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[color=375a87][b]#375a87[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]......[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/nmvqlk4][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b]nightingale[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]..........................................................[/color] [color=ed1c24][b]#ed1c24[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/01988d15-1285-777b-861c-1660d70aa9ff.webp][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b]vanguard[/b][color=2e2c2c].....................[/color]

[i][b]gotham[/b][/i][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]Jim would wake up to the sound of running water in the morning, the faint scent of detergent lingering in the air, a pillow wedged carefully behind his head and a fluffy blanket draped across his chest. The smell of coffee coiled through the apartment, a fresh pot brewing in the kitchen. June had been busy since she woke up with a burst of adrenaline, dazed and confused for a few long moments as she tried to piece together the fuzzy spots of her memory. She’d talked to Imogen, then Jim had shown up and got her to her apartment. She could remember the bullet being pulled from her body, and pain that followed, but everything from there got too tangled together to sort out. She’d woken up with the taste of blueberry brandy, coffee, and oil lingering on her lips. It was a confusing mix, but she’d let it go in favor of everything else she needed to do. 

She had the presence of mind to text Imogen before anything else, letting her know they’d be back soon, and apologizing. Then she’d thrown her bloodied sheets in the washer, tucked Jim in because he looked sad and cold, started a pot of coffee, and finally took a much needed shower. She’d puzzled over the metal sticker for a few minutes, poking at it with her pinky nail, ultimately deciding to leave it be and praying it wouldn’t zap her in the shower. June emerged fifteen minutes later, dressed in a sports bra and sweatpants, unable to take anything rubbing against her side. 

She hesitated in front of Jim, a neatly folded shirt that belonged to her brother held in one hand, her eyes lingering on his peaceful expression as he slept. Well…sort of peaceful, he looked like his stomach hurt, actually. She sighed, leaning over him to rub gently at his collarbone. [color=375a87]"Jim, wake up honey."[/color] Her voice was soft, soothing as she tried to ease him back into the realm of consciousness. It was the least she could do for her knight in red armor.

The touch startled Jim awake, his eyes wide and blurry with sleep as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Rays of sunlight scorched his eyes, and it took him a moment of rubbing before he could open them again. June filled his vision, her cheerful expression confusing him momentarily. He shifted slightly, a pained moan escaping his lips as he realized where he slept. His back was twisted in knots. [color=ed1c24]"Fuck… how the… right. How are you feeling?"[/color] He finally shifted his gaze down, his eyes noticing the metal sticker peeking out from the top of her bra. He looked away, a small blush already forming on his cheeks as he remembered [i]everything[/i] that had happened. He tossed off the blanket and grabbed for the shirt, hastily tossing it on. [color=ed1c24]"Need help changing tha-"[/color] He looked back down at the bullet wound, noticing that a fresh bandage was wrapped around her wound. His eyes shifted towards her toned abs, and he had to look away flustered yet again. [color=ed1c24]"Nevermind."[/color]

[color=375a87]"I should have waited for you,"[/color] she admitted, hand fluttering down to ghost over her side, before wincing at the contact and letting her hand drop away. [color=375a87]"I’m still a little…dizzy,"[/color] it looked as if it cost her a great deal to admit to any form of weakness, discomfort flashing across her face, but then the expression softened into something sweet and uncertain. [color=375a87]"But, I’m alive. Thanks to you."[/color]

June seemed utterly unaware of the effect her body's physique had on Jim, so she was confused by his expression. He looked like he was going to be sick, or like he was two more words away from running away. Something twisted in her chest, and it felt weirdly like rejection. She looked down, eyes catching on the little metal patch that was sticking out of the hem of her sports bra. 

[color=375a87]"What is this thing?"[/color] Curiosity colored her tone, and she slid onto the arm of the chair, legs perched over his lap above the blanket. They weren’t touching, but she could feel the warmth of him. It made color fill her cheeks, and she braced her arm along the back of the chair. It was plush and comfortable enough that she could lean her good side against the fabric, relaxing against the cushion beside him. It felt comfortable, natural.

Now, he was trapped. Jim shifted uncomfortably as June was now far too close to him. His eyes instinctively darted to her lips, before his gaze shifted to the sticker. He slid his bottom lip between his teeth, still tasting a trace of her lipstick. His eyes widened in that shock, glancing at her cleaned face. If she had noticed, she wasn't acknowledging it. He looked back at the sticker, clearing his throat as he craned his neck away from the woman. [color=ed1c24]"It's a multipurpose compact biometric monitor I developed for our medical engineering division. I usually use it to pilot the Vanguard remotely… but I used to to make sure you didn't die on me."[/color] His cheeks were red, and he still refused to look at her. His eyes settled for the view out the window. She was showing some affection, but she had not yet brought up their kiss. He figured he would take a page out of her book, and at least probe the field. [color=ed1c24]"You were stubborn about a [i]few[/i] things last night… chief among them being no hospitals. I had to make do with what I had."[/color]

Her eyes instinctively tracked the movement of Jim’s bottom lip slipping between his teeth, the soft skin imprinted with the faintest smudges of red. A familiar red. She froze for a moment, eyes widening fractionally, and then the jigsaw puzzle of fuzzy memories from the night before began to click into place. She still didn’t remember it fully, it was too hazy and bright of a memory, half overshadowed by the agony in her side. But, she did remember breathing against his lips, the hesitation, the arousal that had warred with the pain. 

Her legs felt like jelly, and she lost the little bit of support she had keeping herself on the arm of the chair. June slipped across the faux leather, a soft gasp escaping her, and she landed squarely in Jim’s lap. Her hand automatically caught his shoulder, steadying herself, and then they were as close as they had been last night. He smelled faintly of his aftershave, oil, and her bathroom handwash. June’s heart fluttered in her chest, but a small smile tugged at her lips. [color=375a87]"I’ve been told I can be pretty stubborn."[/color] She didn’t apologize for landing in his lap, because she didn’t actually regret it.

Jim, too, awkwardly grabbed for June as she slipped. He feared her falling backwards, wrapping his arm under hers and placing a hand on her upper back to tilt her his direction. As she slid into his lap, though, he went into a full system meltdown. His heart rate spiked. His breath caught in his throat. He remained motionless, as if a single movement would spark a nuclear reaction and leave him a shadow permanently etched into the cushions. His mind immediately searched for anything that could stem the flow of biological attraction at the scenario. He thought of baseball, special relativity, his sister… anything other than June's body. He could not, under any circumstance, get aroused. She would know. Her grin would grow devilish, and he would never hear the end of it.

He had to deflect. He had to turn the tables. He had to address what happened. He had to speak and fill the silence. [color=ed1c24]"Yeah… well… hard to say no to someone when they're dying."[/color] That much was true. If he hadn't been concerned with her safety, if he wasn't trying to save her… surely he wouldn't have given in to her game. His mind drifted back to the kiss, his awkward motions, and her correction. Inadequacy crept up into the corners of his mind, truly purging any arousal he could have. [color=ed1c24]"I bet you wished it was someone more… experienced."[/color]

[i]Oh.[/i] June didn’t flinch, she had too much self control for that, but Jim’s words lanced pain through her chest like she’d been shot all over again. Of course, he’d only done it because she was bleeding all over the floor and begging him to. Shame colored her face, and she looked away from him. He’d said just yesterday that he didn’t need [i]distractions[/i] and that’s all she was. Throwing herself at him like a slut, she really ought to have been more ashamed of herself. 

[color=375a87]"No,"[/color] her voice was very soft, and she didn’t look at him again as she slipped off his lap. Her eyes burned, and her throat felt like it was closing in on itself. [color=375a87]"I don’t wish that at all, actually."[/color]

She took a deep, unsteady breath, and moved toward the kitchen. She needed to put space between them, to get a control on her emotions before they spiraled. She still felt like there was something slightly off with them since last night, that man’s power had grabbed into all her repressed feelings and ripped them up. She felt emotionally raw, and this wasn’t helping. [color=375a87]"I’m sorry for forcing you, I know how you feel about [i]entanglements.[/i]"[/color] That’s what he’d called it, June had just let the whole end of the world, dying soon thing get to her head. For a second, just a second, she’d thought he felt the same way as her. 

Jim knew, as he always did in situations like this, that he somehow fucked up. He didn't know how, or why, but he had said [i]something[/i] wrong. He had been nervous and fumbling the night before, why wouldn't she want someone better? Sure, he wouldn't have kissed just anyone… but… no, that couldn't be it. Her darkening cheeks, the way she quickly moved away… was it embarrassment? Anger? Was she ashamed? Her apology felt forced, half-cocked. Entanglements were a barb. He had said it the day before… She was mad.

But above all, she was wrong.

[color=ed1c24]"You didn't force me."[/color] The statement left his mouth as soon as he thought it. He was shambling out of the chair, his aching muscles protesting his movements as he went to follow her. He needed to correct. He needed to elaborate. [color=ed1c24]"You asked… I could have said no. Probably should have said no, given I hadn't even stitched you up yet."[/color] The words were pouring out at this point, a deluge of explanations and corrections and clarifications he hoped would defuse the matter. [color=ed1c24]"I was so tired and exhausted and scared. So, I tried. I had always imagined something more… cliché.  Candles, dinner, a gazebo in Central Park… not that I've thought about it much. I just..."[/color] His words slowed down as the realization and awkwardness of it all truly seeped in, and the confession embarrassed him to all hell. [color=ed1c24]"I was expecting a little less blood and gore for my first kiss."[/color]

[color=375a87]"I—"[/color] June froze, staring down at the countertop in front of her, stomach doing flips right up into her throat. He had [i]imagined it?[/i] The thought had left her gobsmacked. There had always been something about Jim that drew her in, he had been her first friend and she’d always trusted him undoubtedly. He’d always seemed distant too, though. Sometimes, when they were younger, it felt as if they were two planets orbiting the same sun. Never close enough, not like she’d wanted. She’d chased her feelings away with shitty boyfriends over the years, trying to distance the little voice of longing that whispered whenever Jim was around. She turned slowly, tilting her head back to look up at him. Her surprise was evident on her face, blushing for an entirely different reason now. [color=375a87]"That was your first kiss?"[/color] 

She’d never even considered that Jim hadn’t been with anyone else, he had everything someone would look for in a partner. Looks, brains, money, the uncanny ability to put his foot in his mouth without even trying. He was kind, and funny, and clearly cared enough about her to rush to save her. She’d jumped to the wrong conclusion, and she felt bad for it. Just couldn’t resist but to step closer to him, a smile tugging at her lips. [color=375a87]"I could do better, if you let me. I don’t think being shot puts me at the top of my game, though if you wanted to wait for a candlelit dinner I wouldn’t complain."[/color] 

She wanted to do more than just kiss him, actually. Though June was worried admitting something like that would scare him away. The very thought of it though made heat gather in her core, she’d thought about it too many times to not even try, right? She looked up at him through her lashes, considering asking him to simply strip them and there…probably too much, too soon.

Jim, oddly, reached for his own chest and side. This didn't feel right, or rather, it felt too good. His cheeks were the darkest shade of red they had been since he had gotten sunburn when he was nine. His body was still in that heightened state, every ounce of his body energized and on edge. His momentary annoyance at her realization was swept away as she smiled [i]at him[/i]. Her request seemed as genuine as the night before, though less serious.

He wanted to… he had not been aware that that was a thing he really wanted here. The memory of the sensation as she kissed him, the hunger and desire that had swept them both… It was so very tempting. He stared at June, his hands rubbing themselves together in front of him nervously. His eyes shifted to her injury, to the white cloth with some dark spots in its fibers. [color=ed1c24]"I don't want you to pop your stitches."[/color] That desire was easy to confess, and easier too to admit. His eyes shifted back towards June, his stoic mask beginning to shift over his face again. His desires didn't matter. He knew what her blood felt like. The stench of her wound, then antiseptic, the bleach… he didn't want to clean her up like that again. He needed her to be safe. [color=ed1c24]"I… You need to get those stitches redone at the infirmary."[/color]

But… he had other desires too. And he knew how to bargain. [color=ed1c24]"Then… candles, dinner, your balcony. I want a do-over."[/color]

She didn’t mind popping her stitches, actually. In fact, it sounded like the best way to pop stitches. She thought about teasing him, asking him if he couldn’t be gentle, offering to be gentle with him instead. A few creative images came from that thought process, like how bouncy her couch was, or how if she laid on her back with her legs curled around his hips, then maybe…color rushed to her face, and June squirmed a little. She’d flustered herself with imagining how it could feel to [i]have[/i] no other option but to take him gently, even if she’d wanted it harder he would—

[color=375a87]"I’d love that,"[/color] she blurted, trying diligently to grind those thoughts into the ground. She meant it, though, the idea of a do-over where she wasn’t bleeding out was immensely tempting. [color=375a87]"A do-over, I’d love that. I’ll even go to the infirmary, if that’s your bargain."[/color] 

Her smile turned soft and sweet, and she caught his hand in her own, squeezing it gently. The picture he’d painted was similar to her more gentle fantasies, was it maybe a byproduct of all the romance movies he’d grown up watching? [color=375a87]"You could show me that movie, too."[/color] She realized, brightening even more at the prospect.

Jim was, for a moment, speechless. He didn't move a muscle. He was confused, baffled even. He had asked Juniper Wayne on a fucking date. This was not part of his plan. This was the sort of thing his father would do while the world crumbled around him. Hell, it's how Imogen was born. Jim had always failed to understand how his father could distract himself with such frivolous things like love and lust when the world was at stake. And yet, here Jim was. He stood in June's kitchen, her hand clutching his, the taste of her lips still a burning memory on his tongue. A whirlwind of thoughts and feelings threatened to tumble from his pores like the beads of sweat that trickled down his neck.

The worst part of it all, though, was that this was him [i]restrained[/i]. He was still a young man. He still felt heat rising in him from her touch. His mind still wavered to the reminder of what she had worn the night before. He wanted to see her in it again. Hell, he wanted to see even more of her than he had. He wanted her to shove him against the wall and kiss him like she had before. He wanted to know what her lips would feel like on his neck. He wanted a lot of things.

He panicked, shifting his legs slightly in a poor attempt to hide the power his imagination had over him. He cleared his throat, sniffing in a quick intake of breath as he sought for a verbal response. [color=ed1c24]"Yes… yeah. Whenever you have the time."[/color] It was a nervous fumble, he knew that. He had no clue what he was doing at this point.

Her eyes automatically followed his sudden movement, eyebrows furrowing in confusion for a moment, not sure what she could have done to cause such a sudden reaction. Then, June caught the outline of him straining ever so slightly against the grey of his sweatpants. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry, heat rushing through her body. She stared for a beat too long, licking her lips before looking back up at Jim. Did he expect her to behave after that? If so, he was putting too much faith in her self control. 

[color=375a87]"If I didn’t think you’d stop me,"[/color] June said, voice tantalizingly low. [color=375a87]"I would show you what else I can do with my lips."[/color] Her eyes slid back down, and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. What was it about Jim that made her feel so desperate for him? She’d never felt it so intensely before. [color=375a87]"I might still try, I’m undecided."[/color]

Jim learned a lot about himself in the span of ten seconds. He felt like prey. He was aroused at being viewed as prey by June. He was surprisingly quick on the uptake when it came to innuendo of all things. His reason had limits. After all… if she popped a stitch, he could just sew her back together. For just a few minutes… maybe nothing else had to matter.

He was a Stark, after all.

[color=ed1c24]"What makes you think I could stop you?"[/color] His own mouth grew dry with anticipation, and maybe a tiny bit of fear. But his stoic mask slipped. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. His competitive edge was back. He knew they were past the point of mere teasing. The seal was broken. Anything was possible now. Who cares? The last thing Anthony James Stark was going to do was show weakness in the face of a challenge. His tone was no longer panicked. It was confident and clear. [color=ed1c24]"And what makes you think I would?"[/color]

Her smile was breathtaking, and it didn’t fade even as she closed the distance, her hand curling around the back of Jim’s neck so she could pull him down and press their lips together. June kissed him with the same level of desperation as the previous night, pressing closer to him as her other hand pressed flat to his stomach, fingers sliding down to dance along the hem of his sweatpants. She broke away after a moment, trembling with anticipation. [color=375a87]"Where do you want me?"[/color] She whispered, fingers dipping beneath the fabric, hesitating for a moment. She wanted his direction, experience didn’t mean anything to her, all she wanted was what Jim wanted. [color=375a87]"The bed would be more…romantic."[/color] June’s voice was sensual as her hand slid a little lower, her own arousal clouding all other thoughts.

A million thoughts stormed through his head, all at once. Years of fantasies, decades of history, the warm sensation of the night before. Not to mention yet another hungry, desperate kiss. The way she held him, pressed against him… it was like she was afraid he'd disappear or run away. She had him pinned. His clothes felt far too tight, his anticipation growing as her fingers inched their way toward her desire. As she nearly touched him, his senses seemed heightened, his arteries throbbing as his blood pressure skyrocketed. His back arched slightly, his body desperate for her caress. Her voice rang in his ears like a siren's call. He felt unclean, filthy even, for even wantin-

[color=ed1c24]"Shower."[/color] His words seemed to startle even him. It took him half a second to realize he had not vocalized his entire thought. [color=ed1c24]"I haven't showered. I need a shower first. I reek… I've still got oil in my hair…"[/color] His words were almost pleading, insecurities and discomfort bubbling to the surface at the reality of the situation. He could diffuse the situation, reassess, think with the proper head and not the other. He just needed a moment.

[color=375a87]"Okay,"[/color] June soothed, her hand withdrawing to catch Jim’s, her smile softening at the edges as she gave him a soft tug toward the bathroom. A shower sounded fine, but if he thought for a second she’d step back fully and give him time to rethink everything and start to doubt his decisions he had a nasty, or quite pleasant, surprise in order. They made it to the bathroom at a leisurely pace, she didn’t move with the urgency she felt, almost as if Jim were an animal she was worried she’d scare off with any abrupt movements. Juniper left the door open, it wasn’t like anyone would be coming in, and she flicked the shower on after letting go of Jim’s hand and stepping further into the bathroom. 

Her hand was held over the downpour of water, humming to herself as she tested the temperature, before June very deliberately untied the waistband of her sweatpants and let the fabric drop to pool around her ankles. She stepped out of them, kicking them aside, she wasn’t wearing anything under them, and all that was left was her sports bra. She threw a devious grin over her shoulder at Jim, raising one of her eyebrows in challenge.  [color=375a87]"Let’s get the oil out of your hair."[/color]

Jim felt his mind spin as he slowly entered the bathroom, placing a hand on the knob of the door. All sense, all reason, all decency and potential for things to remain simply cordial were gone. He slammed the bathroom door shut behind him.

They never made it to the bed. 
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