Private Tales Brothels and Broken Things

[Cassian]

He felt entirely numb to anything other than her touch, one that he appreciated now even more so than he had before, and though he knew he had to rest he didn't want to. Everything she'd done for him, was still doing for him was more than he could ever repay. She'd changed his life, and saved it, and he'd spend his life trying to make it up to her if he could.

"Mh.. I'll be fine by morning.. We've already wasted enough time.." he rumbled sleepily, and opened his eyes to look up at her, reaching to curl a lock of hair around her ear..He pulled in a breath, letting his eyes wander over her face and he sighed deeply..

"Marry me, Lex..."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi was about to protest to him moving in the morning. Her fingers tightened in his hair a little and the words were on her tongue but he cut her off by twirling her hair and looking at her with those eyes. She smiled faintly and brushed a thumb over his cheek then froze when he spoke. Her whole body tensed. They had only confessed their feelings for one another the week before and it felt like time was moving so damn quickly. She loved him. She wanted to be with him but...

"If you think you are proposing to me drugged up, barely able to keep your eyes open, and without a ring you are sorely mistaken," she leaned down and kissed him softly, her fingers gripping his chin. "But I think you know what my answer would be when you do it."

 

[Cassian]

He grinned at her words and returned her kiss.. "Mh.." She was right, of course, but Cassian knew he was going to ask her to marry him after that night in her apartment when she'd read to him, since then he'd thought of all of the ways he could ask her, all of the places, what he'd say to her.. "Do you think, I don't already have a ring?.." he laughed under his breath and ran his fingers into her hair and his thumb across her cheek..

"I just...When I thought I'd never see you again.." he frowned, but forced a smile at her despite how much the thought still made him ache. He swallowed the pain down and sighed.. "But you're right, you deserve better than this. I just, need you to know how much you mean to me.." he huffed.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"Cass," Lexi leaned into his touch and closed her eyes briefly. A smile danced across her face. "I know, I felt it too," after all of her speeches about how he couldn't let his emotions get in the way of their job she had nearly lost it today and cost the whole city their lives. There was a little bit of guilt in her but at the same time she didn't think she would have made a different decision.

"I love you, Cassian. Married or not, I will always feel that for you," she brought her hand up to rest over his and then pressed a kiss to the inside of his wrist. "Now you need sleep, nobody will hurt you, sleep," she had warded the House with the last of her strength to ensure if anyone even walked up the path she would know.

 

[Cassian]

"Good.." was all he said.. She hadn't accepted his terrible proposal but she would, hopefully, when he wasn't completely off his tits.

His eyes creased as he smiled at her, a sparkle of amusement in his eyes at her assurances that nobody would hurt him..He let his hand fall from her face and wrapped it around her waist instead, curling against her and resting his head in her lap..

It didn't take him long to drift off with her hands in his hair, and his exhaustion sent him into a deep sleep that spanned into the next afternoon when he flinched out of his sleep with a sharp gasp.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi managed to stay awake for a while after him but soon it became a war and she slept hard. When she woke up she found he was still asleep and decided to leave him to rest as long as he could. She was quick to grab herself some food, water, and to freshen up a little before making her way back to the bedroom. For a while she simply sat and watched him. She couldn't believe how close she had come to losing him so soon. A thousand doubts and worried assaulted her like mosquitoes.

"No point in worrying now, Lexi..." she murmured to herself, grabbed a book and crawled back into bed. She was sprawled over his chest when he jerked out of his dream. Calmly she put her book to one side and then crawled up his body to litter kisses over his face.

"Hey sleepy head."

 

[Cassian]

His heart was pounding, the dying image of his dream still fresh on his mind but as he felt her on his chest he sighed deeply and pushed it aside, a sleepy smile forming as kisses peppered his face. Arms wrapped around her and he groaned at how weak he felt.. His eyes blinked as he tried to adjust to the light and his brow furrowed, he could sense that it was late and he'd slept too long..

"Fuck, you should've woken me Lex.." he grumbled and tried to return one or two of her kisses with a smirk. Regardless of how bad he felt, waking up to her smothering him in kisses soothed him, body and mind.. "Where we goin' today?" he asked breathily and let his eyes close for another moment..

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"Nowhere," Lexi murmured softly as he closed his eyes again. A faint smile touched her lips as she watched him and after a moment her hand raised to brush the hair back out of his face and down his cheek. "Doctors orders, remember? So today I'm going to cook for you instead and we can just veg out here. The balcony's super pretty, at night we can just watch the Gryphons from here ok?"

Lexi couldn't remember the amount of times she had watched the Gryphon knights from this very balcony when her parents had brought her and Damien here. They had been beautiful to watch but it had always been Damien's dream to fly. Lexi preferred her feet on solid ground.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian had fully expected her answer and had grumbled at her, feeling far too guilty to have her stay in because of him. The touch was soothing though, and it was difficult to look anything but sleepy right now. As she mentioned doctors he opened his eyes and frowned, quickly speaking over the top of her words "I'm fine, lass, we're not stayin in here all--" he quieted as she continued, and allowed a deep huff to escape him as he considered for a moment.

"That... does sound, pretty good." he admitted and looked at her with a solemn smile, reaching his hand to her cheek and caressing at her soft skin with a thumb. There was obvious apology in his eyes, the last thing he wanted was the only break she'd taken in years to be completely ruined.

"Tomorrow, then. We'll go for breakfast, go watch your brother training and go to the market, and in the evening i'm taking you to dinner. Agreed?.." his brows rose.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi wasn't at all convinced he was going to be alright the following morning considering how tired he still looked now but she didn't say anything. Instead she pressed her lips into a thin line then nodded, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Agreed," she finally allowed the smile to win before leaning into his touch and closing her eyes briefly. There was no resentment in how she was him. It was clear she didn't hold him at all responsible for the small hiccup in their holiday and had no plans on letting it get to her. "I'll even wear another dress if you like," she raised her eyebrow and her smile turned into a feral grin. Though perhaps this time she would go out and get the breakfast the morning after.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian laughed and quickly wished he hadn't as his sides ached, causing a groan but he grinned at her regardless.. "Oh I'd like it, lass.. But it might kill me.." he smirked and gripped hold of her chin to pull that grin of hers to his lips to kiss her.

"What's for breakfast?.." he smiled against her lips and brushed his nose against hers. He was determined to get out with her tomorrow, pain or no pain, he'd deal with it. He felt a little better today after a good night's sleep, but a day in bed with her sounded quite perfect.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi laughed into the kiss, scraping her teeth over his bottom lip and crawling up his body slowly.

"Mmm... well I know what I want for breakfast," her eyes wandered down his body slowly before returning to his with a sinful look. Her fingers scraped over his skin and for a moment she dipped her head to press kisses along his collarbone and up his neck. After a while though she rolled off of him and padded over to the table on the other side of the room. She returned with a tray. On it was an assortment of different pastries, some fresh coffee, and different fruits.

She set it down on his lap and then clambered into bed beside him and stole a raspberry.

"You need to eat, it'll help with the magical drain."

 

[Cassian]

Cassian groaned at her insinuation, and he watched her crawl over him, that look in her eye and the warmth of her lips against his neck had his breathing pitch. A gentle hand ran into her hair, encouraging her to continue. She didn't however, and he let out an entirely different groan as he watched her get up and left him laying there with his heart racing.

"Mh.. Good to know that's not broken.." he muttered as he glanced downward and shifted uncomfortably to sit himself up, placing a pillow down for the tray to sit on top of and he shot her a slight glare before picking at some fruit.

"It's not the magical drain i'm worried about.." he added quietly and stuffed some pastry into his mouth before he muttered any more.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi could only give him her best innocent smile as she propped herself up in the pillows and stole a pastry this time. She had gone out much earlier that morning to get them but they had stayed fresh for the best part of the day; she was lucky he had woken up when he had or they might have tasted so good.

"Doctors orders were for you to take it nice and easy so I'm afraid even that... is going to have to wait," her lips twitched as she waited for the look on his face. It was probably a wise thing for them to abstain whilst he was so tired but she would always have a hard time keeping her hands off of him no matter if she had a limb falling off her.

"I ... was a little worried you wouldn't want to. After ..." turning people to literal stone. She remembered how she had watched her friends turn to stone about her and the horror it had filled her with. Now she had the beast inside of her that yesterday she had nearly unleashed again on the world.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian huffed with an incredulous frown as she spoke of abstinence.. "Fuck that, lass. I think I've been punished enough. I'm sure we can take it nice and easy.." he grinned and his cheeks dimpled, but his smile faded as she spoke of her worries..

"Are you kiddin'?... Aye, it was.. pretty extreme. But, you saved my life, Lex. And... It was pretty fuckin' awesome." he laughed and stuffed another bite into his mouth with another grin as he winked at her.

"Personally I think.." he chewed.. "A little...tenderness would be..quite therapeutic.." he mused.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Relief was written plain as day across her face when he spoke about what she had done like someone might discuss a rainbow they'd seen after a storm. It was a part of her, she couldn't do anything about that now, but people had treated her differently for it in the past. That and her Commander status had lost her most of her friends. Sure, they would still act that way but they hesitated about a lot of things. They'd all seen what the Gorgon had done to the last commander and that was a hard thing to forget.

"A little tenderness huh?" she pushed the darker thoughts to the side and then removed the tray from his lap, setting it carefully on the side. "I can definitely be gentle," Lexi kissed the crumbs off his lips. Now the worry was gone, instead of stopping when she reached his naval she vanished once more beneath the sheets.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian was surprised by the relief on her face and he laughed huskily “Lass if you think there’s any part of you that could ever deter me you’ve fuckin’ lost it..” he mused. Within the first minute of knowing her he’d known she was different. She had a strength that would make many men run for the hills but not him. She was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen, or ever cared to see again.

He returned her kiss and watched her kiss her way down his body, his muscles quivering ticklishly at his stomach. Gods. She wasn’t stopping there, and his pulse stormed ahead of itself causing his breathing to pitch as he watched her disappear under their sheets.

Gentle, she said. A while later his heart pounded so hard in his chest he thought his ribs might break again.

“Damn, lass...” his jaw clenched and he rubbed at his face.. “If that’s your way of helpin’ me heal then I’ll happily stay in bed for the rest of the trip..” he grinned and his cheeks dimpled.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi poked her head out from beneath the sheets and ran a tongue over her bottom lip in an absentminded gesture, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"If this is how I need to keep you in bed then...." she crawled up his body and pressed herself against him. She was careful not to put her whole weight on him though, just the impression of her torso flush against his. Even as she climbed she kissed over his sweat slicked skin and finished with a kiss against his lips. "You slept most of today away anyway, so we might as well stay in bed," her fingers brushed through his hair and she braced her weight with her other arm. If it took much effort there was no sign on the curves of her face.

"What would you like to do with your sick day? I can read to you, we could play some cards..."

 

[Cassian]

"Lass you can keep me in bed as long as you damn well please." he laughed under his breath and ran his hand over her hair to the nape of her neck and squeezed affectionately as she kissed him.

"Whatever we do I hope it involves gettin' shitfaced." he mused with a quiet groan, his arms wrapping around her to hold her against him, pain be damned. He had had a trying couple of days, physically and emotionally, and sometimes alcohol was just necessary to dull it all down. He'd spent a few long years drunk, at least now he'd learned to stop.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi pressed herself against him so he didn't have to pull at her and waste his strength. She was concerned for him, evidently so. Her usually harsh and stern expression was fragmented like a broken mirror. A shard held gut-wrenching fear that still she might lose him, another held worry for his pain and another held love. When he spoke about getting shit faced however she chuckled.

"Well we can definitely do that. Oban is known for its wine after all," her eyes drifted over his face, one hazel, one misty white that not that long ago had been the eye of an entirely different creature. "How about strip poker?" both eyebrows rose suggestively.

 

[Cassian]

Somehow he could read all of those little shards in her expression, he could feel it in the way she looked at him, the concern in her eyes, the smile on her lips. His eyes creased with a smile of his own, an effort of reassurance that he was alright, that the pain wasn't unbearable enough to deprive himself of holding her close.

His fingers ran into the waves of her hair as he stared back at those eyes, one a melt of autumn tones, the forest floor in fall, the other shimmering moonstone, both captivating, dangerous and perfect.

He let out a laugh at her suggestion and gave a subtle wink. "Well I'll have to get dressed, but I won' say no to strippin' you off, lass." he mused and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi's lips twisted into a sinister smirk and she returned his gentle kiss on the forehead with one against the stubble along his cheeks.

"I think... the day you don't want to strip me is when I will really know you're not feeling well," her eyebrow rose and it almost sounded like there was a subtle question hidden amongst her statement. She was confident in herself usually - with women even more so - but with Cassian and the tangle of emotions that came with it she found herself in doubt more often than not over certain things.

After a moment or two more of enjoying being pressed up against the warm heat he gave off she reluctantly pulled herself from the bed and went to fetch a deck of cards. When she returned she began shuffling.

"If not poker we could play Go Fish."

 

[Cassian]

Cassian couldn't help but laugh at the lilt of a question in her tone.. "Are you seriously under any illusion that that day will ever come?.." he grinned so wide that his jaw hurt.. "Look at you."

"I don' know that one lass. You'll have to teach me. An' bring that wine will you?.." he smirked and shifted himself gingerly to sit up.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

The smile Lexi threw him at that comment could definitely only be described as smug.

She grabbed the bottle of wine off the dresser and sat down on the bed with it tucked neatly between her thighs. "I can't believe you don't know Go Fish," Lexi huffed as she began to deal out the cards. "It was mine and Damien's favourite game when we were little, the aim is to try and get sets - so all four fours, or all four fives, and the one with the most collections wins. To get the cards you need to ask me if I have any of them, so if you want Kings and you ask me for my Kings I will give them to you, if I don't have any I say Go Fish and you pick one up from the deck," she explained and dealt the last card and took up her hand.

"Make sense?"

 

[Cassian]

Cassian grinned as he lifted his cards into his hands and fanned them out, his eyes wandering over them as he nodded "Mhmm. I think so, lass.." he mumbled in concentration and shuffled his cards around a little..

He studied her with a smirk over the top of his cards, a brow arching as he nodded to her.. "Any tens?.." he asked, his head tilting as his eyes wandered. It was going to be a more difficult task to keep his concentration on the game.