A/N: A moment of comfort and romantic tension between Jimmy and Cindy. In a world where the N men must fight again—set up immediately after a particularly hard battle with an old foe. Italics are flashbacks of the battle—set in Jimmy's perspective.
I realize I have unfinished stories (my muse escapes me) but this little idea wouldn't leave me, here's hoping I'll have further inspiration (: I imagine them to all be late teens here.
Warnings for partial nudity, and general teen tom foolery.
Strytch towered over her, his hands bracing the sides of her head, as she squirmed, kicked and fought against him. Her screams turning to agony in his ears, as he tried in vain to get to her, while pinned under the rubble that had once been the center statue in Retroville's park.
"Eustace!" He growled, trying anything to get the millionaire's attention away from his victim, away from the girl who held his heart. "Come and face me like a man, I swear you hurt her, I'll kill you myself!"
Strytch turned and sneered at Jimmy, surveying the damage he'd done. Libby and Sheen lay unconscious, blown backwards from the blast, Carl had been flung farther back but Jimmy could see him, just out of sight, and thankfully alive.
"And why would I do that Neutron? When it's so much more fun to do this?!" Grabbing Cindy by the arms, and pulling her roughly up he took both of her hands in one of his, and lashed out with the knife he donned in his other hand slicing her knuckles clean across, but it was Jimmy who saw red…
She hissed as she flexed her hands; watching the red liquid that had begun oozing from her knuckles, flow freely down her fingertips. Her power fading, the adrenaline slowing, the pain of the day finally catching up to her, Cindy collapsed in a heap on the pavement outside her house.
She heard a heavy sigh and looked to see Libby and Sheen a few feet away, awkwardly supporting one another, and their matching ankle and knee injuries. Libby leaned forward slightly, kissing the tip of Sheen's nose and Cindy looked away, if only to give her best friend the illusion of more privacy. Cindy watched as Carl began to methodically make his way home, the fight having taken a great deal more out of the four of them than they were used too.
The N men (and two girls) didn't make a habit of saving the world—in fact Cindy had long ago thought that Neutron had retired their individual super power packets. But lo and behold, the opportunity had rose, the town was under attack and the N men (and two girls) had sprung into action, sans their leader. Jimmy, had yet to figure out a safe way for him to use his super strength, and hulk like exterior, and had opted to running into battle with his friends along with his incredibly high IQ and almost magical robot dog. They had won of course—but at somewhat a physical cost.
"Cind?" Libby called out, breaking the blonde's trance as she realized she was still fascinated by the blood now drying on her hands to look at her best friend.
"I'm going to take Sheen home, will you be alright?"
She opened her mouth to reassure her, but before she could, she heard him speak quietly from behind her.
"I got it Libby, and thank you for all your help today."
He approached her now, kneeling in front of her and gently laying his hand on her shoulder, as if the slightest touch might break her, or scare her off.
Cindy looked from Jimmy and his hopeful blue eyes, that were searching her face and to her friend.
"I'm all good Libs."
Cindy couldn't help but see the look of satisfaction cross the genius's face, before he quickly corrected himself. As their friends departed, she waited for him to sit beside her. But instead he removed himself from the low crouch and offered her his hand.
Wordlessly, she gestured down at her predicament and he fumbled, reaching down and pulling her quickly and smoothly up by her shoulders. She stumbled a bit, but he righted her, with both hands lightly resting around her waist.
"I can clean them myself." She stated, watching him and his azure eyes that roamed her figure freely, making her feel for the first time self conscious in a t-shirt and jeans.
"Don't be a martyr Vortex. I asked for your help today, the least I can do is help clean up the mess. Come on, I've got peroxide and bandages in the lab."
He began to walk away, confident that she'd follow only to stop when he didn't hear her familiar foot falls behind him.
"Cindy?" He tried again; adopting his soft and smooth voice that he reserved just for her, and only when they were alone.
She said nothing but looked imploringly at him, hoping to try and make him understand something, she couldn't herself explain. Fear still coursed through her, and an urgency to lick her wounds—the emotional ones anyhow in peace surged into her veins. He stood stock still as he took in her expression, and he hesitantly moved towards her again.
"It's alright you know." He whispered, wrapping his arms tentatively around her waist. She moved into his embrace instinctively, and as much as Jimmy enjoyed it, it startled him. She would fight tooth and nail before seeking out comfort—especially from him. When she made no move to answer him, he continued, this time taking her wrist gently in his as he began to pull her towards his backyard.
"It's alright, if you're not alright."
She nodded slowly and swallowed but gave him no resistance. He gently tugged her along beside him, through his own private lab entrance, a move he'd never pulled before. She watched him take in her expression, her physical state, and her demeanor. She knew he was watching the rise and fall of her breath, monitoring her vitals in his mind. He gave rapt attention to her footfalls, looking for a limp or a pulled muscle and finding none. He seemed to relax more the further they went into the labyrinth that was his second home.
That is until he'd motioned for her to hop up on a lab table. She bent her hands back automatically to brace herself and her weight, as white-hot pain shot through her and she yelped out in surprise and discomfort.
Sagging forward the ground began to swim up towards her before she heard a sharp "Cin!" and felt his arms enclose around her middle hauling her up and against his chest, before setting her on the table himself. The room—still spinning due to her bought of vertigo and sudden loss of breath slowly came back into view. His hands, which were now on the either side of her face, cradling her gently suddenly, felt like vices, bringing her back to a different moment.
She had screamed before, but this time her mouth held a silent O, her eyes darting to find his, not daring to make another sound. Jimmy kicked frantically under the large pile of debris that encased his lower right half. He watched in horror as Strytch grabbed her face in between his hands and roughly hauled her up, dragging her away toward his ship that had begun to fire up, vibrating and moving the ground violently. As the vibrations pulsated the ground around him, he began to wiggle free, calling desperately to Goddard among the wreckage. Free, he tore off after the pair, rounding Eustace off at the corner and knocking him and Cindy to the ground. Darting forward, Jimmy had scooped her up and pushed her behind him, as Strytch made a frantic flee to his hovercraft.
As the evil teen millionaire flew off, Jimmy clung desperately to a nearly unconscious Cindy. Holding her in his arms did little to sooth the seething rage Jimmy felt now, it was all consuming. Strytch would most definitely pay.
Her emerald eyes watered as he looked down into them, pressing her as close to him as he dared as her head rolled back into his chest and she lost the battle with consciousness. Leaning in, he pressed a light kiss to her temple, her cheek and finally her lips, as he tasted his own tears falling down his face.
Gasping slightly again she pulled away quickly and scooted out of his reach. The hurt that flashed briefly across his face was hard to deny, but he quickly righted himself and looked to her.
"It's alright Cin, it's only me."
She looked into his wide eyes, full of fear, a hint of anger and something else, something more foreign that she'd only seen in them a handful of times. No she thought, I must have imagined it.
"I'll be right back." He said then, taking a few steps backward while still eyeing her warily most likely thinking she was about to faint and smack her head on the floor—finally forcing her to speak to him.
"I'll be here." She said, trying to sound confident, and self-assured like her normal self.
He nodded quickly and left the room, she could hear his footsteps echoing off hard concrete as he moved briskly about. But no matter how fast he moved, she still had time to think, oddly enough her brain stumbled upon the last time she seen something akin to the expression Jimmy had just shared with her.
Junior Prom. She thought wistfully. They'd all gone together as a group. He'd stared at her all night, and she kept hoping he'd make some kind of move. Finally, as they'd all made their way to leave, he'd pulled her away, into the privacy of an empty hallway and kissed her breathlessly—not unlike their first kiss they'd shared as children years ago. And not unlike their first kiss and every stolen moment they'd had since their youth, the two had gone back to their friendly rivalry as if nothing was amiss.
Cindy sighed as the memory washed away and he entered the room again. She noted the materials in his hands, the promised peroxide, some kind of bandage he'd invented himself and his favorite flannel that he casually tossed onto the workbench next to them. He gestured for her to hold out her hands before grabbing the peroxide and looking at her sympathetically. "This is going to sting a bit…"
She nodded as she extended her arms towards him and braced herself for the inevitable burn, clearing away possible infection. The pain seared through her and she gasped and then sighed as she felt his hand on her thigh, gently pressing into her flesh, grounding her.
"Sorry." He apologized bitterly as he started wrapping her hands with the upmost caution and precision. When he was done, he paused to admire his handiwork before looking to her expectedly.
"Thank you." She whispered. And she truly was. Despite the raging discomfort radiating from her split skin, she knew no one else could have or would have taken better care of her.
"You're welcome." He replied just as quietly but his voice held a rough timber and she looked up into his face. Desire. She thought. What was somewhat masked now lay plain for her to see. He wanted her and the thought made her dizzier than any previous pain she'd felt in the past few hours as delirium threatened to impede her senses.
"Jimmy"—she warned, as his expression deepened and affection leaked into his features.
At his first name, he'd inhaled sharply, the blood beneath his skin sizzling violently. He didn't know entirely what had come over him. All right—that was a lie. His feelings, that always simmered just under the surface around his next-door neighbor came surging forward in a battle of affection and pure need. He'd almost lost her, and now having her here, near him…alone, he couldn't deny how badly he wanted her.
"When I saw him, when I saw him with you, I lost my head a bit." He admitted looking down toward the lab bench.
"Why?" She asked, staring at the back of his neck as his head bent lower and moved toward her bandaged knuckles. Gently, he grasped her hand in his and kissed her fingers slowly, drawing a ragged and surprised breath from her lungs. On her last finger he looked up and felt the blood begin to pool south at the expression slowly crossing her face.
"Oh." Was all she could respond with, before calling attention to the shirt he'd discarded earlier, "what's that for?"
He gestured to her own torso and top as she realized with a cringe, she'd coated herself in her own blood. He left the garment on her lap, and began to turn away before she stopped him.
"Wait—do you think you could, you know…help me?"
His face turned pink as he recognized her request and nodded quickly. His hands moved toward her slowly, before she bravely placed them on her thighs.
"I'll need more help getting yours on actually." He nodded again stoically and waited as she steeled herself and all her courage and gently swung her loose V-neck over her head and onto his lab floor. Looking up she saw him fighting the urge to look down, offering her as much privacy as he could by remaining eye contact. Smiling slightly she leaned forward causing him to inadvertently look down.
She heard his pleasant gasp, and she felt herself puff up in pride as she watched him devour every inch of her flesh with his eyes, filled with lust and need. She picked up his shirt and carefully swung her arms through the holes, and gestured for him to move closer, watching him fall into the perfect V her legs made on the lab table.
His hands extended out to the fabric of his shirt, as he began to try and help her with the buttons.
"Jimmy…" His eyes found hers. "Touch me."
Moaning, he lunged forward, capturing her lips quickly in a kiss reminiscent to the junior prom in its intensity. He seared the air from her lungs, frantically sweeping his tongue into her mouth possessively, forgetting to be gentle but Cindy didn't mind in the least. Growling lightly, he bit down softly on her lower lip dragging it into his mouth and with it a gasp of pleasure from her mouth.
That only spurred him on as he kissed the back of her ear, her neck, and her collarbone before stopping short of her chest. Locking eyes, she nodded slightly and he frantically dropped towards her stomach as if to worship her very flesh. Kissing and sucking gently up her he lavished every spot of skin he dared, every inch he could reach before settling back to her lips, less frantic and hurried but still conveying care.
As they both caught their breaths they relaxed into the other, each resting their foreheads together.
He was the first to break their silence.
"I can't lose you…I keep you away for this very reason. I can't lose you." He hung his head desperately.
"You wont." She answered finally. Saying it again into the silence encompassing them. "You wont lose me."
He stared at her for a beat before slowly nuzzling his face into her hair. Seeking comfort and anything else she could offer. Her hand ran firmly up and down his back, this time grounding him—as they clung to another in the aftermath of battle.