How to Quell Dark Voices – Cute bit of fluff between Regina and Jack where he eases her insecurities.

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It had been a really good day, despite the history test that had been sprung upon him, Jack had a good day, and it only got better when the best girlfriend he could ever ask for texted him asking if he wanted to hang out with her, her parents had gone out for a fancy dinner and she was all alone in the big white house. Jack couldn't possibly say no.

They were young, only eighteen, but Jack knew love when he saw love, he grew up watching his parents' goofy smiles and doe eyes, he could see it in himself now, whenever he thought of her perfect smile or her deep brown eyes that sucked him in. Sometimes, Jack swears, he could just stare at her for days on end and never get tired, she was so beautiful.

Sometimes he just wanted to hide himself in her, as weird as it sounded, he just wanted to hide close to her so he never had to be apart from her, he wanted to be close to her, smell her, feel her, talk to her, just to look at her. God, he loved her so much.

Jack pulled her body closer to his, holding her petite frame against his muscular one, his hand was wrapped around her stomach and he took a deep breath in, her smell invading his scenes and for a moment he really had to think of his grandma in her nightgown and green face mask to stop the boner that was starting to rage in his pants. They hadn't quite gotten that far, Regina wasn't ready, and if she wasn't ready he would respect her, just as long as she smiled at him he was happy.

She stiffened a little and then trailed her hand down so that she could wrap it around his and then moved it up, Jack frowned from behind her, his eyes flicked away from the TV and down to her frowning face.

"Are you okay?"

She startled at his voice and turned her head away from him, the worst thing about being the big spoon was not being able to see her angelic face; "Yup," she said airily, but Jack didn't buy it.

In the five months, twelve days, five hours, thirty two minutes and nineteen seconds they've been dating Jack had learnt a lot about this amazing woman that had let him in, let him close. He knows when she was embarrassed and insecure, she isn't usually, most of the time she oozes confidence, but sometimes, when she lets the voices in her head – oddly enough they sound like her older sister who's a jealous old git that wants their mother's approval and acceptance and she'd probably get it if she stopped hanging around that Lockley guy who does nothing but break into other people's houses – they beat her down and wound her and she needs someone to shut those voices out because she wouldn't do it herself. That's what he was for, he would make sure she knew how beautiful she was.

"No, hey," he shuffled her a little so that her front was pressed to his and he could feel her soft curves, his green eyes bore into hers, "What is it? What's wrong?"

She shook her head and tried to burrow her face into his chest but he pulled away and lifted a large hand to her soft cheek forcing her dark eyes to gaze into his, "No, tell me, I can't make you feel better if you don't tell me," he demanded softly, lovingly.

She huffed in annoyance at his insistence but knew that he wouldn't let it go, she shifted awkwardly and muttered, "I just don't like your hand… their."

He frowned, had he been inappropriate to her, is that what it was? Had he read the situation wrong, all he'd done was rest his hand on her stomach. Suddenly realisation dawned on him and he relaxed on the couch looking at her impassively.

She didn't seem to notice his change and shook her head dismissively, "It's stupid, and I'm just-"

"If the next word out of your mouth is fat I'm going to jump out of a window," he grumbled.

Her gaze shot up to his and sheepishly she looked down, "I could exercise more," she muttered looking at his muscular arms. He wasn't overly large in muscles but it was clear that he worked out, his waist was slim, arms larger than those of most teenagers, his stomach was toned – from what she had seen – and he ran a lot so his legs (leg because the right was gone, just below the knee so the muscle in the thigh was there) were thick and hard with muscles.

He was shaking his head before she could finish the words, "No, you are so perfect that I can't even begin to explain, there is nothing to be ashamed about," he reached down, his large palm surrounding her flat stomach (she had a little pouch, the tiniest that she was acutely aware of whenever she got dressed or showered or did anything that included removing her clothes) his thumb caressing the skin around her belly button. "There's nothing there, only perfecting," he stated, she still looked completely unsure so he decided a different tactic.

The movie long forgotten he shifted once again so that he was laying completely on his back and Regina was on top of him, he gripped her thighs and planted them on either side of his body, low enough that when she sat up the hem of his trousers would be accessible. Without explanation he started undoing his belt and then his zip. He looked up at Regina seeing her blushing furiously probably thinking of other reasons he'd be undoing his belt for her – it does cross his mind… frequently, but he was a teenager, a virgin at that having done nothing more than fingered a girl or two in the past, and Regina was beyond beautiful so yes he wanted her very much but she didn't so he doesn't bring it up, not until she brings it up – once everything was unzipped he looked at her red face and dark eyes, dark not from the colour but something else.

"Give me your hand," he demanded.

She snapped out of her haze and looked at him blankly ready to shake her head but he smiled softly at her and asked if she trusted him, she did, of course she did, she had never trusted anyone more than him and for that reason, that trust she felt for him, that was the only reason she gave him her hand.

Looking her deep in the eyes Jack let her hand travel from his belly button down to the hem of his trousers, he slipped her fingers in shifting them to his right and slowly guiding her cool tips over to the little bump, he smiled softly, "There. Do you feel that?"

She frowned trying to focus on what her fingers were feeling, it was just right to a light matter of dark hair that peaked through the hem she felt a lump, she moved her fingers along the soft lump and felt it was a line, jagged and thin, "What is it?"

He smiled softly at her again, "It's one of my insecurities," she pulled down the hem of his trousers and boxers just enough to show her the scar, "I had my appendix taken out when I was like… six?" he thought for a moment and nodded, "Six. My mum told me that my doctor was an intern and it was up to him to stitch me back up but he managed to fuck it up somehow and they had to take his stitches out and have a proper qualified doctor mend it, it never really healed properly because of that. So now I have this scar that I think in ugly and I don't really like which is why I always have it covered up," he stated not really meeting her eyes. It's not that he was embarrassed of telling her about the scar it was that… it was probably what she thought, that with this one insignificant mark on his body she'd think less of him.

Regina stayed silent for a moment to just look at his frowny face, she didn't like that one, she loved his face, the shape of his nose, straight and strong, dip on his cheek bones, the little dimples on the corner of his lips, his chin, his eyes which were her favourite of his features, they were so green that she couldn't not like them.

She realised that he had somewhat proven his point, because the thought of him feeling like that one scar made him any less handsome and perfect in her eyes was ridiculous and she smiled despite herself, "I love you," she said scooting down so she could place a gently kiss on the scar.

Jack smiled in victory.