Author's Note: So there's some sexy times in this chapter (I forgot I said I would put a note for all chapters - so whoops). Hope you enjoy and apologies if you have been waiting…this one took me awhile to finish...but I like what it became and I hope you do too.
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Thursday - December 21 - Day Off
TLC FOR LUKE DAY CONTINUED
Days to Friendship: 11
Relationship Status: He's got his hands. She's got her lips.
…………………………………………..
An hour or so later, Penelope and Luke wake up - or rather…
Penelope wakes up... realizes they have fallen asleep on his hard living room floor and starts laughing so hard and helplessly that Luke groggily opens one eye.
Luke awkwardly tilts his head up off the hard floor so he can peer down at the cackling woman sprawled nakedly across his chest.
"Luke! Oh! oh! oh! That was awesome but we have to stop meeting like this! Oh! Oof. O.M.G you have a hard floor! ... and..oh.. ow..and I am turning into a Penelope-cicle! Don't bother turning your heat on, Mister I'm-So-Hot-Furnaces-Are-For-Other-People ...oh...and...oh...and my arm is all pins and needles! Ooooh. Ouch. Oh. Oh...I can't breath...oh...this is your fault "
Penelope's words swoop and fly on the momentum of her laughter and she is gasping and howling with mirth mixed with little mewls of discomfort as she alternates between trying to untangle herself and flopping back down against his warmth. Luke for his part has one arm wrapped around her - his eyes closed - his fingers enjoying whatever skin her wriggling brings close - and is silently shaking with silent manly giggles.
"I can not believe we just fell asleep AGAIN in some AWKWARD-ASS post-coital position in the MIDDLE of the afternoon. Seriously! It's like you think we're in some modern day version of The Notebook or something and we have time to… Oh wait! Panic stations! What time is it?!?! Luke Alvez if we slept through..."
Penelope grabs Luke's wrist which still has his massive watch wrapped around it - bending his hand awkwardly so that she can try to make out the time with her nearsighted eyes - it is honestly a bit of a mystery how that thing hasn't inflicted her with any scrapes or bruises during all their canoodling...
"OW! PENNY STOP - ARMS DON'T BEND THAT WAY! LET ME, WOMAN."
Luke pulls his arm out of her reach and checks the time "It is 4 hours and 17 minutes of the clock, madam. Although why it matt-"
"Oh! Thank goodness we didn't sleep through it - almost but not quite. Quick! Where did you put my bag?"
The previously floundering Penelope Garcia finally made it to her feet and is headed with great determination - naked as the day she was born - to the front hall where she is pretty sure she left her bag. Luke's eyes are now wide open. He wolf whistles playfully - which brings Penelope up short - she tosses A LOOK over her shoulder - ok it's more of a glare that melts into one of her cheeky thousand watt grins - but that still counts as A LOOK, right?
Having rendered Luke back into the usual state for him these days: dumbly besotted… Penelope turns triumphantly and carries on with her self-appointed mission - although not without rewarding him with a bit more of a sauntering step and a very nice bum wiggle.
Luke Alvez is a very happy man.
In a nonce, the lovely Penelope is back with the large bag she had insisted on bringing this morning… a big black tote decorated with multi-coloured geometric cats. She sits on the floor beside him in a mermaid pose - legs swept primly to one side and behind her like she's wearing one of her usual short skirts.
Curious, Luke swings himself into a crossed legged position - smirking slightly as he catches her gaze first land on - her pink tongue reflexively darting out to wet her lip - and then be purposely averted away from his semi-erect penis... only to land on his chest...which seems to have her just as transfixed.
"My eyes are up here, darling."
"Yeah, cus' those peepers of yours are any less distracting? It really should be illegal for me to be as attracted to anyone as I am to you. But I digress. Don't you want to know about the surprise?"
"But of course, my lady! It's the only reason I'm currently all the way over here instead of over there showing you…"
With his words, Luke reaches out one arm and touches her face with a single finger, tracing a crescent from her temple down to her chin, then lazily letting his finger trace her well-kissed lips. Penelope closes her eyes and just lets him touch - drinking in his husky words.
"… showing you why, if it were illegal for you to be so attracted to me, there would have to be a warrant out - stating that for my crimes of passion - I am wanted dead or alive."
Penelope snaps her eyes open at that. She parts her lips with a squeak-soon-to-be-protest but Luke is all smiles and innocently rests his hands in his lap.
"I thought you had a surprise to show me, Chica?"
"Just because you…arghh...o.k….. Ta da!"
With a flourish, she pulls out an envelope and a knobbly plastic bag with the logo of an online sports shop. She hands the envelope to Luke - it's blank and white and unsealed - so he pulls out the white piece of paper that is inside. It's the printout of a receipt...with all the prices blacked out… but apparently Penelope has booked them an hour long private lesson at 5:30 pm tonight at a local boxing gym.
"I um checked THEIR records just to make sure it wasn't where you usually go...since I wasn't sure what you were telling your non-B.A.U. friends about all this… but otherwise all I know are the reviews are good - oh and I made sure it was real boxing not like boxing fitness...not that there is anything wrong with that...it's just that...I wanted to go for authenticity, y'know? I signed us up for an intro lesson - but explained that they needed to pitch it so that someone with a lot of boxing experience and someone with no experience could get something out of it. I thought you might like?"
"Oh. I like. Penelope Grace Garcia, you have done it again. So what's in the bag?"
"The guy said we wouldn't be doing any sparring so we don't need mouth or head protectors for today… although if you have them - you should bring them - but he said we would need to wrap our hands and use gloves. He said we could borrow from the gym. I figured you have your own gear - but the guy I spoke to at the gym said boxers can always use new hand wraps...so here you go…"
Luke, who thought he could not be surprised any more by this woman of his...stares gape-jawed down at the hand wraps she's handed to him. They are printed with a bright blue geometric pattern - way fancier than the ratty plain ones he has in his closet...and when he peers more closely he sees that at the intersections of the light and dark blue lines there are the silhouettes of little German Shepherd type dogs.
Where the heck did she find these?
He looks up to ask and his eyes catch on the pink leopard print boxing gloves and pink camo hand wraps she's set on the ground between them - wonderingly he picks up a glove and checks it - the brand is one he's familiar with and trusts, the wrist support seems to have the right degree of firmness, the leather and stitching are good, and the weight and balance seem right for a training glove meant for her.
"...and since I am not going to use icky sweaty shared equipment….these are for me. The guy at the gym sent me some hints on what I should be looking for - but he didn't tell me how cute boxing equipment could be. They had hello kitty hand wraps but I decided I just couldn't repeatedly punch something with hands wrapped in her adorable visage...they also had crime scene tape ones which I considered for you...but frankly we are on vacation and do not need any additional reminders of work right now. If we decide to keep it up - I'll get the rest of whatever it is I need."
As he examines first her glove then her hand wraps, Luke lets Penelope's words flow over him, partly listening and partly marveling at how incredible it is that he gets to spend time with this amazing person who is so full of care and verve and imagination. He has no idea what he did in a past life to deserve this time he gets with her...but whatever it was must have been unspeakably good… far better than anything he has done so far in this one that is for sure.
"Luke? Say something. Are they ok? Or did I get bamboozled? The guy said this was what I should look-"
"They are perfect. You are perfect."
Luke leans forward and kisses her full on the mouth. But almost before the kiss has hardly even begun he pulls back - checking his watch - calculating frantically.
"Pen, it is now 4:37 - let's say 20 to 5.. If I remember correctly the gym we're going to is 15 minutes from my place by car? And it says here we should arrive about 5:15 to check in and get our wraps on etc. So we have…about 20 minutes to get ready and be in the car. What do you think, Chica… do you think we can have the quickiest of quickies and still get there on time?"
"Well...we are already naked."
"You read my mind."
"How then? It needs to be super fast and it's not like we've been cursed with abstinence today to help us hurry things along..."
"Not going to be a problem." Luke reaches for her as he lies down on his back gently pushing away the boxing stuff... "Get over here. Kiss me."
Penelope clambors over and straddles him up on all fours - her hair curtaining around them as she leans down to kiss him with her hot roving mouth. His hands run up the backs of her thighs - firmly - quickly - then cup and massage her arse - then slide deliciously up her back - each touch sending a frenzy of heat through her - and more blood pumping fiercely into his cock - from the angle it's pointing - no one would call his erection a semi now. They both had thought they had tried every kiss on the menu and that from now on there would be only delicious seconds to be had...but no… this kiss is somehow its own unique brand of hot and questing and oh my goodness…
Luke's hands have now slipped down around her rib cage and he cannot get enough of playing with her dangling heavy breasts - his thumbs brush and then swirl and then rub over her rock hard nipples and she cries into his mouth - sucking hard at his tongue - until he squeezes both breasts hard - and she gasps and arches - pulling up and away from his grasp - so that her breasts swing free and oh god he loops his forearms her under her armpits - pulling her to lean just far enough that he can get a nipple and a good portion of the surrounding soft flesh into his mouth.
He sucks hard.
"Luke! Sweet Jiminy Cricket! Oh everloving fuzziness...ooooh!"
He sucks again. His other hand is back on her other breast. First squeezing and massaging and then his fingers are tweaking her nipple - pulling it so her whole breast stretches exquisitely - not so it hurts just so that she feels it to her toes.
Penelope is gasping. Her face is red, tingling and aching from the intense arousal that slammed through her so quickly. Her quim is reacting even more strongly - positively pulsing - shooting messages of "now!" and "touch me!" - clenching in frustration that it is empty and alone. Penelope is hardly going to have to worry about doing her kegel exercises this week, now is she?
Then Luke's free hand slips down and finds her clit - fingering her ever so gently.
Penelope howls wordlessly and then cusses very wordily.
Luke chokes on a laugh and just sucks hard on the breast in his mouth - breathing in hard through his nose - adding fingers and pressure to his feeling up of her quim as she grinds mindlessly into his hand.
Penny only has a split second to think - I am cumming! before everything goes white and she chokes out Luke's name. She dimly hears him ordering her to ride him - dimly feels his one hand grab her ass and pull her down - down onto his hard cock which he is guiding into her - once securely pushed deep into her - Luke grabs her her rib cage - guiding forcing her to sit back on her haunches before her shaking arms give out and she ends up sprawled on top of him.
Slowly it dawns on Penelope that Luke's hands and words are encouraging her to grind down on him - not bounce - and that she is following his directions.
"That's right, Penny, that's right, grind it out. Grind it out, sweetheart. Penny… you… feel… so….good...and your breasts...are...oh...my...beautiful… gor...gor...geous… so hot…"
Luke makes this guttural sound then and his hips thrust hard up into her and she switches from hard grinding figure eights to a rocking riding 1-2 motion... speeding up when she sees the look on his face...1-2...1-2...faster and faster… and then she has her breath back to chant…
"Cum for me Luke. Cum now. Cum hard. Cum now. Cum hard. Cum now. Cum hard. We have to go. We have to go. We have to go.
Luke starts to buck harder and faster - his skin is lathered in sweat - he is snorting and his face is turning purple - and Penelope is riding riding riding…her hands on rubbing up and down over his belly...she is shouting shouting at him.
"CUM LUKE NOW. I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU."
And suddenly he is shouting and cum-cum-cumming what feels like ropes and ropes and ropes and ropes of hot sticky semen high up into Penelope. One hand clenches around her - with the other he slaps the floor open palmed and stingingly hard - over and over. It is too much. All too much. All too much.
And then he feels her cum around him again - unexpectedly - hard and clenching and tight - and something inside of him orgasms again - this time is is dry but his toes curl - his body shakes - the edges of his vision blacken as they clench hard hard hard and then she falls on him shaking and clinging.
They both blink hard trying to come down from the high.
"Ahh. Ten to Five. Get off me wench - we need the world's fastest shower, make sure Roxy is set for the couple hours, and into our gym clothing stat."
"Aye. Aye. Oh a bit wobbly."
"I will hold you up...but we have to hustle. I can't be late...this amazing woman bought me a boxing lesson."
Miraculously, Luke and Penelope made it into the car by 5:03. The traffic lights were good to them, so by stretching just a couple speeding limits, they were pulling into the gym at 5:16.
They'd both put on only their gym shorts and t-shirts under their coats after their lightning fast shower - so they sprint for the door to avoid as much of the D.C. December wind as possible.
Penelope shrieks with laughter for the second time that day as her tote bag bounces on her shoulder and Luke grabs her elbow as they slip and slide across the parking lot.
A bell over the door rings as they push their way into the glorious warmth of the gym. When Luke notices Penelope's nose crinkle the tiniest bit it is his turn to laugh. He takes a deep breath - the air is fairly fresh but with undertones of stale sweat and rust and leather - the smells that became so familiar to him as a kid when he first started tagging along with his older cousins to the boxing gym in their neighborhood. Perfection.
Luke can't help but turn to the wall opposite the reception desk to scan the framed cuttings and photographs of boxers who clearly trained at this gym. There are several prize belts displayed too and more than a few of the plaques awarded for coaching excellence. It's an impressive collection and Luke recognizes more than one name.
Just then an older tall bald man comes into the front office from the gym area to greet his 5:30 private lesson. Penelope hussles over hand outstretched.
"Mr. Moreno! Good to see you again! You may not remember me? I'm-"
"Miss Penelope. Of course I remember you, Princessa! And I told you to call me-"
"Manny?"
Both Penelope and the trainer spin just in time to see the look of pure surprise and joy completely take over Luke's countenance. The next thing Penelope knows, Luke and Manny are hugging it out and filling the room with these glorious plummy laughs.
When they finally break apart, Manny smiles at Luke like a long lost son, cupping his face with a rough palm and speaking Spanish way faster than Penelope can process - oh she picks up a few words here and there "abuela", "casa", "padre", and a favourite of her step-father's… "esos primos tuyos alborotadores"...just enough to deduce that Manny is asking about Luke's family.
Luke who seems to be struck mostly dumb by this surprise encounter, just nods adding few words here and there, until Manny asks one question which he punctuates with a head tilt in Penelope's direction…
At that point, Luke shakes his head in a hard "No." Manny's fluffy gray eyebrows almost fly off his head in disapproval. Luke just shrugs helplessly - and Manny looks like he is about to say more - so Penelope jumps in.
"So how do you know Manny, Luke? And not to rush things but I am going to need one of you fine gentlemen to help me with my hand wraps since I have absolutely no idea what I am doing!"
Penelope sees the relief that momentarily flashes in her love's eyes at the rescue.
"Sorry, Pen! Manny ran the gym in my neighborhood growing up. I used to tag along after my older cousins and Manny would let me hang on the ropes and watch them train or hold their towels. I would beg him to give me lessons so finally finally he started giving me drills to do off in the corner. Sometimes I'd even be allowed to spar with the big boys."
"Finally. Bah. He was only 4! He makes it sound like I kept him on the ropes until he could grow hair on his chin!"
"So sue me. It felt like a very long wait!" Luke throws an arm over Manny's shoulders. "Manny let me train at his gym all through highschool until I left for the army."
"He coulda been something too if it wasn't for all those nights chasing skirts at the clubs."
"Yeah yeah..I coulda been a contender… Manny you know it was the music not the skirts that had me hooked."
Penelope jumps back into the banter with a teasing smile, "So the skirts were just a fringe benefit, eh mister tall, dark, and blandsome?"
"Hey! It was the Nineties - no one's skirt had fringe!"
"Where did you spend the Nineties, Newbie? Under a rock? I had at least 3 fringed pencil skirts! Not to mention at least one fringed blazer à la Saved By The Bell."
Penelope and Luke have swayed together as they banter - all grins and heart-eyes.
Manny shakes his head with a bark of a laugh and claps Luke on the back.
"¿Y dices que no te vas a casar con ella? Ten cuidado, hijo... porque quizás yo lo haga. Alright you two - let's get ready to rumble as they say…Luke I imagine you can still manage your own hand wraps… so I will help, nuestra amiga. Let's go, Princessa… Luke."
Manny leads the way into the gym. They follow, but Luke looks anxiously at Penelope and whispers,"You still don't understand Spanish, right?"
"Right. But I do speak teasing old guy in any language…so I do have some idea of what might be being said. Don't worry, ok Luke?"
"I'll try."
Penelope gives his closest hand a quick squeeze. Then raises her voice so that it's loud enough now for Manny to catch what she's saying.
"Well you heard the man! Let's get ready to RUMBLE! I am ready to learn this so-called Sweet Science."
At that, Luke can't help but lean over and rasp into her ear - his tongue curling the words like a promise…
" Pen-el-o-pe… you know it's bizarrely hot that you know boxing is called the Sweet Science. Did you know they say that in boxing your mind is your best muscle? If that's the case…then I really am gonna be a goner if we ever find ourselves in the ring, Prin-."
Just then Manny turns back to them, catching Penelope's flustered blush.
"C'mon you two NON-love birds - come meet your coach for today's lesson - we'll explain how it is going to work while you gear up - you sit here, Princessa. Yo! Lukey Boy? Over here."
They sit where they are told and both open their bags and pull out their stuff. Manny let's out a low whistle when he sees their fancy handwraps - then looks straight at Luke and waggles his eyebrows starting to count up from one the boxing knockout hand signals that he first taught Luke as a boy - another warning that this woman was not one to let get away - that Luke should fight for her. Luke emphatically glares at his old mentor and then breaks eye contact to pointedly wrap his hands.
"Boss? This my private lesson?"
For the second time tonight, Luke's head whips around in recognition. This time it is a woman who appears to be in her late thirties early forties and looks like a shorter buffer version of Tara who has made his head spin. Luke jumps to his feet.
"Marissa? Marissa Talbot? What the heck are you doing in DC?"
"Luke Alvez? Get outta town! What AM I doing here? What are YOU doing here? Last I heard you were chasing fugitives in Montana or some other forsaken place. Get over here!"
Now it is Penelope's turn to experience deja vu…as she watches Luke greet a second "long lost whoever"...
WHAT IN THE SEVEN KINGDOMS IS HAPPENING? GREAT OOGLY MOOGLY!
"Penelope?"
His voice is gentle but it still makes Penelope start, "Oh! Yes! Oh hi!"
"Pen - get over here. I have the great honour of introducing you to my good friend from my time in the Army, Marissa Talbot! One of the best hand to hand combat teachers I have ever come across. Mar this is Penelope Garcia - we both work together on the same team at the FBI and she is probably the best technical consultant on the planet."
Marissa shakes Penelope's now-wrapped-hand enthusiastically - first beaming at the colourful woman and then smirking back at Luke.
"Nice to meet you! He's a bit faint on dishing out praise ain't he? ONE OF THE BEST - PROBABLY THE BEST…REALLY MAN? So I guess if his assessments are consistent you are head and shoulders above the rest of your field? Oh and smart guy… it's actually Marissa Moreno now. I married this old guy's daughter for some reason."
"Wait!? Gianna is in town too?"
Manny butts in, with a chuckle:
"Yup and she runs a swanky café four blocks west of here. And as for you, Missy, the reason you married into my family is that you have good taste - in father-in-laws at least. Now...there is boxing to be done!"
But before anyone can agree or even draw a breath…Manny barrels on…
"I cannot believe you, Marissa, know our Luke! And apparently today is old home week at the gym. Are you a witch, Princessa? Did you make this happy magic happen for our boy here?"
"No. Believe me. I had no idea."
Penelope's eyes are huge and fixed on Luke and her voice is tinged with urgency - although only Luke can hear that particular undertone. Which makes sense, because he is the only one there who knows she could easily have used her mad skills to at minimum anticipate this reunion. Truthfully, it would have been easier than snapping for her to rig a meet up like this if she had wanted to.
But… Luke is pretty sure - no, completely sure - Marissa's right, he should stop hedging - so… he is completely confident the urgency stems from her being afraid he'll accuse her of digging into his past - not that she's actually done it. He trusts deep down she would never do that unless she had an excellent life or death reason - or at least one she seemed as such…you know, like he had a no good brother who was coming to town and might make him sad or want to borrow money…
So yes he trusts her…but… he'll also tease her about the possibility that she might have done some cyber magic to engineer the events of the day - but later - Manny's right…
"Of course you didn't, Pen! It's just that the best things in life follow you around like little ducklings and the rest of us love it when we get to bask in the happines-."
Marissa punches Luke in the shoulder grinning like a monster at her old friend.
"Luke! I do not remember you being such a softy in Iraq…well except maybe with the doggos - what did this lady do to you?"
"Apparently not enough. Lukey Boy here-"
"Alrighty, break it up…break it up…time enough for is all to reconnect *slash* make fun of me later. Marissa over to you…where do you want us? I can't wait to make a boxer out of Penelope Garcia so that the world may tremble at her feet!"
"Don't you mean tremble HARDER, Newbie?"
……..
Marissa leads them over to two crosses taped on the floor and while she leads them through a basic warmup, explains that they will start with stance and then she will run through the basic punches with both of them. Then, she'll set up Luke with a series of shadow boxing drills while she shows Penelope the basics of foot work. After that she will bring them back together to do some punching drills.
Penelope instantly loves the first part of the lesson. Marissa gets Luke to put on his full (including his mouthguard and headgear - which Penelope privately thinks makes him look like a teddy bear) and then instructs him to demonstrate his stance.
The best part is they do this drill that checks Luke's stability and Marissa gets Penelope to slap his shoulders one at a time and then his elbows to see how solid he is. Then the women switch places and Marissa throws a series of individual punches to his body and head (describing them as she goes) instructing Luke to stay in place and block - but reminding him that the point is not to go crazy with his defense but to work on his balance and stability. Next, Marissa gets Luke to demonstrate the punches but gets him to freeze midway through the movement and gets Penelope to slap him again to find where the motion has left him vulnerable. After each punch or slap, Marissa compliments what is working and then suggests a minor correction or alternative method. Penelope can tell that Luke is comfortable and confident but also that he takes Marissa's suggestions for how to tweak his stance and blocks extremely seriously. It is exceedingly clear how much he respects his old army friend's opinion.
It gives Penelope a glowy feeling… it's kinda like… well…you know how they tell women to pay attention to how a man treats his female family members and friends because it can show a lot about how they will treat a potential partner? That's what it feels like is happening here - like Penelope is getting to see how truly truly respectful Luke is of the women in his life. Oh sure, she's seen him work respectfully with Tara, J.J, and Em for years…and treat female victims and witnesses with the utmost dignity… and she knows deep to her bones how good he is to her…. but seeing the way he is with Marissa brings one more layer into her appreciation for his overall treatment and regard of 'the female of the species'. She knows it's something so simple - something that should just be expected - and thus not noteworthy… but their work so often proves that unfortunately not every man (or woman) is able or conditioned or willing to see women as people - let alone people deserving respect… so she can't help but have a reaction whenever she is given evidence that there are good men out there - and the fact that for right now at least… they are together? He has chosen her?
Indescribable.
As the lesson progresses, Penelope finds that learning the punches reminds her of the lessons Derek gave her in shooting - except more comfortable? So far this whole thing hasn't given her any flashbacks to her shooting or when she had to shoot Baylor. Mostly she is reminded of the millions of evil p.e. classes she had to attend in highschool and that day the evil Derek tricked her and Reid into doing the F.B.I. fitness test. That Derek - despite being her beloved best friend and a truly good man - had the occasional ability to be a prize jackass.
Luke's favourite part of the lesson is after they have done some work on the heavy bag and the speed bag and Marissa gets him to put on the focus mitts and catch Penelope's punches. This woman he's fallen for is ridiculously adorable and remarkably strong and precise for a beginner. By this point he has his head gear off and has worked up quite a sweat doing the various drills Marissa had thrown at him over the last hour, so he is totally jazzed and they just can't stop laughing and goading each other - which just makes Penny more determined and fierce.
The lesson finishes around 7:30 pm (Marissa totally gave them extra time for free) and they leave with promises to come back for more and to meet up soon for dinner and very tired sweaty hungry bodies.. the teasing from Manny and Marissa about neither of them having warm-up pants echoing in their ears…
Shrieking with laughter Penelope and Luke make for the car as quickly as possible - slipping and sliding on the slick icy pavement…
They almost make it to the truck safe and sound when just after they part to go to their respective sides of the cab - Penelope's foot shoots out behind her on a particularly dicey patch.
"Oh! Oh!"
Sounding like a cartoon character, she pitches forward - then she slams chin first against the edge of the hood before she is able to catch herself with her hands and push up using the freezing metal surface to scrabble herself back to standing.
Luke is by her side in the fastest move he's made tonight - helping her into the freezing front seat - her legs dangling - as he makes her face him. He thinks from the way she moved as she took the steps needed to get into the car that Penelope is mostly dazed - nothing seems to be causing her pain except her chin and her lip which looks like it got bit hard when she struck the truck. But he checks anyways, asking soft questions sliding his hands down her legs making her bend knee then ankle then doing the same for her arms - making her check that there is no pain in her shoulder or elbows or wrists when she moves. Asking her to make a fist with each hand - wiggle her fingers. Checking that she can lower her chin to her chest, look up, look to the side. Once convinced that she is reasonably ok, Luke grabs a blanket from the back and tucks it around her knees. He considers heading back into the gym for an ice pack, but one look at shivering Penelope - who has only said yes or no to his questions and who looks pretty much at the end of her rope - and he opts to just grab a towel from his gym bag and wrap it around some clean snow.
"Penny? Hold this against your lip, ok? Home time."
"I'm… … …"
"You're what, Beautiful?"
Her eyes peek guiltily at him from behind her glasses.
"Sorry."
"For what? Planning the best day ever?"
Penelope gives him her best "get out of town you person who is deliberately and annoyingly aggravating me" look.
"Ohhh you mean for slipping? No sorries needed. Everything is going to be ok. We're going to get Roxy, grab something that is 100% delish, change into warm comfy clothing, and watch something relaxing and go to bed, deal? The perfect end to the perfect day. Now, just hold that to your lip, ok?"
She answers in one of the smallest voices he's ever heard her use and the words are muffled by the makeshift ice pack "Thank you."
They are silent for a bit as Luke pulls out and then it is Penelope who broke the silence.
"You know I have never ever dug into your past right? Not that I wasn't tempted but .."
"I know Penny. You were genuinely surprised first by my music collection and then by the chance reunion. I never would doubt you. Pen - I trust you. I always have. It was.."
But Luke won't say it. Won't say that it was her who struggled to trust him. Won't say how hard it was to gain her trust. It doesn't matter. Besides… while she may feel can trust him to the stars and back over many things… she cannot trust him to remain her lover. Just the opposite in fact - which is in some ways more profound - although much much more painful.
The rest of the drive back through town is quiet but comfortable, they pick up Roxy, pick up some take-away, and head to Penelope's to feed humans and animals alike. Ready for a comfy evening at home.
….
The evening rolls on just as Luke had laid out - and Penelope regains her bounce with the infusion of warmth and good food and mindless old T.V. - and after a few episodes of the Rockford Files, both Luke and Penelope are completely ready to curl up together in bed.
Luke draws Penelope a hot bath - adding lavender Epsom salts - then sits beside her as she soaks reading aloud from an old favourite he - of course - found on her shelf:
"Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party…. In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbithole, and that means comfort…"
Then while Penelope heads to the bedroom to get into her jammies...Luke takes his turn in the washroom - having a super quick shower - then smiling to himself as brushes his teeth.
WHAT A DAY!
When he sidles to the bedroom though - pj pants slung low on his hip and his chest bare - there is Penny sitting on the bed in her soft warm pink nightgown as he expected - but what is not expected is she is leaning back against the headboard, hands are knotted in the covers on her lap, and fat slow silent tears are rolling down her cheeks.
"Penny?"
Luke tosses the towel he was using to dry his hair into the corner and crawls up onto the bed beside her. She turns her head - not away to hide - towards him - eyes wide and pleading and so so so tired. Her poor lip and chin is a bit swollen and scraped but - he guesses rightly - that is not the problem. He reaches out cupping the sides of her face in his warm strong hands - pushing his fingers into her hair - smoothing the tears away from under her eyes with firm strokes of his thumbs. She closes her eyes like at cat - pushing into his touch almost imperceptibly - but he feels her response and knows that the amount of pressure he applies instinctively was what she needed so he repeats the gesture with the same firmness - feeling her lean in just a bit more - but the tears don't stop - no Penelope let's go and start to sob into his hold - but Luke doesn't flinch or let go. Instead,.he pulls her to him in a hug and she bawls messily into his shoulder - he smells of his spicy shampoo/body wash - which for some reason she can't figure out - makes her cry harder - cling tighter. Her lip stings and her chin throbs but she ignores it…. and just weeps.
Luke asks nothing of her - does not seek an explanation for her tears - or tries to stem them in any way. Just holds her until slowly slowly the wracking sobs lessen until all that is left are little shaky hiccupy breaths. And still he just holds her - kissing the top of her blond head - whispering comforting non-sense - until she is completely cried out.
Penelope feels wrung out - heavily vacant - not an ounce of give left in her. She cannot summon any part of herself to care or want in a waking way and yet she welcomes his strong arms and his touch. This passivity is not the ' put on' or ' stepped into' indulgence they have allowed to grow between them where she lets him have - gives him - control at times for the pleasure of it.
No, there is no let or give about this.
What is - just is.
In this moment, Luke literally has total care of her because she has nothing to exert in care of herself.
He must decide what is next.
What is best.
Oh, both he and she knows she has agency and if she were with practically anyone else on the planet there is no way she would have allowed herself to be this vulnerable. He remembers how she pulled herself in when he found her weeping when Reid was in prison - trying to push him away. This is a complete reversal of her behavior that day and that she has given in this far to her grief in his presence? It is a mark of how much her trust in him has grown - a testament to all the small ways they have earned each other's respect and confidence over the last few months.
Luke can practically smell Penelope's sadness and exhaustion - for even though she is cried out - neither is either resolved nor vanquished and it is still oh so palpable - cloying in the air around them - buzzing with an unsettlingness under his fingertips.
And who is he to deny this moment?
Sometimes tears need space and time to be shed and our wildness must be set free.
As Luke thinks and holds this rather soggy love of his life…
…Penelope, still trembling and snuffling - thinking that she probably looks a tear-stained mess but truly not caring because she is just so tired and profoundly done - finds that she is nuzzling miniature teeny tiny ever-so-dear micro-kisses into his bare chest. His chest hair rasps against her sore lips and wet cheeks - but she doesn't stop. Her emotional state is a heady mix of physical exhaustion and mental overwhelm, shockingly deep grief over finding love but not being able to keep it, self-satisfaction for planning such a good surprise for Luke, and a wild unfocused spitting gnashing anger at anything and everything that ever hurt or destroyed that which could be precious or good or beautiful.
Luke notices her snuffling explorations but doesn't loosen his hold - he remembers how she craved his weight upon her the other night and guesses she'll let him know if he's exerting too much pressure.
Penelope finds herself with her mouth right next to his flat brown coin of a nipple - she opens her mouth almost in a silent roar - and then bites down in agonizing slow motion - her teeth dragging - then clamping around a mouthful of hot taught man flesh. Not on the nipple…just up and towards the center of his chest.
Luke straightens - breathing in sharply through his nose - then holding her tighter gritting his teeth and grunting her name as the pain blooms electrically from where she's bit him. She lets go then and leans back so she can look up into his face - and she could never tell him why - but she bares her teeth then and hisses at him like a jungle cat with its hackles up - her nose crinkling like a mad feral thing. It is both terrifying and strangely adorable to him - and strangest of all he finds himself hissing and nose crinkling and teeth baring right back. She snaps at him - then hisses open mouthed at him again - then pants him in - the scent of him - the heat of him - her body stretching and tightening and Luke matches her - mirrors her - spars with her - and they are slammed surprisingly into a place infused the tension of courting wildcats or mating Klingons or a lovers tryst between two of those blue jaguar-like warriors from Avatar.
Up now on her hands and knees - backing away from him towards the end of the bed - eyes flashing - a gleam of a smile curling her lips - her cheeks streaked with mascara like she is a tigress - the juxtaposition of Penelope's pink frilly nightgown with this new barbaric glee should be comical - but it is somehow right and just makes her attitude more louche.
As the space grows between them, Luke finds himself bending forward - his weight on his hands - he fists the sheets - pulling himself forward - landing on his knees - stalking her - but fully aware she is dangerous prey.
Their clothing and the bedclothes bunch and catch - but they ignore it or fight through the tangle. They snarl and snap at each other - mouths coming so close - they breath in the other's hot breath - but never come together. Penelope lunges - licking his shoulder with a broad flat tongue then nipping - memorizing the salty taste of him for despite his shower this new round of play has made him suddenly slick with sweat and pheromones - rearing up as he pulls up and back and then does his own lunging - surging forward and curling down - sinking his teeth into the flesh of her shoulder blade exposed by the curve of her neckline - just below her nape - then switches to sucking - pulling a glorious mouthful of Penelope deep in mouth taking his turn to taste her salty sweetness - then releasing her and laving 'the wound' with wet tender strokes of his tongue.
Penelope mewls… then rolls out of bed - kneeling on the floor - pulling the hem of her nightdress free of the weight of her knees - then raising arms above her head. He follows and swoops down - grabbing handfuls of the nightdress - dragging it violently over her head exposing her body to the night - to him. He throws it away and then steps away - pushing down and stepping out of his soft pants.
Penelope is back on hands and knees - back to a place of untamed head tosses and lips pulled back to show her fangs. Her breathing is harsh and powerful - every move both a warning and an invitation.
If Luke weren't so caught up himself - she might appear ridiculous - but he is right there with her. His nostrils flare, he bares his teeth, he falls to his hands and knees and advances on her - teasing and snapping - his fingers like claws on the purple and black throw rug of Penelope's bedroom. They circle each other - feeling the animalistic pull between them. He finally catches her in one quick move - grabbing her hips - dragging her back towards him as he goes to mount her - biting her again on her shoulder like a stray dog mounting a bitch … but Penelope is too fast - she twists away - bounding like a feline queen to the bed - but laughing now as Luke sprawls then catches himself. Now he bounds and joins her - both in laughter and on the bed…
Penelope is lying on her back - the bounty of her body spread out for him as Luke lands and stretches out beside her. Her skin is flushed and the wildness is gone from her eyes - she is now all softness and vulnerability. Luke props himself up on one elbow and then cups his free hand gently around her neck - stroking her throat with his thumb - a whisper of a touch - feeling as she swallows spasmodically. Penelope closes her eyes and Luke presses a kiss to each lid. And then the side of her face and then her shoulder - each one a press of lips, then stroke tongue, and then a sucking and nibbling of flesh - his mouth reaches the slope of her breast and then he finally he tongues and sucks her nipple - her fingers tangling in his hair - pulling him closer. He senses the exact moment where she goes utterly limp - giving in. He presses his special brand of kiss, lick suck to the underside of each breast and then kisses his way back up her body - moving to cover her - letting his full weight press into her belly and between her legs as he presses new kisses to the side of her face - buries his lips against the crook of her neck - breathing in the scent of her hair - glorying the feeling of her hands that are now running up and down his back leading him to transform his kisses into a roving hunt of nibbling and sucking - alert to what brings a moan or a pant from her soft wet mouth or her nails spasming into his back.
I am going to be covered in love bites tomorrow.
The thought makes her growl and then cry out and arch up hard under her lover and all at once she needs him. All of him. Now.
She hisses again and now it is his shoulder that is being marked - and not just by wild sucking but by teeth as well - and it is now Luke who is gasping and arching.
Penelope lets go and somehow flips over again - thrusting and taunting him with her ass up as she raises onto elbows and knees inviting Luke to mount her again. This time there is no allusion to dogs to be made - they as regal as a lion and lioness. He rocks with her movement - kneeling behind the lush round ass she is presenting to him with a cheeky sway. His cock is ferociously hard and weeping with pre-cum. He reaches between her legs and strokes the wet flesh - letting two fingers tangle with her clit - pressing and then gently pulling - playing first fast and loose with her tender flesh - then zeroing in circle hard and fast on target - he does hurry her but waits until he is rewarded with a mad shriek from his lover. Then - only then - he pulls his hands back around cupping and spreading her ass cheeks - ducking down to lick at the seam between the two then up her spine. Her whole body trembles and then lifts and then pushes back against him - physically begging him to cover her - to rut - to mate. And like a feral thom pushes his cock deep into her pussy - an appropriate word for this wild cat-like love making.
Penelope is rearing and thrusting - loving every bit of his cock that pushes inside her - pressing into his clever fingers which are massaging the globes of her ass making her want to growl and bare her teeth - so she does. Then her tired brain makes sense of the words he's saying as he thrusts deep:
"That's right wildcat. I've got you. Cum for me my jaguar, my lioness, my queen."
And Penelope is rearing and stretching and clawing and then…and then…and then… she is cumming all around him. And it feels incredible for both of them - but he just thrusts through - holding back - refusing to explode - then when he feels Penelope slump in release - he pulls out. And she is so empty…she howls at the moon and the stars and all things wild….
But he deftly guides her onto her back and now he is heavy on top of her…and he is back inside of her and she is wet and all around him - still quivering from her untamed orgasm. And he looks in her eyes and he thrusts and now he is all human - all language - all words - and love. And he thrusts. And thrusts. And as he plunges into her there are words - so many gasped shouted strangled aching words tumble from his lips and tongue… and they tell of how glorious she is and how she deserves happiness and how she is his human. It is all that is the best of humanity - it is not a sweet or tender joining but wrangled and desperate and raw.
And still he thrusts and he thrusts and he thrusts… and as thrusts he names her…gasping and rasping: names her as his love, his life, his happiness, his hope, his home, his mate… and he thrusts and he thrusts and it is a 'once upon a time' mixed with a 'and they lived happily ever after' and 'there be dragons' - a poem and a prayer and a song and still he thrusts and thrusts… and as sweat pours off of him onto her…and they adjust their bodies as they ride and they gain a new stride - she turns to waterfalls and starlight and the smell of spring and baby ducklings all in a row and mittens and kittens and all that is good and she is a puddle - his puddle - and still he thrusts and thrusts and thrusts….
…Until finally all wildness is spent and all of their humanity is fled and all they are is joined light.
They spiral into a supernova together and all is sunlight and summer time and spotlights at concerts and they cum - oh how they cum - and then they roll together into a heap of love and contentment and trust and sleep.
They sleep and sleep.
And the world - all in it that is feral - all in it that is humane - all in it that is pure energy - smiles.