Shock of all shocks.
For certain.
Mitchell'd had some inkling on what she might've been about to say, but it still came as a proverbial " plot twist ", so to speak, to hear Ilona telling him that she'd been anything other than...well, how she was now.
It was the kind of thing he wouldn't have believed if it'd come from anyone else. In all likelihood, he'd have a good laugh over it, before promptly dismissing the notion right tot he face of whoever had told him so. He'd also probably toss in some subtle threats about how if you actually had the temerity to even hint that Ilona was at all on the...hefty side, so to speak, you thus be inviting the chance of some kind of bodily harm to yourself.
Probably something that would sting.
And, who could be surprised at that ? Nobody who'd laid eyes on her would ever associate words like " overweight ", " fat ", and of course, " chubby " with the woman who looked like she was in the perfect psychical state to absolutely ace a Crossfit championship. Something she had actually done, having accrued an uninterrupted string of victories in the global sector of the sport- and one that Mitchell had personally witnessed.
And it didn't take much whatsoever to convince you that it was certainly in the realm of possibility: Ilona was in excellent shape, blessed with one of the most athletic figures Mitchell had seen on any woman anywhere. Yes, she was naturally built a tad wider than most of those other women you'd see on a bikini model- plus sized was still the most accurate term- but there was no excess fat anywhere to be see on her. Nowhere ! Her belly didn't sag forward or bulge, but was rather a set of well defined abs, who's contours were clearly defined. Her arms, or more specifically, her biceps, were big enough to fill of her t-shirt sleeves, and practically rippled when they were flexed, but they thankfully didn't have that bulging roundness that a man's arms would.
Lastly, her thighs. Her legs. They nearly touched, being the most muscled part of her with vast reserves of power stored in their thick cords, and capable of propelling all nearly 200 pounds of her to a full sprint with the snap of a finger. There were no folds of flab down there- just pure fibers. Pure and strong fibers, that'd kicked many a door off its hinges with a gut-crushing stomp kick.
Strong all around...
Yeah. She was fit ! Very fit indeed, and that wasn't up for debate. It was partially why Mitchell had been drawn to her in the first place- the way her steely muscles didn't clash with her curves. It was a body with very few of its kind, and it had been very well cared for...and if its owner cared for it so much, and not for vanity , but out of self-respect, then that was the first step through the door of falling in love.
With said body being the lure, of course. And with something to base it on, it became cherished as well.
But...
For all of that, for all of it...
...there had been, something that was the opposite of it ?!
Mitchell was at a loss for words right now. That did not happen often with him...
...but, it had.
He blinked at the revelation, head pulling back in concert.
" Wait...wait ."
The Marine did what he could to hide the incredulity in his voice. "..did you say you were...overweight, once ? "
" Is...that what I thought you said ? Kind of sounded like it. "
Not quite meeting his gaze, but not completely turned away, Ilona offered a slight shrug in response, along with a, "...Once. Long before ATLAS. Long before even the VDV, as well. "
" Emphasis on once, needless to say. But to answer your question, yes. I used to be a...what's the right term..."
Don't say it...don't say it, the Marine's mind warned him.
Do not say " fat ".
That's the forbidden word...
He didn't need to, though, as it soon turned out.
"...butterball. ", the Slav confessed. " Moderately. I wasn't thin, or even in shape back then. That's what I'm trying to say. "
It was coming out in bits and bursts, this story. Mitchell was already getting the impression that it was a deeply held secret of hers, even from what limited knowledge he'd gained about it within the last minute or so.
wasn't thin, or even in shape...
wasn't...
He'd known her for years. Loved her for most of them. Throughout all, she'd been like she was now: the image of a woman gifted with both muscularity and shapeliness. Mitchell had always assumed that it had been her all along..that there hadn't ever been a time when she'd been anything less than, at a minimum, in shape, but not out.
He had not expected it.
Yet...
Even so...
"Well...I find that pretty hard to believe, medovvy. And I think you can get why... ". Mitchell came forward, and gently glided one hand up to rest on the Slav's lower front torso, just above her navel ( An innie. One that was always so cute to look at whenever it was exposed ).
Firm to the touch. Warm as well, moving with her breathing.
" This.. ", he finished.
Glancing down, Ilona stared at the hand, then tipped her head up...and out of the blue, threw a light ( for her ) half slap, half jab, into Mitchell's shoulder.
" Ow ! ", the Leatherneck exclaimed, flinching minutely.
The Slav was smirking, though; she wasn't mad. " I am telling you an important past chapter of my life, and you get all.. handsy. "
"...Just a tad. And I was making a point ! ", Mitchell protested, though there was no annoyance in his own tone as well.
" Oh, really ? Before I go on, tell me: what point ? Out of curiosity..."
Vat..heh
Geez, her accent. Digging it since day 1.
Unable to resist, Mitchell studied her eyes for a millisecond or so, before he said a word back, and found the hint of personal shame that'd been there right before she'd even brought this up was still there...but there was something more there as well:
Amusement. No mistaking that...
...and that told Mitchell plenty, and in a good way. It meant that what she had to say couldn't be really bad news...just one of those " I feel really awkward about this, so I'd only tell you if I loved you " sort of things. Though the Marine didn't have much experience in the field of romance aside from her ( actually, he didn't have any at all before her whatsoever ), but from what he'd acquired till now, he knew that much that he'd just observed, at least.
It was worth its weight in gold, it was, and he was forever grateful.
But, to answer what she had asked him ( fortunately, it hadn't been long enough to become a problem )...
He could only be honest with her, of course.
"..Well, since you asked...". The Marine drew out, along with a shrug. " Its true: I do prefer you this way. Its the kind of " strong woman " that's actually worthwhile. "
" Ugh..don't remind me on the many, many flaws of feminism. "
" You got that right. ", Mitchell thoroughly agreed, mentally saying thanks that his girl wasn't one of those " Men all suck solely because they're men " sorts.
" You're the right kind of strong- psychically, and mentally. "
He stepped forward, and again reached up , though this time, he gently began to cup the righthand side of her jawline with his own right thumb.
Unlike previously, the Slav made no motion or word to counter him...not that she'd objected to it the other time, per se. That was just kind of messing with him...in her own way. One that Mitchell was long fond of, and still was.
He had to keep going, though...which was fine.
" The thing is, though...as hot as you look the way you are right now, and as much as I'd hate to see that change..."
Sounded better in my head, this..
...but, there's no stopping now.
"...I would, but, if you didn't become outright obese, I'd be ok with a few extra pounds ", Mithcell explained, managing to put together something coherent. " Long as you didn't really go over the top with it, that is. That kind of seems like how you used to be...more or less. Overall. "
It couldn't have been the most articulate thing he'd ever said to her, not by a long shot, but the Marine' had done the best he could, given the circumstances. Nothing about what he'd just said had been planned out in advance; he'd just improvised, and spoken as honestly as he could.
Honesty was generally the best policy, after all..especially when it came to women. They always figured out the truth before long...
Not that Mitchell was in the habit of lying, though.
And not doing so here paid off again as well, as the strongly beautiful feature of the woman before him shaped into a look of tender affection. She was touched, Mitchell was so certain .
She had to be. The guys on the team wouldn't believe this if they saw it, but Ilona was as much of a total hardass as they thought she was. It was mostly just that Russian style " I don't let my guard down unless I really like/ trust you " sort of thing...which they might actually understand.
Or at least all of them but Joker, of course.
" ...You're the smartest mudak I've ever met ", she smiled, lightly pushing at Mitchell's chest. " I actually like that you didn't just say something stupidly cheesy , like ' I love you for who you are '. Having originality is very important . "
Oh, the places I could take that last thing, the Marine realized at once. It was some low hanging fruit, for sure, and he couldn't be 100 percent sure if it'd been intentional or not...but it was probably best to leave it alone.
Besides, she'd probably already guessed where Mitchell's mind had gone right then anyway...
" Really, though...you're a good man, Jack. ", Ilona went on. " I know its sounds so odd, for me to bring up what I did earlier, but whenever I wear something that's a size more than I need...and I know how how absurd it sounds..but it just does. "
Random thoughts will be random...
Until they're not.
" I used to have to wear bigger things for...different reasons, you know. Literally could not fit into anything less.."
" It was that much of an issue ? ". Mitchell was, yet again, surprised at the extent of the fresh information he was being served with. It was still such a...contrast to even picture this impeccably fit woman as anything other than how she was, and even more so given how it was the only way he'd ever seen her.
That went without saying , of course.
" Yes. It was, but the thing was...I didn't care. Not for years, Jack."
There was...borderline self loathing in that admission there. At least, it sounded quite a bit like it...which was continuing the pattern of much being said without actually something being said. It was another element of their dynamic that'd paid for itself over and over, whether it was out in the field, or right here in their barracks-quarters, though...it could be easily be said that it hadn't been used for a subject like this before.
Seemed to be doing what it usually did , though...regardless.
As for what Mitchell had just been told, however, that was something new on top of more new. Not so much her more constrained wardrobe choices of yesteryear, but how she had been so ok with...well, with being overweight. He was just having such a hard time getting his head around it- she hadn't cared , about being that way ? How could that've been ? The way she hit the weights ( heavy ones as well, 50lbs and above ), ran, carried a fully laden while on a long forced march or could complete the vertical rope climb in one shot...that was all speaking of someone who was deeply focused on maintaining their health. Granted, it was to a very high standard, but once again, it still counted as as caring about yourself.
An impressive standard of self-care...but now she was saying she'd done the exact opposite ?
Mitchell had to know where all that had come from..
But, she had to want to. It seemed like she already was, yes, but even so...
No coaxing.
Just be there
He closed in, and proceeded to hug her.
It wasn't something that the other guys would ever dare to do- or at least, Joker wouldn't, on account of how Ilona was definitely stronger than he was. Regardless though, embracing someone who was very obviously able to completely kick your ass ( or at least give you a solid run for your money there ) tended to come with a tad amount of trepidation...
...for most. Not for Mitchell. He had nothing to be worried about, and he knew it.
" I knew you trusted me like this ", the Marine softly declared. " I don't think you'd tell anybody else...and I'll remember that the most of all. "
" ..Agh. Stop being such a charmer. You're just copying James Bond ", the Slav faux-chided, though she did not quite sound upset, obviously.
Mitchell shrugged. " He must be doing something right , if they made 20+ movies about him... "
" I bet ' Goldeneye ' was your favorite. "
" Now you're just being stereotypical"
" Stereotypes exist for a reason. "
"- and distracting ". Ilona gently ( for her, at least ) shoved at Mitchell's chest. " You keep derailing me. "
The Marine raised his hands out to the sides in a gesture of not-surrender-yet-still-kind of. " Couldn't help it. It was too good to ignore..."
" And, I wanted you to feel better about yourself. ", he added. " Not that I think you have issues there, but...you know. Couldn't help that either. "
" I know..."
The moment lingered, for several seconds more.
Needless to say, the coffee was cold by now. Well, not cold, but it'd lost all its steam...literally. The once billowing wisps of it had trailed off to become just a few tendrils curling their way up, though it was certainly a few hours away from going completely off.
It still mattered, but it was also just background. Had been as well, for a while...
" I have to say, though... ", Mitchell remarked, ending the pause. " I feel kind of honored that you told me. I hadn't the slightest clue of that bit of your past...and I appreciate you sharing it with me. "
The hyper-fit Slav mimicked Mitchell's earlier shrug with one of her own, and the Marine did not miss how her sculpted shoulders rose and fell seamlessly. It was just such a contrast to what she had said she'd once been...
Overweight ?
Over ?
" You're different ", she succinctly told him, with a corner of her mouth turned up. " In a good way. Its why...I'd be ok with tell you the full story. "
" There's more ? "
Partially, Mitchell wasn't caught unawares by that, at least. After all...there had been really no chance that the whole tale began and ended with " Well, a long time ago, I used to be kinda husky. Yeah, but not anymore, as you can clearly tell ". Yeah, there had to be much more to be said than that, and this was what the Marine had been anticipating...
...the history, of the history. So to speak.
It was sure to be fascinating...or at least very unconventional.
" ...Da. Its not a short thing, though..."
" If you want the lot. Which is what I've got. "
Ilona exhaled once more, shaking her head a tinge.
"...or very flattering. I mean, the milkshakes were good, yes, very good, but..."
" Milkshakes ! ". Mitchell know had confirmation on one timeless adage: Milkshakes both tasted absolutely amazing with their rich, milky sweetness...and they would balloon you up with too many of them consumed regularly and not enough done to burn off their copious calories.
Another tidbit, that told him much.
The Marine made a hmmm of " I didn't know that, but its worthwhile that I did ", and nodded. " That adds up- in more ways than one. "
" There's no point telling you off for being a smartass, is there, Jack ? I'll still tell you everything you want to know, though..."
" ...You would, eh ? "
" No point in stopping now, frankly. "
That was true...wasn't it ? One of the most secreted chapters of her past days that she'd been awkward and shy about revealing, without ever hinting that it ever existed. It was, quite unmistakably , a deeply personal matter that once you unearthed even a corner of it to anyone, you couldn't just leave it there. You had to keep going, and tell the whole saga...partially because you could only want to at that point, but also because it was the least that your audience of one deserved.
It was what Mitchell grasped now was going down...
And he was fully read to listen to every word. An odd sense of having a true connection had draped itself around the leatherneck...and he knew why.
Not something that women open up to easily...
Takes the right kind of man to compel them. Seems I've made the grade..
An honor.
"...Couldn't agree more ", Mitchell concurred. His left hand drifted down, settling upon the Slav woman's left hip. Just below, lay the pillar of sleek and steely muscle that was her leg...
" Go on. You got me as the world's most attentive audience. "
" For you, Morskoy ? Yes. Yes...you are. "