forum "During a hurricane, you find the biggest tree around an' jus' hold on for dear life." // Private rp with Crocs

Started December 11, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

Edit topic

“Do so. I will be right up here should you need me.” She said, pointing to the bunk above his and flashing the quick upturn of her lips at him. “Never hesitate to ask. Now, happy dreams, mon coeur. Sleep well and sleep long.”

"'Mon coeur,'" he echoed, slipping underneath the bed above him and setting his head on the pillow. J.J. felt….content. The best he's felt all day. "You never told me what that actually means."

“And maybe some day I will. For now, you can either try to guess, or look it up.” Manon said, smile growing as she stood, looking down at him. It was a soft expression, something reserved solely for J.J. “Goodnight, Double.”

"Dickhead?" he mused, closing his eyes as he mumbled, half-assed attempts to guess what the nickname meant. J.J didn't see her expression, but would've appreciated it none-the-less. "Stupid idiot? Um…..hmph. Why can't tou jus' tell me?"

She let out a huffed laugh, shaking her head and setting her bag up on the top bunk. “Wrong and wronger, mon coeur. And I like knowing things you do not. It is like having a secret all my own that will not push away others.” After putting her things up, she pulled herself up onto the top bunk, legs dangling over the edge as she righted herself. “It is not something derogatory, do not worry.”

J.J. let out a small "hmph" of annoyance and he rolled over onto his stomach and pushed his face into the pillow. Something so soft…..it had been forever since he actually had a bed and a pillow. He was too disgruntled to go to sleep last night, but now all of the exhaustion of the island, the 3 day raft ride, and the previous day came back and hit him over the head with sleep. Muffled snores began to float lazily out from under Manon. He never snored as a kid.

In about 15 minutes, the snoring stopped, replaced with very heavy breathing. It began to rapidly increase in speed in another 5 minutes, to the point that he was almost hyperventilating. Then, with a loud yelp, he sat up and slammed his head against the bottom of her bunk so hard the entire mattress jumped.

"Ow…." J.J. grumbled, laying his head back down and putting a hand over his forehead. It had struck the wooden supports squarely, which was good, since hitting it on one of the edges might've cut his head open.

Manon didn't think much of the shift in breathing at first, until it increased to a point that was noticeable and worrisome. Just as she was setting aside her textbook and moving to check on him, he woke, and she let out a small noise of surprise as his head hit the underside of the bed.

"Fuck. Double? Are you alright?" She asked, the worry clouding her voice as she slid down off the bed, landing easily and turning to look at him. Her heels had been kicked off at some point, laying on the floor in the corner. Ocean blue eyes peered at him as she crouched in front of the bed, reaching out and pausing half way, not sure if that was the best option. "Let me see?"

"Nah….nah," he mumbled a heavy wince on his face as he pull his hand away. His hazel eyes were clouded by the lingering effects of sleep and pain. There was nothing cut open, but a bruise was already forming. "I'm fine….I think. Gotta thick head, y'know?"

“That is a very angry looking bruise.” She commented, frowning heavily. “Should I go ask someone for an ice pack, or something cold? It will help the bruise heal faster, and prevent swelling if we deal with it soon enough.”

"I'll be fine, Manon," he insisted, rubbing the side of his head with the wince still on his head. "I've been through worse. A little bruise an' a headache isn't somethin' to be freaking out about."

J.J. slid over to the edge of the bed and spun into a sitting position, once again slumped over to fit into the confined space. The fact she was still concerned with his well being was nice to know, but….he could be gone within the week. He learned that the hard way when they dated, so he was cautious with how fond his feelings for her got again.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. It was a mess after the nap and the collision with the bunk. It now fell and obscured his eyes, forcing him to look through the light brown strands. The years of sunlight had make his hair a much lighter color than it had been.

"No, you did not." Manon assured, hands resting on her knees as she studied the bruise on his forehead carefully. "I was not asleep. Just finishing up an assignment. A friend of mine sent me a picture of the paper, so I am doing it here. Are you sure you are alright, mon coeur?" She asked, eyes flickering from the bruise to take in the color of his hair, so different from the brown she'd known in high school.

J.J. didn't answer for a bit, rubbing his forehead gingerly as he pulled a face. She's just worried, he thought as frustration began to creep behind his mind. You should be happy that she cares so much. Well, she seemed to care a lot when they were dating. Look how that turned out.

That wasn't her decision.

Was it?

"Yeah, yeah," he repeated, keeping his sleepy mind from continuing down that road anymore. "I'm good, I promise. Might not go to bed again, but my head's fine."

Her eyes lingered on the bruise for a moment more, before she nodded. "Good. If you decide differently, tell me, and I shall get you something cold to help." Manon promised, standing. Instead of going back to her bunk, she sat down on the edge of his, one leg folded neatly over the other. "You know, you missed some of the weirdest happenings these past couple of years. The entire internet had a fight over the color of a dress in an image, for one. There was a women's march in 2017 that had so many people participate. That wasn't weird, just…worth mentioning." She mused, figuring a change of subject might be good for him. "Oh! And you missed the legalization of same-sex marriage, nationwide here."

"'Bout time that happened," J.J. said, raising an eyebrow at the news. "It honestly feels like I was dropped into a….jus'….new world. People walkin' around without wires on their headphones, phones bigger than this fuckin' bed…man, even the music is different. I was listening to the radio an' the only thing I fuckin' heard was this chick named Billie."

"Ah yes. Music has changed quite a bit in such a short but also long time." Manon said, nodding solemnly. Her lips twisted up into a slight sneer, something that was no new expression. "I am not fond of some of it. But things are not all that different. People are not very different, even if they pretend to be. I will just have to help you find the familiar things to start with."

J.J. let out a small "hmph," rubbing hands on his knees to dry out the sweat. Then, after a moment of consideration, he slowly laid back down, this time setting his head in Manon's lap.

I'm falling into this trap again. It was her father that forced her. They split apart, just like she said. Yeah, but what happens when she needs some money and calls up her pop to get some? That isn't her. Are you sure?

His conflicted feelings showed on his face as he tried to settle into a comfortable position, although it could've passed off as a look of discomfort.

"What is on your mind now, mon coeur?" Manon asked, voice soft in the relative quiet. She looked down at him, a bit surprised by him laying his head on her lap, but not so surprised she couldn't tell something was bothering him. Reading people, especially those she knew, was something she was a bit too good at. She had to be, when it came to her father and his sudden mood swings. "You look like you are worried."

"I am," he admitted, rubbing his face once again. This time, though, was to try and clear out the oppressive feelings in his head. "I'm worried of…getting connected again." He was always honest with Manon, no matter what the situation. "I wasn't in a good place after we broke up, but if that happens again, I won't have a deserted island to keep me distracted."

She took in a breath, holding it as she thought that over eyes on the window in the compartment and a slightly distant look to her face. "I did not tell you why we broke up. Why I broke up with you." She started, exhaling. "I gave you, instead, a half truth that allowed me to pretend everything was my decision. The truth….the truth lay in fear. And the choice was my fathers', not mine."

"That….helps, I guess, but….doesn't change much. I've been disconnected from the world for 5 years. I was basically feral when they found me. An' you got college, and probably a job, and who knows what else." He began to sat up as he spoke, like he didn't think she would want to touch him. "I'm gonna impede in almost all of yourlife. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

She reached out, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. She didn’t do anything else, letting him decide what to do, but letting him know that she was okay with him there. “You do not-when you were gone, I worked. I did nothing but work. Everything I have now, I gave myself, but it….I did not have you. You were the one thing I ever wanted, the one person I wanted to keep around. You were the only good thing in my life, and I chased you away because I was scared. But now-now you are here. You are here, and I want to do everything I can to convince you to stay again.”

His body hovered over her lap, half-slumped over as he processed everything she just said. She….wanted him. It was hard to believe, but he heard it with his own two ears. Her expression was genuine, from what he could tell.

"I'll….need time," he ultimately said, lowering himself back on her lap. "Time to get adjusted to….well, everything. An' to get the skeletons out of my closet. But…" he let the sentence trail off, leaving the idea of dating again open.

“When it comes to us, we have all the time in the world, mon coeur.” She said, nodding once. Her expression had regained that strange softness, blue eyes light and warm. “I am making sure of that. You get to have all the time in the world.”

"Why you always gotta look at me like that?" he mumbled, turning his head away from her to hide the blush on his face. "You always get this….like, weird gentle look whenever I start talkin'. It's really distracting."

"Would you like me to stop, then?" She asked, voice carrying a tone of amusement and laughter. She had yet to remove her hand from where it was resting on his shoulder, just letting it stay there. "If it is that distracting that you cause that, then I shall."