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[color=962929][b]#962929[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=808080][b]hell's angel[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/B3cRFjb][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=808080][b]myla’s penthouse[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]...........................[/color] [color=feffb5][b]#feffb5[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=808080][b]redback[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/109r9I0][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=808080][b]myla’s penthouse[/b][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]For the remainder of the morning Myla stayed in her penthouse with Theo as he read her The Hobbit. She laid across the couch with her head in his lap, reveling in his comfort and the normalness of a quiet moment amongst all the chaos around them. He even kept his promise and gave [i]every single[/i] dwarf their own voice. Now if Bofur and Dwalin started sounding the same by the end, she’d never say. But every time he switched to a new voice it’d elicit a giggle from her that quickly grew to full laughter until her chest hurt and tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. 

Sometime after the fifth or sixth time she told him his voices were sexy the book found its way to the floor. They were still being good… [i]Relatively.[/i] Their clothes were still on aside from half of the buttons of Myla’s shirt being undone. Theo was perched precariously above her like she was made of glass, one hand braced against the back of the couch while the other pressed into the cushion beside her. He hovered cautiously over her while their kisses grew desperate and needy. While he might have been trying to be gentle, Myla wasn’t. Her hands on his waist kept pulling him closer until he finally conceded and let his weight sink into the space between her thighs. She moaned softly against his lips as her fingers pressed into the bare skin of his back beneath the hem of his shirt. 

There was a little chime almost like a doorbell before J.A.R.V.I.S.’s voice carried throughout the tower. [color=d6d6d6]"Good morning."[/color] Myla sighed as her head fell back against the throw pillow. Her half exposed flushed chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, but never relinquished her hold on Theo. [color=d6d6d6]"Given light of recent events, Mr. Coulson has arranged a training session which will commence in thirty minutes, at noon, on sub-level six. He has requested you all arrive unencumbered with any uniforms, gadgets, weapons or any other paraphernalia. Thank you."[/color]

[color=feffb5]"Unencumbered,"[/color] Theo echoed, groaning and resting his forehead against her throat. There was a patch of skin there, smooth, unblemished, [i]very[/i] kissable. He was feeling incredibly encumbered currently, though not by equipment. He pressed his lips to her neck, kissing a hot trail up, back to her lips, but he pulled away before they could kiss for too long and get lost in it all again. [color=feffb5]"We just had to be heroes, didn’t we?"[/color] 

Theo pulled upwards so he could look down at her, taking too much satisfaction in how flushed and breathless he’d left her. They needed to stop now, thirty minutes was the perfect amount of time to get themselves under control, but fuck he didn’t want to. [color=feffb5]"You still won’t skip training, will you?"[/color] he searched her face, hoping to see the acceptance that she would but knowing it wouldn’t be there. At least he’d tried, though.

Myla propped herself up on her elbows with a wince. With each pant the deep opened slit of her shirt slowly shifted revealing more of the subtle curvature of her breast. A devilish grin crossed her breathless lips as she adjusted her left leg, brushing the inside of her thigh against his hip. [color=962929]"You still have thirty minutes to convince me."[/color] The words fell from her lips in a deep, breathy purr, teasing him to release control. She knew he wasn’t going to cave, but damn if it wasn’t hot making him flustered. 

Theo’s mouth fell open in surprise, color flushing his cheeks, and he paused for only a moment…and then he called her bluff, pressing down into her fully. One of his hands caught the thigh of her good leg, hitching it around his hip so he could press against her as he kissed her, wanting Myla to feel just how flustered she’d made him. He pulled away only when he was desperate for air, kissing along her jaw, trying to remind himself that they couldn’t both skip training…well, they could. It would look awfully bad, though. [color=feffb5]"How about now?"[/color] He whispered against the shell of her ear, nipping softly at her earlobe with his teeth, voice deep and husky. His control was unbelievably close to snapping.

The heat between their bodies made sweat glisten along the exposed skin of her chest. A soft moan slipped from her parted lips as he took her thigh in his hand and pressed against her. She hooked her leg around him, beckoning him closer. Her hands slid up his arms and along his shoulders until she could cup his jaw in her palms as they kissed. The collar of her shirt slipped off her left shoulder, falling halfway down her bicep as he guided her head to the side with kisses along her jaw. His breath was hot against her ear and tickled along the skin of her neck. God she wanted him so bad. Theo overpowered her senses, the smell of his sweat, the gentle caress of his hands along her body, the sounds of pleasure mixed with his heavy breaths.

Her hands had a mind of their own as they ran down his chest. Knuckles brushed dangerously close to his waistband as she grabbed a hold of the hem of his shirt. She managed to pull it half way up his chest before a ghost of control tingled at the back of her mind. Myla threw her head back with a moan somewhere in between desperate and exasperated. [color=962929]"Fuck me,"[/color] she groaned while running her hands over her bruised face.

He laughed against her neck, pulling back from her fully, so there was plenty of space between their heated bodies. His amusement and joy was palpable in his voice. [color=feffb5]"Not exactly what I’d call it, but it’s on my to-do list, when you’re ready…"[/color] his eyes trailed across her body, and Theo swallowed hard as he gently tugged the collar of her shirt back up to cover her shoulder. [color=feffb5]"I have a feeling that even if I gave in, you wouldn’t back out of training regardless."[/color]

His hand trailed up, along her neck, until he was gently cupping her jaw, thumb sweeping across her cheek like she was made of spun glass and the most precious thing in the world to him. Fuck, he…he [i]loved[/i] her. It was still jarring to realize, all consuming with its intensity. Theodore still needed the moment to be right though, and that moment couldn’t come when they’d just been aggressively making out on the couch. 

Myla rolled her eyes at his laughter while her cheeks grew a deeper shade of red. She still fought to catch her breath as she tilted her head into his touch. A soft laugh escaped her lips at his comment. It would have been checked off her to-do list already if Theo wasn’t so scared to break her. A breath caught in her chest as she felt his fingers graze her skin as he pulled her shirt back over her shoulder. [color=962929]"You’re not wrong,"[/color] she confessed with a guilty smile as she pushed off the couch and sat up. Her face was close enough to his that she was able to gently flick the tip of her nose against his. [color=962929]"But it would have been fun,"[/color] she whispered against his lips. 

But before he could kiss her, Myla slipped her legs from around his waist. She slowly stood up then reached over to grab his book and set it on the coffee table. All the while leaving her hips temptingly close… On accident, [i]sort of.[/i] She bit on her bottom lip with a slight mischievous grin and started making her way back down the hall. She still favored her right leg some but luckily she was able to put most of her weight on it without being too terribly uncomfortable. Myla diverted into the closet where her unpacked bag still laid on the ground. She carefully knelt down beside it and began sifting through the mass of clothes to try and find something she could train in.

[color=feffb5]"Will be fun!"[/color] He called after her, collapsing on the couch and groaning against one of the cushions. He needed his body to calm down after the extended period of arousal he’d just suffered through, and it took several minutes for him to be able to amble up and to the room so he could change his own clothes. 

[color=feffb5]"Not having my webshooters will be lame, I literally sleep with them on, when would I not have them?"[/color] Theo was whining, just a little, as he walked in, mind already half made up on what shirt he’d be wearing to training.

[color=962929]"You must have terrible tan lines,"[/color] she mused as she started pulling clothes out of her bag, trying her best to sort them. Back at the apartment Myla had everything organized in a way that she never had to try and remember what matched what. Now, if she was lucky, she might remember a piece of clothing by the texture of its fibers or the smell of the fabric. She managed to find underwear, a sports bra and yoga pants, but when it came to her socks and shirt she was struggling. After a moment she sighed. [color=962929]"Theo?"[/color]

Myla laid out a pair of black yoga pants that had red trim and mesh pieces in the thighs. She then held up two shirts, both looked the exact same, one was black and red like the pants while the other was pink and grey. [color=962929]"Which one matches?"[/color] She nodded her head toward a pile of mismatched socks, white, grey and black. [color=962929]"I need a pair of socks too… Please."[/color] A slightly embarrassed smile tugged at her lips as she sat on the floor surrounded by a mess of clothes.

[color=feffb5]"You have no idea,"[/color] he muttered, pulling the latches on his web shooters and taking each one off. He felt naked without them on, weak and surreal, this would be the only training he entertained something like this. Hadn't they already decided that no one was safe anywhere? Was the tower really their ultimate source of defense? Theo shut down the line of thought before he let it go any further, otherwise he wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon. 

[color=feffb5]"This one,"[/color] he tapped her wrist with the red and black, but paused for a moment, a small grin pulling his lips upwards in a lopsided smile. [color=feffb5]"[i]Or,[/i] you could borrow one of my shirts, I have one with a cute cat on it. It’s one of my favorites I…I like seeing you in my clothes, actually."[/color] Theo reached out, snagging a pair of black socks from the pile. They’d have to spend some time organizing her clothes after training, rather than making out…that could be the reward for being functional. 


A sweet smile crossed her lips as she tilted her head to the side. [color=962929]"You’re cute,"[/color] she mused before taking his hand and using his support to get back to her feet. [color=962929]"While I [i]love[/i] smelling like you, there’s a reason we both wear tight suits and it’s not to make our butts look good."[/color] Not that Myla would know how his looked but she might have [i]accidentally[/i] felt it once or twice while they were swinging around New York or in the middle of a fight. It basically had the same effect. And while she liked wearing his clothes too, loose fabric could become dangerous pretty quickly in a fight. There was a reason she thought capes were stupid. 

Myla gave his chest a gentle pat as she slowly walked around him, carefully trying to walk as normal as possible. She slipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Taking off her pajamas was the easy part. Her cheeks flushed and heart fluttered in her chest when she noticed her shirt was still halfway undone. She took a deep breath and shoved the thoughts away to focus on getting ready for training. Pulling her yoga pants up took some work and patience, especially when pulling the tight waistband over her thigh, but after a couple minutes she managed. Then came the hard part… tops. 

She was quickly realizing how fruitless a sports bra was as she tried several angles and positions to get it on, but all of them involved being able to raise her left arm above her shoulder. After a few more tries, Myla sighed and tossed it toward the dirty clothes pile. It was fine, she didn’t need it. As long as she didn’t get cold she’d be [i]fine[/i]. But that didn’t solve the problem of her shirt which was similarly tight athletic material to her pants. Her fingers ran across the material as her heart started racing. She swallowed as she realized what she needed to do. She felt pathetic but there was also an anxious excitement that churned in her stomach beneath it. 

Myla stood in front of the sink, trying to calm her breathing as she crossed her arms over her chest and gently cupped her breasts. It was the best she could do given the circumstances. She took a deep breath, then called out for him. [color=962929]"... Theo?"[/color]


Him? Cute? Huh. Well, her suit did make her ass look great, but there were a lot of pants that she could wear that…well, maybe it was just because Myla had a great ass. The idea that she liked smelling like him made him surprisingly flustered, and Theo paused to sniff under his arm, just to make sure…yeah, no, he’d put on deodorant. Good, good. 

He changed while Myla disappeared, putting on the cat shirt that he’d offered her and then hesitating before he tugged on some jeans. It wasn’t what Theo preferred to wear when he fought, but it wasn’t like he owned tights. He’d just tugged on some socks when her voice, timid and uncertain, called out to him. He was up and at the bathroom door in an instant, pushing it open and—

[color=feffb5]"Myla!"[/color] Theodore yelped, spinning around so his back was to her. [color=feffb5]"Christ, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but training is in fifteen minutes and-and I don’t know if you expect me to be [i]fast[/i] but I’m sure as hell not, uh…yeah."[/color] He cut himself off before anything else idiotic could spill from his mouth.

Myla’s face turned as red as the stitching along her pants as she quickly turned her back to him. Her nerves made her hands tremble while the cool gust of wind against her bare skin from his entrance sent a chill down her spine. [color=962929]"I-I needed help,"[/color] she replied sheepishly once he stopped panic word vomiting. [color=962929]"I can’t get my shirt on and I need to know if I have bruises and—[i]It’s fine.[/i]"[/color] Her voice grew shaky as her own panic set in. She tightened her arms across her chest, embarrassed. Her thundering pulse hammered inside her ears, deafening her to other sounds. [color=962929]"Just… I’ll figure it out."[/color] She stood frozen on the far side of the bathroom waiting for him to leave. It was likely she’d pop a stitch at training anyway, what did it matter if it was a little premature.

[color=feffb5]"Oh,"[/color] there was so much emotion in a single word, and Theo spun back around. His own face was flushed, and his eyes trailed down the expanse of her back, swallowing thickly as he spotted the bruises he’d known would be there. Just the sight of her injured made his chest ache, and he wanted to kill those men all over again. [color=feffb5]"No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…of course I’ll help, here."[/color] 

Theo approached slowly, letting Myla hear him walking behind her, before his fingers scooped up the shirt. He hesitated, raising a hand slowly, brushing his fingers across one of the bruises that curled around her side up her back. [color=feffb5]"You have bruises,"[/color] his voice was soft, shaky, but unbearably gentle. His hand slid up and curved around her shoulder blade. [color=feffb5]”…I’m sorry, I should have been there."[/color]

There was the guarded, independent part of Myla that wanted to shut down after his reaction. She had dealt with bad injuries by herself before, she could do it again. It’d likely irritate the cut on her side and pop some stitches, not to mention the scar would be bigger and uglier. She’d manage. But she was trying to be considerate of the work his mother put into fixing her and the concern that laced Theo’s words every time he saw her in pain. She felt exposed and vulnerable… And not because she stood before him half naked.

Her stubborn pride made it hard for her to soften as she stood unmoving and tense. But Theo’s gentle touch along her back made her walls cave and her breath catch in her throat. [color=962929]"Your job is to protect New York, not me,"[/color] she spoke quietly, keeping her back to him. [color=962929]"This is my fault for being caught off guard… It won’t happen again."[/color] There was a dark resoluteness in her voice like nothing he could say would change her mind. In no world was that ever his fault. Myla would never accept that. She let her guard down, was unprepared, weak… She knew the faults and now she had to focus on finding the solutions.

Myla took a deep breath to steel herself. Her face remained red and slightly turned away. [color=962929]"I umm… I’m pretty sure I have a bruise across my nose and my neck."[/color] Her right hand stayed firmly in place to protect whatever modesty remained while her left hand pointed to places as she spoke. Her fingers then dropped to brush along the bottom of her sternum and along the edge of her ribs. [color=962929]"I… remember getting hit really hard here,"[/color] she whispered.

[color=feffb5]"My [i]job,[/i]"[/color] Theo’s voice shook, but his hands remained steady over her skin. Was it only his job to protect New York, because if that was the case he wouldn’t be here, part of this team, staying by her side. [color=feffb5]"Well, you live in New York. So you qualify as falling under my protection."[/color] He decided, pressing a soft and fleeting kiss against her shoulder. His hand slid up, along her side, over her shoulder, his touch was as light as a ghost's, fingers brushing over the bruises around her neck. [color=feffb5]"And…Myla, I-I mean, you…you mean the world to me, I [i]can’t[/i] lose you. I should have been there, I never should have gotten out of the taxi."[/color]


[color=962929]"Please,"[/color] she whispered as her head fell slightly. [color=962929]"Stop blaming yourself. This isn’t your fault."[/color]

He pulled back some, catching the fabric of her shirt between his fingers and tugging it into his hands. His eyes caught the dance of her fingers across the top of her stomach, and he quickly looked away. He wanted her, he’d realized it way before now, but standing in this bathroom, so close that he could feel her heat radiating through his chest, the desire rose up with the force of a tsunami. He needed to have self-control though, because Myla was hurt and half of it was his fault, he couldn’t risk hurting her more, and he couldn’t be selfish when she was in this state. [color=feffb5]"Arms up, Angel. Let me get this shirt on you."[/color]

Myla hesitated, her face remaining a permanent shade of red as she built up the courage to move. Slowly and carefully, she first lifted her left hand. She tightly shut her eyes to push past the pain of the tugging stitches until her arm was straight up. Her chest heaved through a couple shaky breaths before she finally slipped her other hand free and put it into the air. She turned her head away, trying to think about anything and everything else. Myla hated how pathetic she felt. She hated that he had to see her like that… She hated that the first time he was going to see her body was like that, useless and bruised. She focused on breathing, remaining still and closing her eyes… like somehow it’d make Theo look away too. 

He kept his eyes respectfully away from her exposed chest, easing down the shirt over her head and across her chest. Theo’s knuckles softly dragged down her sides, and he paused at each moment she tensed up, hyperaware of how much this probably hurt her. [color=feffb5]"You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen."[/color] His voice was soft, reverent, devotion practically dripping from his tongue. [color=feffb5]"Even like this, you’re trying so hard to be strong, you don’t have to do that with me."[/color] He soothed the shirt down her sides before sliding a hand around her waist, brushing his palm along her stomach before Theo gently turned her around to face him. 


She didn’t breathe the entire time, feeling every brush of his knuckles and touch of their skin. Theo’s words forced the breath from her lungs in a shaky exhale. How did she respond to that? Myla wasn’t even sure what it meant. All she knew was the way he talked about her made her chest tighten and grow warm. She heard people talk about beauty in comparison with others, but the concept of physical attraction was lost on her… Unless she thought of the way her heart raced whenever her fingertips brushed along the sharp edges of Theo’s muscles or the way his body was firm but soft whenever it was pressed against her. Did that count? Or was it all muddied because it was [i]him[/i]. Would she even be able to tell the difference?

Myla's stomach tensed as his hand ran along the exposed skin of her midriff. She was reluctant to turn back around but with the guidance of his gentle touch she conceded. Her head remained tilted downward as she faced him. [color=962929]"Yes I do,"[/color] she contradicted him while lightly tapping her bruised and scabbed knuckles against his abdomen. [color=962929]"I can’t let my guard down again… I can’t…"[/color] Her words drifted away before she let them fall from her mouth. She was weaker than Theo, weaker than everyone else gathered in that tower. Myla refused to let herself be a burden or dead weight that dragged him down. There was no possible way she could ever forgive herself if she got him killed… It’d eat her alive. 

[color=feffb5]"I’m [i]here[/i] and when you’re with me you’re safe,"[/color] he raised both his hands to cradle her face, pressing their foreheads together so his soft words could wash over her. [color=feffb5]"That’s all I’m asking for, when it’s just you and me."[/color] He let go of her face, reaching down to catch one of her hands. Theo brought it up so she could press her palm against his chest, over his heart. [color=feffb5]"My heart is beating for you, to the world you are formidable, but you are [i]my[/i] world. I can be strong enough for both of us, to whatever end, when it’s just you and me. You can let your guard down here Myla, when you’re ready."[/color]

A single silent tear slipped from beneath her eyelashes and trailed down her cheek. [color=962929]"Why do you get to be strong for [i]me[/i] but I can’t be strong for [i]you[/i]?"[/color] Myla asked. Her fingers gently curled, grabbing a small handful of his shirt against his chest. [color=962929]"That isn’t fair,"[/color] she whispered with a defeated smile. The truth was it was almost impossible for her to keep her guard up around Theo. Every smile, laugh and kiss stripped it away. She was constantly being torn in two different directions between letting herself get swept up in him and the way he made her feel, and hardening herself for the horrors that waited just around the corner for them. It was both exhilarating and terrifying. 

[color=feffb5]"You are strong for me,"[/color] he whispered, pressing his hand over her own where it lay on his chest. The juxtaposition of how her skin could be both rough from callouses and yet unbearably soft was enough to make Theo’s breath catch in his throat. [color=feffb5]"The strongest thing you could do is to trust me enough to be vulnerable with me, letting down your guard isn’t easy."[/color] His fingers threaded with her own, and he lifted her hand to his lips so he could brush a kiss over her scabbed and bruising knuckles. [color=feffb5]"We’ll go at your pace, one step at a time. As long as you know it’s safe with me, that’s a good start."[/color] Myla could feel how his lips tugged up into a smile. 


[color=962929]"But I do,"[/color] she whispered. She took the smallest step forward, her bare feet moving to rest on the ground between his. Their chests brushed and pushed against one another with every breath, fighting for the space between them. [color=962929]"I trust you more than anyone… I…"[/color] This time the words danced on the edge of her tongue rather than his, one whisper from breaking free. She could say it, just speak it into existence. Every cell in her body was desperate for her to say it, but Myla was scared, scared to say it and scared that they weren’t guaranteed tomorrow… Hell, she barely even made it to that day.

Theodore kissed her before she could say it, not giving her a chance to break the seal on those three words. It was a soft, lingering kiss that portrayed everything he felt for her. He pulled back after a few short moments, pulling Myla into a very gentle hug. [color=feffb5]"Tomorrow,"[/color] he promised, whispering against her shoulder. [color=feffb5]"We’ll go to the beach, maybe have a picnic, and then I’ll…I’ll explain how I feel fully."[/color] He pulled back, trying not to laugh. [color=feffb5]"Try not to pull any stitches during training, and maybe…well, we’ll see."[/color] 

[color=962929]"[i]Hmm,[/i]"[/color] Myla mused with a soft laugh. Was there really much else Theo could explain beyond just [i]saying it?[/i] Telling her she was his world sort of felt like the precipice. She didn’t know if there was much beyond that. But his desperation to make the moment perfect was cute nonetheless. She’d try her best not to take that from him. He deserved a little Hallmark among the nightmare they were living. [color=962929]"If any of these stitches pop I’m having those robo-doctors burn this shit,"[/color] she laughed as she slowly slipped from his arms and made her way toward the door. 

[color=feffb5]"[i]Burn it?[/i]"[/color] Theo sounded distinctly horrified at the idea, pausing to clutch at the sink as she slipped out of the bathroom. He was very aware that he was dating a badass, but—wait, were they dating? He liked to think they were, he wasn’t the type to just kiss anyone for fun, and he was fairly certain that she wasn’t either, but they hadn’t exactly had time to put any kind of label on it.

Myla grabbed her combat boots and socks from where she left them on the ground and went to sit on the foot of the bed. She moved slowly, sucking in sharp breaths and wincing when she moved the wrong way. It took her three times as long but she eventually managed to get her socks and shoes on. After taking a moment to catch her breath, Myla made her way back to the closet. She put on her deodorant and spritzed herself with her perfume that had notes of cashmere, bergamot and lily of the valley. It took her a second to find her billy club beneath the mound of clothing she tore through. She could feel the flaking dried blood beneath her grasp as her fingertips ran along the surface until she found the small button on one end. She pressed it and a small tape popped out. Her right hand reached out and caught it before it hit the ground. 

[color=962929]"Hopefully Stark can do more than run his mouth,"[/color] she commented dryly as she tossed the club aside and stood up. 

By the time he emerged from the bathroom, she was done putting on her boots, the faintly pleasant notes of her perfume hanging in the air, and Theo was determined to make sure they were, effectively, on the same page. [color=feffb5]"Myla,"[/color] all of the confidence whooshed out of him as soon as he caught sight of her. Theo gaped for a moment like a fish out of water, registering for the first time how her chosen outfit did quite a lot to compliment her figure. He let out a sort of wheezing cough, and then pushed onwards. [color=feffb5]"Will you, I mean, if you want, I was just thinking that I-I think I’d…I mean, maybe we should, you could…uh."[/color] Very pointedly, he raised a hand and slapped his own cheek. The sting brought a brilliant sense of clarity, and all in one breath he managed to ask his question. [color=feffb5]"Will you date me?"[/color]

She heard Theo say her name tentatively as she stepped out of the closet. [color=962929]"What?"[/color] Myla’s brows knit together as she slowly turned to face him with the tape clasped delicately between her fingers. While, at first, she was concerned about the hesitancy and seriousness in his voice, his babbling made a soft smile grow across her lips. She didn’t say anything, waiting patiently for him to find his words. But when he slapped his face she snatched her tape up in her right palm and closed the space between them to seize his wrist in her left hand. [color=962929]"Lets [i]not[/i] do that,"[/color] she spoke calmly while her thumb lightly stroked his arm. 

Myla couldn’t help but laugh at how unbelievably cute he was. It was sweet how, after everything, he still felt the need to clarify what they were. While she never said anything, she had been his for months, even if he never knew. Ever since the day he was waiting to meet up with her with flowers for her birthday she was hooked, regardless if she was also in complete denial about it. While they have never [i]actually[/i] been on a date, Myla had just [i]assumed[/i] they were exclusive between all the stolen kisses, almost saying ‘I love you,’ their less than subtle desire to sleep together and just the whole near death thing. [color=962929]"I thought we already were dating,"[/color] she confessed with a smile. [color=962929]"Your mom and Foggy already think we are,"[/color] she laughed softly.

Theo was grinning from ear to ear, the brightest smile he’d ever worn before lit up his face, and he couldn’t help but to steal one more kiss from her, and even then he couldn’t stop smiling. It didn’t matter what else came next, what anyone thought, or the people they were surrounded by. As long as Myla was by his side, just like this, he could be content. 

[color=feffb5]"I just wanted to be sure,"[/color] he admitted once they’d pulled apart, still smiling. [color=feffb5]"I knew I was already yours, but I just wanted to be sure."[/color] That day was going down as a top ten for him, not that he’d be telling her about that, she didn’t need to know he had a running list. 

She was barely able to laugh before Theo’s lips found hers. Myla took his face in her hands, palms gently cupping his cheeks. She couldn’t fight her own smile as she felt his own grin beneath her thumbs and against her lips. There weren’t many moments in her life where she found herself wishing for a glimpse of sight, but that was one of them. His happiness was so contagious that she wanted one second to be able to see his face and his smile. While he was still close, Myla let her fingertips slowly memorize his face, running along his brow, tracing the contour of his jaw, framing his nose, brushing across his cheekbones, and outlining his slightly crooked smile. She wanted to commit every part of him to memory. 

The tips of her thumbs lingered near the corners of his lips. [color=962929]"I’ve been yours since you bought me those flowers,"[/color] she quietly confessed like the truth was too fragile to be spoken above a whisper. 

[color=feffb5]"I’ve been yours since you stopped that guy from shooting me by kicking him in the balls."[/color] Theo grinned down at her, sliding his hand up to run his fingers through her hair. He relished in the feeling of her fingers brushing across his face, learning him like he was a canvas. [color=feffb5]"Tomorrow, I’ll take you on a proper date. We may have to skip the pineapple and olive pizza, though."[/color] 

Myla laughed softly as the memory slipped to the forefront of her mind. It was raining and there were a lot of thugs near some warehouse off the docks. She couldn't remember why they were there, all the crimes start blending together when you stop dozens a night. What she did remember was one minute they were fighting back to back and then the next moment there was a guy standing between them with a gun to the back of Theo's head. She didn't know how it happened. No one ever got close to pointing a gun at him like that. Myla panicked, took a hit to the chest that broke one of her ribs, but she never told him that part. She shoved the guy's hands in the air as she kicked so hard in the groin that there was no possibility of him ever having children. She also stole his gun and pistol whipped him for good measure. If Theo wasn't there… She probably would have killed the fucker. But back then she tried to play by his rules so that she didn't scare him away. 

As she recalled the fight, Myla remembered it happened about a month or so before her birthday, which meant he [i]technically[/I] was smitten first. She sighed with a smile. He was going to enjoy that too much. [color=962929]"Fine, you win,"[/color] she whispered as she let her hands slowly fall from his face. A soft, but playful gasp escaped her lips. [color=962929]"[i]Skipping pizza?[/i] Who are you and what have you done with Theo?"[/color]

[color=feffb5]"It’s good to have a healthy diet,"[/color] he chuckled, thinking that he was most certainly packing PB & J sandwiches for the picnic but that he wasn’t willing to tell her that. He took a step back from her, trying to put a more respectable distance between the two of them. 

[color=feffb5]"If we don’t leave soon,"[/color] he shoved his hands into his pockets, he looked her up and down, gaze admiring. [color=feffb5]"I may have to change all of my plans, but we would miss training."[/color] Not that it was the worst idea ever, Theo could think of a least twenty other things he’d rather be doing than going to training, and all of them involved Myla. 

She clicked her tongue off the roof of her mouth with a faint guilty smile. [color=962929]"Yeah… We have jobs to do, [i]or something.[/i]"[/color] Myla pivoted on her good leg and walked past him toward the bedroom door while spinning the small tape between her thumb and middle finger. Her pace was slower and she still favored her right leg, but she carried herself like she was in less pain. Whether if that was true or she compartmentalized it to focus on training, even Myla wasn’t entirely sure. 

She slowed as she reached the elevator and pressed the button. Myla rested her uninjured shoulder against the wall and turned her head toward Theo with a smile. [color=962929]"Wonder why we can’t have our equipment,"[/color] she mused as they waited.

[color=feffb5]"Maybe they’re giving us new gear?"[/color] He grinned at her, barely having time to lean against the wall when the elevator gave a quiet [i]ding[/i] and the doors slid open. Theo tried not to sigh, he’d forgotten that the elevator was faster than usual and he’d been hoping for just a few more minutes with Myla. [color=feffb5]"Or they want us to fight without it…"[/color] he trailed off as they stepped into the elevator, jabbing the button for sub-level 6 with his pointer finger.  [color=feffb5]"I really hope they’re giving us new gear."[/color][/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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[color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] jim [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] [@Sleepy Tani][/color]
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