CAN'T YOU SEE I'M A WARNING SIGN?

SHOTA 'POLO' MIKAMI | 27 | LOST BOY

[jesssuvari]

"RIght. That would imply that you would ever lose a fight. And you wouldn't want anyone thinking those muscles are just for show, would you?" Jess wagged her brows and poked at his chest, teasing him in a way she only did when she was purposely trying to provoke him. Usually the reaction she was looking for was for him to fall into her trap and prove her wrong with the best sex either of them had. But this time she wasn't looking to rile him up as much as she was trying to distract him from her weird behavior by getting his mind on anything else. "At least tell me i'm pretty or that you like me before you start ripping my clothes off." She complained, biting her bottom lip to just barely hold in her laugh knowing how big his ego could get if she let him charm his way out of every situation. Of course she was a sucker for his dumb face, and his dumb smile, and that his dumb biceps were the size of her head so it worked more often than she liked to admit

Sadly, for their peace, her distraction didn't last as long as she had hoped. She knew that he wouldn't do something violent like break down the door but she definitely didn't anticipate him wedging himself in the gap of the door either, taking half a step back so she didn't accidentally hurt him. "I don't know, Polo. There's a lot of hypotheticals going on in my head right now. And i'm scared, okay? I'm just...scared." She finally admitted out loud which was hard enough on its own without elaborating on why. She let her own forehead bump against the other side of the door and released a deep sigh as she prepared herself mentally to let her walls down for him. It wasn't serving either of them for her to keep him out of the loop. He was the first person she thought to go to with her problems, knowing that even if he didn't offer a solution she wanted it at least felt good to vent to him. He was, funnily enough, the one who was able to keep her the most level headed when her thoughts were plaguing her. And more than anything he was a man of loyalty, so she knew he would stick by her side through anything she threw at him. The issue wasn't that she thought he couldn't handle big responsibilities but that this was one of the ones she didn't know if she could manage. But that was exactly why she knew she needed to voice these thoughts to him, because they always worked better as a team. "Nah. I got the angry traumatic daddy issues not the kinky kind. Sorry to disappoint " She rolled her eyes but affectionately placed a kiss on his jaw before stepping back from the door completely, giving him the okay to enter the room and gesturing to the pregnancy test on the counter. "I've been chickening out of taking a test all day. So when you came in I freaked out because I didn't want you to find out until I had an answer. Cause this kind of thing changes everything. And I really like where we're at right now."

[polomikami]

"How about I 'just for show' you..." he grunted and swatted at her hand poking his chest. This time he wasn't going to let her distract him, or at the very least he was going to try not to allow it. Honestly, his self control wasn't all that impressive and much less so when Jess was involved. Still, he wanted it on the record that he was succeeding so far if only because she was beginning to weird him out with all her talking. It wasn't that they didn't talk, quite the opposite actually, but she wasn't usually so defensive. Nor did she ever admit to being scared.

At least she'd given up on keeping the door between them, which was a blessing for the door's sake. He didn't pay any mind to what she'd pointed at, not yet, more interested in giving her a once over to make sure she was physically okay. He wouldn't lie, he was always worried his work would follow him home and they'd already been through enough of that back when he was simply her bodyguard. "Since when do you chicken out on tests? You're a real egghead, tests should be scared'a you," he laughed, kissing her forehead and leaning back when he realised she wasn't joking with him. Finally he cottoned on, looking over at the pregnancy test on the counter and feeling his stomach drop in a way it rarely did.

"Nah, come on," he exhaled a weak laugh. "Ain't no way, right?" He wasn't sure how to feel-- if anything it was miraculous that it was the first time he'd had this conversation with anyone. All he knew for certain was that he didn't enjoy the concept of Jess being scared of him. "Fuck..." he paused, trying to gather his own thoughts, then promptly gave up because when had thinking about anything ever been his deal? "Okay, nah, fuck it, do the test. The answer is real whether we know it or not, right? So might as well get ahead of the game. I like where we're at too. I fuckin' love my life right now but I'll take whatever the universe deals me with open fuckin' arms, alright? I've been shot, stabbed, fuckin' buried alive, and I'm still here." He held her face and pressed his forehead to hers, taking a deep breath to steel himself for whatever was about to happen. "I love you, and I got you, baby. Let's do this."

[jesssuvari]

It wasn't like Jess didn't believe she could share her worries with Polo. Or that he couldn't handle the seriousness of the predicament they were possibly in. After all the challenges they had gone through together, even before they entered a relationship, it felt like there wasn't much they couldn't face together anymore. Yes, they still bickered over everything but at the end of the day they were each others safety net, never letting the other fall without someone to fall back on. But their lives outside of their little bubble didn't have much crossover and while she didn't mind that they were able to keep their independence, that they didn't try to make some big changes to each others lives in order to be together, it meant they really had to make an effort to be present for each other. She didn't want anything to strain the good thing they had going. Not if it wasn't even a confirmed issue.

"So basically, you stopped by for a quickie to hold you over before you show back up here all beat up and I put you in time out?" Jess snorted, rolling her eyes and swatting his hand away from the door. "Damn. You're not even gonna pretend to romance me a little?" She soon pouted at him putting her love for him up for debate. After how long it took for her to admit it out loud refused for it to be questioned, even in jest. "How could you question my love? Like i'm not actively considering birthing your demon spawn right now?" She blurted out in her own defense, eyes widening when she realized how badly she had put her foot in her mouth. Her immediate response was to quickly hole herself up inside the restroom and try to gaslight him into thinking she said something else entirely. But no matter how fast she thought she could close and lock the door before he could make his way in, she was aware he was a lot faster and stronger. He could also be far more stubborn than her when he wanted to be so she was certain he wasn't going to let her comment go without a explanation.

[polomikami]

"Wasn't planning on getting beat up, but the rest of it... yeah," he raised a brow, not seeing anything wrong with his plan. It wasn't like she didn't get anything out of it, though he knew better than to push that button lest he get nothing at all. "Didn't think there was much romance involved in a quickie, my bad," he laughed, more entertained by her being weird than concerned. It wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for them to bicker, though her reaction to him joking about her not loving him was more adorable than anything. The second part, the bit about demon spawn though, that was definitely weird. Like, alarm bells weird.

Polo's reflexes worked faster than his brain, catching the door before she could latch it. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, wedging his shoulder in the gap so the door couldn't close any further, though he didn't force it open either. There were some semblance of manners in this greaser, and Jess was the lucky one to experience most of them. "Fuck me Jess, why you always workin' in riddles?" He let his forehead thump on the door, not used to having to play so gentle about things. If he'd been having this conversation with Marlo they'd probably have ripped the door clean off the hinges by now and be trying to flush each others' heads down the toilet. "You're gonna have to dumb it down for me 'cause it sounds like you're sayin' you want me to put a baby in you and I sure as fuck know you don't mean that."

[jesssuvari]

This could not be happening. This was not part of her plan. Those were the only thoughts running through her head as she sat all alone on the toilet seat in her bathroom, staring down at a pregnancy test she was hesitating to take. The whole notion started out as a joke. Some of the girls from her law class had a girls night and took them all together as moral support for one of their peers. But when the tests got mixed up and one had actually resulted in a positive it had left them all second guessing. Jess hadn't even considered the possibility but there were enough signs that left too many doubts in her mind to ignore. Sure she was late on her cycle sometimes but that wasn't uncommon for her with all the stress that she carried. But it wasn't impossible either considering how often her and Polo got careless when it came to protection. She had always judged those who left themselves get so carried away that they lost all sense of responsibility but she supposed she got it now, it was one of the many ways love made them stupid. To be honest she wasn't sure it was something she wanted or would ever want, having kids, but for now she was more focused on just getting the result and taking it from there. Just as she mustered up the courage to finally do it she heard Polo's familiar footsteps approaching the room. "Hey! I didn't hear you come in." She bolted to the door since she had left it wide open, thinking no one else would be around, hoping he hadn't caught a glimpse at the box and test that were in plain view on the counter. She left it cracked open just enough to greet him but she was having a hard time covering up the nervousness in her voice or the guilty look on her face, like she was in a hostage situation or had just been caught doing something bad. "It's occupied. You're gonna have to wait your turn."

@polomikami

[polomikami]

Essentially being on call to Ace meant that Polo's lifestyle wasn't that of the traditional 9 to 5 so he often found himself struggling to line his free time up with Jess'. He was heading out on a job later that evening so he thought he'd try and catch an early dinner with her, butter her up before he inevitably crawled into bed at some ungodly hour and interrupted her beauty sleep. If you asked him, she didn't need it anyway.

"Fuckin' hello to you too," he balked at her abrupt greeting and essentially having the door slammed in his face. It was unusual for her to be so skittish, so he couldn't be blamed for immediately getting suspicious. "You doin' somethin' diabolical in there? Tell me girls don't poop all you like, but I know you're lyin'..." He pushed on the door a little, teasing because they both knew he could knock the whole thing down if he really wanted to. He couldn't see much through the gap, but he could see that she'd opened a box of something on the counter. Hair dye, maybe. A flu test. A box of tampons. Nothing he would consider worthy of being a weirdo about. "I just wanted to have a shower with my girl before I go to work but whatever. You don't love me, I'll survive."

[suuho]

aren't you cold? could be warmer.

[jess-suvari]

"Nah, just feeling a bit generous. Can't have anyone thinking i'm an awful gift giver." In her case she was teasing him, mostly because she didn't wanna accept that what he was saying was probably true. But given that the last Christmas they had spent together had been the moment she gave him the spare key to her place her track record wasn't doing favors as far as her hard ass reputation was concerned. The thing with Jess was that loving others didn't come easy for her but once she decided she loved someone she went out of her way to show it, even if only in small gestures like being more open or softer with them. "And you say this based on what exactly? You haven't introduced them to some other girl you were seeing before have you? You're only saying that cause you like me. At least hype me up a little before to be on the safe side. Throw in that i'm gonna be a lawyer to get me some points." She smiled before gently bumping her forehead to his.

She was quick to notice but not so quick to point out that he had called this place home. Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue. But the fact that he felt comfortable enough to consider the place they shared together some type of safe haven brought a warmth from her heart to the pit of her stomach as her nerves were thrown off guard. So much so that she was putty in his hands as he trailed his hands up her body. "As if three seconds is enough time to convince your stubborn ass of anything. Who's playing dirty now?" Her lips were on his before he could even finish his countdown, finding this was the best way to communicate all the in between things she had a hard time of bringing herself to say of just how much she wanted him and needed him. No matter how close they were, both physically and emotionally, it was almost never close enough. "Did that change your mind?"

[polomikami]

For all their differences they were so alike; having grown up on the south side Polo wouldn't trust a person as far as he could throw them but the second he cared his loyalty was unwavering. Given his luck in growing up with parents who were devoted to each other he wasn't afraid of affection but he also wouldn't ignore the truth that it could indeed be a weakness in the wrong hands. He didn't know if it was making him a better or worse man trying to protect his peace, trying to make sure no one would dare attempt to use her against him. "If catching me butt ass naked with a girl and chasing us both out of the house with a broom counts as meeting someone I was seeing, then..."

As much as he could talk he found it hard to articulate the finer details when it came to the way he felt about her so he was glad she was on the same page when she cut him off with a kiss. Maybe it was just the honeymoon phase rose-coloured bubble they were in but it felt like a superpower the way they could read each other like a book with their eyes closed. How else could he express how grateful he was for the way she anchored him? "I was really gonna help but you're just lookin' for trouble, aren't you?" he sighed, gripping an arm around her waist to hold her in place as he pushed himself up off the floor and twisted to set himself on top of her on the couch. It was far from an inconvenience though, if the way he was looking at her was anything to go by. "Hope you don't have an early start in the morning," he chuckled, honing in on his favourite spot on her neck that surely had a near permanent hickey by that point.

[jess-suvari]

A large breath of air, one Jess hadn't even realized she was holding in, was released when he ran his fingers down her spine as she found herself relaxing at his touch. Even if things had escalated to a fight she knew it would be resolved by bedtime, both because neither of them would allow things to simmer for too long without making their irritation known and because they enjoyed the making up part too much to let it last that long. But it did feel like a relief that they were figuring out how to communicate without shutting each other out, like an actual functional relationship. "It's only important to me because you're both my favorite people. And because even though I know you have plenty of people who have your back, I want more people in your corner. If it doesn't work out at least we can say you tried. That's all that matters to me." She reached back to nudge his shoulder. "Keep in mind this is the same lady that put up with my dad. I don't think you have to worry too much about making a good impression."

Jess groaned when Polo kissed her shoulder, knowing she wasn't gonna get anymore wrapping done now that he had completely taken her attention to himself. She moved to make her way onto his lap, her legs on either side of him as she made herself comfortable. "I mean, I was kinda in the middle of something here before you distracted me. Now I gotta rethink if you get your present or not. Are you gonna be naughty or nice tonight?"

[polomikami]

"Christmas makes you soft, huh?" it might have seemed like it at first but he wasn't actually teasing her this time, rather he was noticing a more tender side of her than he was used to. He didn't talk about it but being without his parents since his teens had been hard. It wasn't like he could just pop over to Japan whenever he wanted to and even then he wasn't sure he would if he could. He wouldn't want to embarrass his parents by showing up the same deadbeat they'd always begged him not to become. So to have Jess showing enough faith in him to spend time with her mom felt like maybe he was doing something right. "If this is where we're at... maybe next time I call my parents you could say hi too. Likewise, y'know, they're gonna love you."

In all fairness he'd been trying not to be a distraction but he also wasn't going to turn her away when she set herself on his lap. "You gonna blame me just for walkin' in the door? This feels like a setup," he laughed, leaning up to kiss her jaw. "When a guy comes home to you lookin' like this it's gotta be naughty all the way. If you want help, I'll help but you got three seconds before I change my mind," he slid his hands further up her thighs, his touch becoming more intentional as his lips came dangerously close to hers, "One... Two..."

[jess-suvari]

"That's cool, I guess, if you're looking to be single by the end of the year." Her threat both a bit of a joke but also to serve as reminder that at her core that she still liked to be in control. It came to no surprise that he wouldn't make anything easy for her but this was one of the few instances where she wouldn't actually fight him to get what she wanted. Because the last thing she wanted to do was have him resent her for forcing him into situations that made him uncomfortable. "I'm never gonna make you do anything you don't wanna do, Polo. You should know that by now. But it is something important to me. So I guess just weigh out your options." She shrugged, quickly turning her attention back to the gifts before he could get a read on her to make his decision. "Depends on how bad you fuck it up." Jess huffed, almost immediately dropping the nonchalant act when she felt like he was throwing in the towel before he had even tried. It was one thing for him to not want to do it because it made him uncomfortable but she couldn't stand the idea that he was already counting himself out. "Why do you automatically assume you're just gonna fuck it up anyways? You're so good at charming random people the moment you walk into any room. What's so different about this?"

[polomikami]

Polo hadn't meant to upset her but clearly had so he clenched his jaw shut before he said something else to put his foot in it. That was growth in itself, not immediately running to throw fuel on the fire. Still, it was nice to know she had faith in him and hearing her double down made an easy smile grow on his face as he sat down next to her with his back resting on the couch, not unlike a cat that would sit nearby just to be close. "Because it's important to you," he said after a moment of silence. "Guess I think about it a lot. Not wanting to let you down." He reached out, fingertips brushing her spine, "It's not a big deal, swear. If I got your hard ass on side your mom's gonna be a piece of cake." Nervous wasn't the right word, but he was perhaps apprehensive. He knew he could be as charming as the best of them but he supposed that was a side effect of really wanting something to work out. He'd never cared so much about anyone before. "Sorry," he leaned over to press his lips to her shoulder, not quite able to reach his favourite spot on her neck without moving, "is that all that's stressing you out? You're tense as hell."

[jess-suvari]

"Don't know how you've managed to avoid it so far but my mom is asking, more like demanding, your presence at her place on Christmas." Jess relayed her mom's message from her spot on the floor of her apartment where she spent the last few hours furiously wrapping presents, a very last minute endeavor, since it had been the first time in the last few weeks she had time to herself. "Since we're all official she wants to have a proper sit down with you or whatever. Not gonna lie, she probably wants to grill you. I guess she thinks you're gonna be around for the long haul. No clue where she got that idea."

@polomikami

[polomikami]

"I don't go anywhere I don't want to," Polo shrugged simply, throwing his jacket over the back of the couch as he came home from running errands with Ace and the boys. It still made him pause for a moment, seeing Jess doing something so mundane as wrapping gifts and realising that this was his life now. "Is this one of those things I have to do?" he asked, picking up one of the gifts she'd wrapped and giving it a shake as if to try and figure out what was inside. "And are you gonna be mad if I fuck it up? I mean, I'll do it if you want but we both know how well I handle being backed into a corner."

[diondempsey]

Without saying a word, Nadia glanced his way as he picked up someone's haphazardly placed car keys. Grand theft auto never felt like Tino's speed so as unsurprised as she was that he set them back down, she smirked regardless. "I wasn't stopping you." She hesitated a second then reached inside the bag, curious as to what kind of car it was, and turned the keys over in her hand to get its make and model. "Maybe we just go take a look at it. Bring these back afterwards."

[polomikami]

If anyone got him on an atomic level, it was Nadia. Of course he wasn't going to actually steal someone's car, but he also loved a grey area so the second she gave him the go ahead he'd slung his arm over her shoulder and started to move. "A look wouldn't hurt. Just window shopping... My dad's still in kiss ass mode so I gotta make my Christmas wish list impressive now that I've got the chance."

[polomikami]

Tino sighed to himself, looking down at someone's unattended belongings, a key to what looked to be a very fancy car sitting in plain view. "It's not even fun when it's this easy," he shook his head, but still swiped the keys anyway. "For safety purposes, y'know? There's a lot of alcohol around here..." he smirked when he realised he'd gained an observer, and dropped the keys into someone else's bag a few chairs down. As much as he liked to acquire items he wasn't a car thief, just a natural born pain in the ass.

[jess-suvari]

It was kinda sick, the way her heart felt too full for her chest at the sight of just seeing him smile. Or that she felt a sense of pride at the thought of being the reason for his good mood. The fact that anyone could have any effect on her own disposition, especially after she had fought so hard to not get attached to anyone, was surely a sign that she was definitely in way too deep. But as much as daunting as that thought felt, as scary as it felt, she couldn't deny it anymore. "You're not even gonna let me try to argue my case? You're a strict judge. Alright then, what's the sentencing? What's it gonna take to get my privileges back?" Jess cupped his face in her hands, tugging at the ends of his smile to get a look at his teeth. "Yeah. Looks like all the fangs are still in place." She chuckled before pursing her lips at his next question. She knew he was just messing around, being a goofball as usual. And ideally she would have preferred to keep this thought to herself for when they weren't in a room full of people but it didn't actually seem like the worst moment to admit something she had been meaning to admit for a while. "I mean i'm kinda past the point of no return. Whether you win or lose, I love you regardless." Jess stated, keeping her declaration short and simple, her gaze concentrated on his lips since she was too nervous to look him in the eye at that moment.

[polomikami]

Polo mumbled something unintelligible as she went in for the dental check, and rather than clarifying he decided to bring one of her thumbs between his teeth with just enough pressure to keep it there momentarily. It didn't matter to him if anyone else saw it, but he could see the change in her ability to simply exist like night and day. There was no way the girl he'd first met when he was on guard duty would have been capable of the closeness they had grown into, let alone so casually dropping admissions of deeper feelings. "Jess..." he hooked a finger under her chin to tilt it upward, forcing her to look at him. It didn't do the moment justice, nor their feelings, if she spent it hiding by avoiding eye contact. Eloquence wasn't his strong suit so rather than take the risk of putting his foot in it he kissed her as sweetly as he was capable of. Maybe when he had less alcohol and adrenaline in his system he'd know what to say, but for the time being he felt like it was glaringly obvious how he felt about her. "You sure it's legal for me to be this happy?"

[jess-suvari]

Public displays of affection were always something she felt a complete aversion to. It wasn't like she felt the need to hide her feelings but she never really had the desire for people she didn't know finding out her business either. While that hadn't changed, everything that had happened since meeting and getting together with Polo, woke her up to the idea that life was unpredictable and could be cut short at any moment. Which meant that she wasn't going to stop herself from embracing her boyfriend, especially after being apart from him for what seemed like an eternity, for privacy's sake. The hooting and whistling from his friends she would be sure to retaliate against later though. "Don't get so cocky." She protested quickly, flustered when he lifted his shirt. "Isn't that one of the girlfriend rights that I get to see the goods anytime I want? Or are you revoking those since i've been gone?" Jess bit her lip, running a hand down his torso and stopping at the waistband of his pants and tugging lightly once to close whatever distance was left between them and to tease him in return. "So did you win? I gotta at least know if it was worth messing my shirt up in the process too."

[polomikami]

It wasn't often he got treated to Jess getting flustered, especially in public, so his grin only became more wicked. He was happy to see her and nothing was going to stop him from showing it. Despite popular opinion, those of his ilk weren't entirely devoid of heart. "Yeah, you're gonna have to work your way back up. Sorry, life's tough," he egged her on as she pulled herself closer. It was nice to be back in their bubble, to be unable to think of anything but her rosy lips. "You fuckin' with me? Do I look like I lost? I mean, I think I still got all my teeth..." he joked, though it was true that he'd probably have a few bruises and stiff muscles in the morning he was otherwise unharmed. "Would you still love me if I was a loser? Like, worst case scenario. Or you only into me because I got an impressive win streak?"

[marlo-reyes]

All the night's drinking made Marlo slower to register the source of his friend's distress than usual, bursting into laughter once he noticed the big stain on Polo's shirt. "Let me see, let me see," he beckoned Polo towards him, half leaning down and tugging him by his shirt to sniff it. Getting hints of tomato and spice, he faked out like he was going to lick it then slapped his torso, grinning at his looked back up at him. "It's sauce, fuckin' slob. You saving that for later?"

[polomikami]

Given that he was somewhat vain in comparison to the rest of his boys, the stain on his shirt was very much going to be a bother for the rest of his evening whether it was blood or not. When Marlo moved to inspect it Polo simultaneously shoved his head down as he winced at the slap to his gut. "While you're down there," he laughed, then wrinkled his nose at the stain again, "Not all of us got an unavoidable gaping cakehole like you. Swallow a fuckin' planet whole if you took a deep enough breath."

[jess-suvari]

For the last week or so Jess barely had a chance to do anything other than go to her classes and sleep, and even then she had barely done much of the latter. Now that she was closer to the end of her education it meant the learning was more about practice and less about learning. It also meant that she that she hadn't seen enough of Polo in the last week and now that she finally had a chance to breathe her first thought was to go straight to him, despite being completely overdressed for Coyote Ugly. As much as she liked doing what she did time just seemed to drag longer when he wasn't around and she noticed her fuse was a lot shorter without him. "A few days without me and you're already falling apart?" She teased, tapping his shoulder to get his attention. "Oh no, your shirt's all messed up. Guess you're just gonna have to go around shirtless."

[polomikami]

Polo wasn't so pussy whipped he couldn't handle a few days without Jess but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to be excited when she appeared out of nowhere. Despite initial appearances the Lost Boys were actually a rather excitable bunch so it wasn't surprising that there was a rise in their voices when he pulled her in for a hello kiss. Of course, he'd forgotten the mystery stain on his shirt until he let her go, checking to make sure it hadn't spread to her fancy clothes. "Pot, kettle, black. Couple days without me and you're thirsty as hell, huh? Actin' all Spongebob in Sandy's dome-like." With a devilish grin he lifted his shirt to flash his body, but only briefly. "Look, I might have had a scrap earlier but I haven't cut any fingers off today so I'm not entirely off the rails yet. You done with school or is this just a booty call pit stop?"

[polomikami]

"Aw fuck," Polo ran his hand down the front of his t-shirt, as if that was going to magically sort out the dark stain he'd just noticed on his torso. He was drunk but far from wasted, having been at Coyote Ugly with the boys for the evening. "The one time I wear something that isn't black... Sniff it, tell me if it's blood or sauce."

[jess-suvari]

It was still a bit daunting, the fact that there was someone out there who knew the worst parts of her, who knew of the shame she felt from all of the horrible things in her past, and still went out of his way to make her smile and feel deserving of the care he gave her. Jess knew that Polo would never let her get away with ever saying it out loud because of his own past and the things he'd had to do to survive, but she really did feel that he was a much better person than her. One of the best people she had ever met actually. She kept her forehead against his and slinked her arms around his neck just to keep him close, allowing them to just have a moment to themselves despite what it looked like to anyone around them. "That's cause you're too stubborn for your own good. You don't know when to give up." She scolded him, her tone full of affection despite her words, instantly going back to laughing and letting him goof off as he spun them around because she enjoyed those moments of joy with him.

"No one's bothering me. I've just been thinking. And now i'm tired of thinking." She shook her head and pursed her lips as she took a moment to think about how to verbalize what was on her mind. "The big bad criminal underworld came calling again. They wanna meet up. And I don't really want you there. Not because I don't trust you or I don't wanna let you in. I just don't want this shit always hanging over our relationship. That anytime we finally find some sense of peace we have to shift back into surviving instead of living like normal people. I just don't want it to ever end up feeling like we're stuck together because of some trauma bond." She explained, running her hands through his hair absentmindedly. "Does that make sense?"

[polomikami]

"You wouldn't like me if I knew how to give up," he told her, not even teasing because he wholeheartedly believed it. Whatever was bothering her could wait to sink its claws into her as far as he was concerned. They'd spent too much of their time in survival mode that he'd do anything to stretch the bubble of normality they were in for a little longer. Polo from a year or two earlier would have considered that a weakness but having seen the things he'd seen and done the things he'd done he wasn't against taking a moment to partake in life like a normal guy for once.

Thinking wasn't out of the ordinary for Jess, she certainly wasn't known for her impulsivity, but the rise of Polo's brow gave his feelings away in an instant. She'd clearly been thinking about something that was bothering her, which circled back around to his original desire to know what that thing was. Which, of course, turned out to be the dregs of the shit storm attached to her long dead father. "Sounds exactly like someone bothering you." His tone was flat, not quite serious yet but definitely wary. "See that won't work for me. You know I'm no good at sitting on my hands." Her hands in his hair made his eyes drift closed for a second, trying dearly to keep from letting the information get to him. "I get it. Gonna trust that you know I want you for real reasons though. So, you're talking about all of this like you're actually gonna meet them... Tell them to go fuck themselves. You got no business with them and if they don't stop I've been known to send some very clear messages."

[polomikami]