home, he asked, "Did you think it's gonna go so well?"
"No, I had not idea. But you did. It was a good call, Jack. You are good at reading people," Kim smiled at him.
"Really, I just didn't want you to be alone-"
"Yeah, and it had nothing to do with a fundraiser?"
"Maybe a little. And seeing Nutcracker is, like, the most Christmas thing of all Christmas things."
"You know I did ballet when I was little?"
"You?" Jack tried to hide the amusement and surprise. He did, after all, see her dance.
"Yeah. It obviously didn't last," she laughed in self-deprecating manner. "But some of it stuck with me. Jeté, plié, en pointe, relevé, piqué..."
It was strange, but her speaking French and the soft smile made her look a little mysterious and very alluring.
They were already parked near her home and he leaned over to place a soft kiss on her. She responded quickly and then pulled back, "What brought this on?"
"I don't know. You speaking a foreign language..."
"I know how you feel. Remember that time in the kitchen on Halloween?"
"Our first kiss. Of course."
"Well, I don't know if you remember, but you said something in a foreign language. It sounded like a curse or something... And I wasn't sure if it was Russian or Japanese... Well, anyway, it was kinda hot."
Jack smirked, "I remember. Chikusho. It means dammit in Japanese. At that point I stopped trying to fight the thing between us."
"Still think it was worth it?"
"Mattaku. Sovershenno. Absolutely," he said and punctuated each word with a deep kiss.
And she kissed him back – just as deeply – and then he was pulling her close as he could in the confined space of the car, the bite of the jean's zipper against him countering the heat pooling low in the belly.
And then, after kissing her senseless, they broke apart, but only enough so their faces were barely an inch apart, and neither of them could stop themselves from smiling.
And then Kim pulled the lever of her seat and it dropped down.
And he followed the descent, bringing his legs over the console.
"This may not be as comfortable as the back seat of your car..." she mumbled and he recalled that conversation, "but it'd do."
And then they were kissing again. Soon enough they were both out of breath, but Jack didn't want to separate, he wanted to sink into her, breathe her in completely. Jack would be content to drown in everything Kim was. Sadly, Kim pulled away, looking as wrecked as Jack felt. His eyes trailed over her face, admiring the glossy, kiss-swollen lips and before he could stop himself, he was leaning in again. Capturing Kim's bottom between his teeth and biting softly, before pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth, then one on her cheek and another one on the chin before leaning down towards Kim's neck and biting down, hard, before kissing the spot softly, letting his tongue soothe the slight pain away.
He heard Kim's breath hitch and it was so fucking hot and Jack, determined to pull that sound out of his girlfriend again, redoubled his efforts. Biting kisses were trailed down Kim's throat and along the collarbone before Jack made his way back up to her mouth, kissing her hard. When they separated once again, they were both heavily panting. They were staring at each other, pupils blown, lips bruised and wet and all Jack wanted was, more, more and more.
She was such an angel - fresh face, bright eyed, blonde hair shining - and a temptation at once. He wanted to let her know just how much this was worth all the drama they went through. He never knew that it could feel this good (when you feel something like this for the person you're with) and he didn't know how to convey to her that he was losing his mind and he never wanted to stop. So just breathed Kim against her lips and kissed her again. Open and deep, their tongues sliding together and twisting together.
Kim moved her legs and shimmied up until their hips slotted together and… oh.
Jack couldn't help but shiver as their new position allowed for his straining erection to slide against her in a delicious torture. He ground down into Kim the same time she pushed up and a shock rolled through his entire body, travelling down his spine and into the tips of his toes. Jack pulled back from the kiss, hiding his face in Kim's neck, panting into her skin as they moved desperately against each other.
It was too much - he was already half way to orgasm - but not enough to bring her along, so he pulled back and moved one hand down to grab the hem of the dress. She moved with him and soon he was touching her, feeling the heat and the wetness. She whimpered when his fingers slid in, soft murmurs of Jack, yes, please, and it was too much for him. He moved his fingers and hand, knowing by now what she liked and his hips were making calculated circular motions against her hipbone, because he really couldn't wait. She looked so gorgeous like this and it was all good, so, so, good.
They were panting against each other's lips more than kissing now, moans drifting through the air as their bodies slid against one another creating the perfect friction. Kim's eyes were closed in bliss and he he just couldn't believe his luck, overwhelmed by everything.
So instead of dwelling, Jack let himself feel.
Underneath him, Kim was gone, really gone and it was beautiful. The flush of pleasure in her cheeks, her face conveying pure bliss, lips bitten and red...
He could feel himself get close to the edge and panted, "Fuck, Kim, I'm close."
"Jack," Kim sighed below him, before arching up, mouth open in pleasure as her orgasm washed over her and that did it for Jack and he followed right behind, eyes closed against too much sensation.
So, so worth it...