Helloooo people! Hope everyone had a great week! This chap will be a bit** steamy so BE WARNED XD Had a lot of fun writing it though hehe…
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO…ENJOY!
"YAY WE'RE HOME!" Cedric cried as he ran through the front door. Ariadne, Jack, and Jamie were not too far behind as they stepped through the entranceway. The woman closed the door behind them and began to take off her coat. She gave a sigh of relief.
"Well, I'm glad we got all that out of the way." She rolled up the sleeves of her black turtleneck and tied her hair back into a loose bun. "I was going to do something easy for dinner and boil some dumplings. Jamie, feel free to stay for dinner if you'd like!"
Jamie placed all but one of the bags down in the living room. He gave a smile. "Thanks, I'd love to but I should probably get this," he raised the Gucci-labelled bag, "-wrapped up and head over to my parents' before it gets too late."
"Oh, sure definitely. Alright, tell them we say 'hi' and that we are wishing them a 'Merry Christmas'!" Ariadne walked towards the kitchen with a wave. "I'll see you on Monday!"
Jamie waved back as she turned around and gave Jack a nudge with his elbow. "Now's your chance to get your answer as well."
Jack sighed and placed the other bags down beside him, and Jamie frowned thinking back to the conversation they had earlier.
"Now my question to you is- and this stays between us bros-" Jamie grinned, "do you feel the same way?"
Both of them were silent and only the sounds of the surrounding crowd of people. Jamie's smile dropped as he noticed that Jack grew even paler.
He reached out a hand. "Jack-?"
"I don't know." He finally muttered. Jack ran a hand over his face with a tired expression. "I don't know."
Jamie's eyes widened with surprise. "Wait…what do you mean? You literally flirt with her all the time-"
"I mean, yeah she's fun to mess with but…" He sighed with confusion, grasping the back of his neck. There was a pause until finally he whispered, "…what does it even mean…to like someone?"
Jamie was stunned, he honestly thought that he returned her feelings- that's why he told him the truth!
Oh man…Ariadne is going to kill him!
Jamie heartily patted his back. "Well, regardless. You should definitely figure out your feelings now…before it's too late." He gave him a playful salute before heading out the door. "See ya later."
Finally, Jack was alone. His head hurt ever since his conversation with Jamie earlier. He honestly had no idea what it meant to have any romantic feelings for anyone. After being a spirit for 311 years, he lost most of his human emotions, especially the complex ones.
Scratching the back of his head, he took a deep breath and headed into the kitchen. Ariadne had the pot boiling and was pouring a few dumplings into it while Cedric was setting up the table.
"Ah Jack, just in time." She looked up at him with a smile. "You can just wait at the table. The dumplings should only take a few minutes."
Jack crossed his arms and leaned against the counter instead. She noted his uncharacteristic silence and quirked a brow as she poured herself a glass of water. "You okay?"
Jack remained silent, studying the tiles on the floor, and she shrugged, deciding to take a sip of her drink. However, he suddenly raised his head.
"What does it mean to like someone?" He murmured softly but inquisitively.
Ariadne spat out her drink and began coughing violently.
"Mommy?! Are you okay?!" Cedric cried, rushing to his mother's side.
She gasped as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm fine sweetie, I'm…fine. Go sit at the table." She gave a few more coughs as Jack regarded her with a raised brow. Finally, she took a deep breath and regarded Jack with an unreadable expression.
"Let's talk about this after dinner."
(LINEEEEBREAAAAAKKKK)
After they finished eating, Jack collected the plates while Ariadne went upstairs with Cedric to get him ready for bed. Once Cedric was tucked in, Ariadne walked slowly down the steps, dreading the incoming conversation. She hoped that perhaps he forgot, or maybe he was just joking about it. Nonetheless, all she wanted to do was crawl away slowly and hide under her covers. She couldn't help but release a bitter laugh at that childish thought; she was a mature adult! She could handle this…right? Too soon, she found herself next to Jack by the sink, rolling her sleeves up.
"Thanks for cleaning off the table." She began awkwardly, grabbing a sponge.
Jack set the last set of plates down beside her. "Oh, no problem." Both were silent as she started to clean the plates, with Jack standing awkwardly to the side and Ariadne standing right in front of the sink.
He took a deep breath. "So, about what I asked earlier-"
"Ah, right. That." Ariadne coughed and let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah… where did that come from?"
Jack rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Just something that Jamie brought up made me wonder."
"What, you found someone you like?" She teased, despite the pang in her chest as she said those words.
She didn't realize she was holding her breath until she heard him sigh. "Maybe, but I don't know." He finally muttered. "That's why I wanted to ask you. How do I know when I like someone, romantically?"
She herself took a deep breath. "Well. Do you like talking to them?"
"Yeah?" Jack scratched his cheek in thought. "But I like talking to a lot of people."
"That's not- okay let me rephrase." Ariadne squeezed out the water from the sponge and put it by the sink to dry her hands. "Do enjoy spending time with them?"
"Uh…yeah, but I enjoy spending time with a lot of people." Jack shrugged.
She could feel a headache start to form and she crossed her arms. "Alright sure but… do you wish the time you spend with them never ended?"
"I-I guess so?" Jack thought back to the times they spent together, when she comforted him after he found out he was losing his powers, when they were in the mall…
He shook his head and cleared his throat. "B-but whenever I'm having fun I wish it never ended in general."
Ariadne raised a hand to massage her temple, beginning to feel annoyed. "Right right okay but like, with this one particular person. Not when you're having fun with people, not when you're having fun by yourself, specifically with this individual."
Jack also crossed his arms, thinking deeply. "…kinda?"
Ariadne pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. "Alright how about this, do you enjoy teasing them and making them blush?"
Jack thought back to the moments when they were alone. Her smiling face, her laughter, her blushes whenever he teased her…
"Yeah…" He could feel his cheeks getting hot as the gears in his mind started to click together. But he still needed more confirmation. "B-but I am- well- was, the Guardian of Fun so I like teasing everyone!"
She rolled her eyes and placed a hand over her eyes to groan. "Okay fair, but do you look forward to seeing them and being with them?"
"I-I guess so but- " Jack faltered upon his realization. He whipped his head up but was surprised to see her with an angry expression. He grew confused, unsure as to why she was getting upset.
"Do you want to hold them?" She couldn't help but fume, moving away from the sink.
"Do I want to what-"
"HOLD them!" She whipped around, hair falling out of her bun. She angrily took out her hair tie and her locks cascaded over her shoulders. "Hold them like to hug them, or kiss them?"
Jack was stunned with the outburst. "I mean- I can probably imagine myself doing that to a lot of people-"
"Ok first of all- I don't understand why you would want to imagine that. That's just unnecessary." Ariadne let out a bitter laugh. "Secondly, its not just 'oh you can imagine yourself doing it'- love doesn't work that way. It is a matter of if you want to and are willing to."
"Willing to what-?"
She flipped her hands up exasperately in defeat, hating how her heart stung with every word she spoke. "In your gut, do you yearn to touch them?"
Jack was beginning to get more and more aggravated as well. Her pacing was starting to anger him and he roughly grabbed her arm. "Will you calm down and stop walking around? What's the matter with you?!"
"Nothing, just answer the question." She tried yanking her arm back. "Do you want to kiss them or not?"
…Yes. Jack gritted his teeth and before he could second-guess himself, he pulled her towards him and she fell forward from the force. Placing a hand under her chin, he tilted her head up and sealed his lips squarely over hers.
Ariadne's eyes widened to the size of saucers and she squirmed in his arms but his grip was strong. He turned her around and walked her back slowly to the counter and pushed her against the edge, wrapping an arm around her waist. She tried breaking away but he cupped her face and kept massaging her lips. She let out an involuntary moan and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss even farther, licking her lips and gently prodding his tongue into the corners of her mouth.
Despite her mind totally turning to mush, she somehow made herself place both her hands on his hard chest and tried pushing him back. "J-Jack…" She mumbled weakly against his lips. "S-Sto-"
For a brief moment, he tilted his head back, separating their lips and she let out a shaky breath as he regarded her deeply with a heated stare.
"Jack, what are you doin- no, why are you doing this? Didn't you say you had someone you liked?" Ariadne rambled uncontrollably, her brain reeling over the events that just happened.
Jack leaned forward again, his lips brushing against hers. She tried leaning away but his hand came up behind her head and held her in place. Her face was bright red and she had trouble breathing.
"I do, and I was answering your question." He smirked and tilted his head down to capture her lips once more. "And mine."
But she turned her head and his mouth settled on her cheek again. Undeterred, he began to kiss along her cheekbone and down her neck. She bit back another moan and tried to speak.
"W-what are you talking about?" She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to reason with him whilst maintaining composure. Her thoughts were all scrambled, her emotions were bubbling over. She felt as though she was floating on Cloud Nine… but yet, she was so confused. Does this mean-?
He tugged the collar of her shirt down and nibbled at her shoulder. She groaned. "Jack…please."
Jack growled angrily and lifted his head up to regard her with annoyance. "I like you."
Her mind went blank. "You what?"
"I. Like." He pecked her lips with each enunciation. "You."
"But…" She faltered with each kiss. "Why? How?"
He rolled his eyes and grinned leaning his forehead against hers. "You're funny, you're kind, you saved my life-"
Suddenly, she shoved herself away from him with newfound force. Jack stumbled back and gaped at her. "What-"
"You don't- You only feel indebted to me." She muttered, feeling immense disappointment. "You don't actually like me."
Jack took a step towards her and raised a hand towards her, yearning to hold her once more but also wanting to grab her shoulders and shake her. "Ariadne. What are you talking about-"
She stepped back. "Please stop- You don't need to take pity on me. I saved you because I wanted to. You don't need to go this far."
"Far? Ariadne this isn't just me feeling obligated, these are my real feelings. And that kiss just confirmed it" He asserted, taking a step forward. Upon seeing her continue to back away, his hands fell to his sides. "Why won't you believe me?"
"What's there to believe?" She exclaimed incredulously. "Y-you're basically a god- why would you like a mere human like me?!"
"You're not just some mere human." He argued, continuing to approach her. "You're someone with a pure, beautiful heart who is caring, considerate, and willing to overcome any obstacle to help someone in need."
Ariadne's back hit the kitchen wall. "I can't do this."
"Can't do what?" He placed each of his arms on either side of her and leaned down. "Just tell me that you don't feel the same way and I'll stop. I'll go away and you'll never have to see me again."
She looked up at him helplessly. "It's not that- it's…complicated." She cried, hugging herself tightly.
He released an exasperated sigh. "What's so complicated about two people who have feelings for each other?"
"That's not it, it's just- I made a promise and I… I'm sorry I just don't feel the same way." She tried ducking under his arms but he didn't budge. She regarded him with wide, teary eyes before she looked down again. "Please just let me go."
His gaze was unwavering. "You don't or you can't?"
"What?" Her head shot up and she found herself once again being lost in his ice-blue gaze.
He leaned his head down and whispered once more. "You don't feel the same way?"
She turned away. "I- I don't, I'm sorry."
He cupped her chin and forced her to face him. "Then look into my eyes and tell me."
"I-I…can't." She tried again to turn her face away but she felt his warm hands cup her cheeks and almost cried at the gentleness she felt in his touch.
"So you can't, not that you don't." She could oddly hear the smile in his voice and she whipped her head up to look at him in confusion. Upon seeing his genuine smile, she felt her heart soar as she realized how deep she had fallen.
She could no longer hold back her emotions and tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"Which means, you do like me but you don't want to admit it." He finished, affectionately brushing her cheek.
"Jack…this… I…" She choked, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "I made a promise to myself long ago that I can't fall in love with anyone ever again. Not after what happened with Leon, I…"
"Wow, love huh? That's pretty bold but, it sounds right." Jack chuckled, kissing away her tears.
Ariadne wildly shook her head, trying to get some space between them. "Jack I'm being serious."
"Well, I am too." His face turned solemn once more and he simply pulled her into a hug, breathing in her scent.
"Fall in love with me, Ariadne." He whispered. "You made that promise while you were hurting in the past, but I promise you that I will never hurt you. I won't go anywhere."
"You can't promise me that-" She muttered. "You're a spirit, one day you'll get your powers back and-"
"I can, and I will. I was one- not anymore." He murmured against her hair.
She squeezed her eyes shut, raising her arms shakily to embrace him. "I-I-"
Suddenly, there was a frantic knocking on the door and both leapt apart. Ariadne quickly stood up straight and walked towards the door, peering through the peephole.
"Oh my god…" She gasped incredulously. She fumbled on the locks trying to undo them and Jack came out of the kitchen into the hallway.
"Ariadne? What's wrong-"
She yanked the door open to reveal a tall, older man with a sharp cheekbone and snow-white hair. He wore the camouflage uniform of a military officer, his cap shadowing his eyes. He was breathing heavily and leaned agianst the doorframe in exhaustion.
"Ari…I can't-" He groaned before falling forward.
She barely managed to catch him in time and fell onto her knees from the weight. She frantically took off his cap and Jack, with shock, realized they were also ice-blue.
"Leon?!"
OOOOOOOH SNAP. WHAAAAT?! WHATTTTTTTT?!
LOL sorry it's another cliffhanger…BUT IT'S A GOOD ONE THIS TIME RIGHT?! RIGHT?! Jk I know theres no such thing….XD anyways love you all and thank you again for being with me! Sorry if things are moving too slowly…I noticed that I lost a couple of followers/favoriters recently but for those who are still here—THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH ME AND BEING HERE WITH ME ON THIS WRITING JOURNEY! :D Leave a review/PM me to let me know your thoughts!
