dustofstars | Post-Ep: Older Cutthroat Canyon

Jane can't blame him for being upset. She totally understands how scary her up and leaving must have been given the circumstances. But the most frightening thing she can think of is something happening to him, and she was just doing what she had to do in order to protect him. The bandage on his neck is a reminder to her that she needs to watch out for him as much as he does her.

She nods a little, her voice soft and chagrined. "I'd like that," she says, before eyeing him. "Do you need to have that looked at first? You've been doing that all day."

Kurt's worst fear is losing her again. He never gave up the hope that she'd come back, that they'd find her somehow. He'd die before he lost her again. Shaking his head, though, he insists, "I'm fine. Just need to relax."

He's not eager to go home right away because he knows his sister will fuss over him and though he silently appreciates her concern, he needs the time away from that right now.

"Heard you took a hit in the vest." He knows what that can feel like, and it's not just a feather light touch. The vest can stop life-threatening injuries, but the bruising can still be painful. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm sure it'll feel better after a hot shower and a good night's rest." Jane shakes her head slightly. In that sense they're alike, both of them downplaying their injuries to keep the other from worrying.

She looks out the door at the bullpen and then back to him. "You could come over to my place," she offers awkwardly. "If you want a little space."

Not that she has anything exciting planned. Just a TV dinner so she has something to take the Advil with and then the aforementioned hot shower. She'll be back at work tomorrow trying to pretend that this never happened, although until he heals she'll be looking at his neck like a big reminder of how she almost lost him.

"Most things do," he nods in agreement. His neck will feel better after a hot shower, too.

The mention of going back to her place isn't a bad idea; they need to talk, they've needed to talk for a while now, but the chance to decompress together after a day like today is sorely needed. He could refuse, he could go home like he always does, avoid her the way she was avoiding him after their kiss, but she's made the offer and he doesn't have it in him to turn her down. Not tonight.

"Yeah. Okay," Kurt nods again. "I'll show you how good I am at ordering a pizza." It's a joke that he's sure falls flat, but he smirks a little anyway.

He'll see the corner of her lips twitch in a hint of a smile; that joke was bad, most of his jokes are bad, but to her that's just one more thing about him that she finds endearing. He's not some trying to be tough FBI guy. He makes terrible jokes and gives excellent hugs and is just a normal guy.

She nods her head toward the conference room door then and turns to walk out. Jane never comes to work with anything so it's just a matter of waiting for him to get his stuff. It's not uncommon for them to leave together - in the not so far away early days he always insisted on handing her off to her detail - but she still feels like everyone is looking at them. Like everyone now knows, even though they don't.

So she shoves her hands into her pockets and tries not to look at him too much, or anybody really. "So," she says. "What do you want on that pizza?"

With this blatant threat against her life, it makes Kurt even more uneasy that her detail has been dropped. He wants to keep her safe at all cost, so he tells himself following her home tonight is part of that. There's nothing more to it. Or so he's telling himself, at least. As they make their way to the parking garage, Kurt smiles a little. "Pepperoni. That's all I need. You?"

"Is that seriously all you put on your pizza?" Jane's surprised, because it sounds so boring. Yet so like Kurt. Just calm, middle of the road, not getting too crazy. He's safe and secure and that's what attracted her to him in the first place. That with all the chaos in her life he would always be there and never change. But now, of course, she can rib him a little as she climbs into his car.

Kurt's eyebrows lift, a frown forming on his face as he pretends to be offended. There's been some distance between them since their kiss, but when they banter like this, it feels like nothing's changed. They have an easy rapport, and Kurt truly believes that time never completely severed their connection. As he gets into the car, he looks over.

"What's wrong with just pepperoni? Don't tell me you like that crazy stuff, like...pineapple," he teases back.

"People put pineapple on pizza?"

Jane is utterly bewildered as she looks at him. She has no frame of reference for this in her memory, which still has plenty of gaps in it. To her that seems like a combination that would make no sense. At least she knows he's not going to order it.

"And there's nothing wrong with pepperoni," she continues. "It's just, you can put more than one thing on a pizza, you know. You're a little bit predictable."

He's glad to know she won't be putting pineapple on pizza, either. "You think I'm predictable?" he looks over as he buckles his seatbelt, and he contemplates disputing that point, but decides to just leave it be for now. He'll show her how unpredictable he can be. Tonight.

So instead, he just tilts his head a little with a slight nod, as if he's giving her point some genuine consideration. But then he asks, "So what do you want on your pizza? I'll call it in now and pick it up on our way to your place."

"In a good way," she replies hastily, a little concerned that he might have taken that as an insult. "I always know what to expect from you. It makes you stable."

But then he asks that question and she thinks. "Bacon," she decides, "and olives." It's a random combination but she's still sort of figuring out what she likes. She also doesn't want to throw anything on there he can't stand so hopefully this is a decent middle ground.

"I get it," he assures her with a little smile, pulling out his phone to order the pizza. He's actually never tried olives with bacon and pepperoni but the combination sounds good, so he orders a large pizza and then pulls out of the parking garage, into traffic.

"No more running, okay? Whatever happens, you tell me. We're in this together."

Jane opens her mouth to protest, because she still believe she did the right thing. If anything worse had happened to him because of her she never would have forgiven herself. But she knows there is no dissuading him and she also knows the sentiment - that he cares that much about her - means a lot. So she relents, with a little nod.

"Okay," she agrees, reaching over to let her hand gently cover his. "I'm glad you're okay," she adds absently.

When the light up ahead turns red, he allows himself to look over at her, squeezing her hand tightly as he nods a little at her. "You wanted to keep us safe, I know that. But I'm not..." His voice betrays him a little, husky in his throat before he clears it. "I'm not losing you again. Whatever it takes."

"I don't want to lose you either." Jane looks down, almost a little bit ashamed that she upset him this much (though she knew it would happen honestly). But she can't look at him when he's giving her that sad puppy face. "I just couldn't live with myself if he'd hurt you."

He would add that he could never forgive himself if something happened to her, either, but the message is clear. He's made his point, he knows. They've both had hard days and he wants to just enjoy the rest of the night with her.

"We're a team," is all he says, and that's the last he'll say on it now. They make it to the pizza place, with Kurt in and out quickly. He cuts over to her house via side streets, and once they're inside, he played some pizza with her. When he sits down, he lets out a long, happy sigh. "Nothing better after a day like this."

"I know. My next plans are a hot shower and a nap."

That's usually how most of her nights go. TV dinners (she still hasn't quite learned how to cook, which is a skill she's convinced she never had to begin with), aimless channel surfing, then a long shower and a nap before she wakes up in the middle of the night worried about whatever has decided to torment her on that particular evening.

Right now this moment, though, the words come out around a mouthful of pizza. Jane has never been all that concerned about looking ladylike around him. He's seen her practically naked thanks to all the photos of her various tattoos, so she's not exactly needing to be modest here. And it's obvious Kurt isn't into girly women anyway.

Kurt doesn't care at all and in fact, he finds these little quirks about her endearing. She's like no one else, truly, and he cares about her beyond their connection from the past. He polishes off two slices in a matter of minutes, and then leans back, resting his hands in his lap. "Nap sounds good," he smiles.

"Did you need one? You can use the bed," she's quick to offer because that's the polite thing to do and because it's him. She's always trying to look out for him in her own way. Of course saying that makes her picture him passed out, snoring like a very large teddy bear. She figures he's adorable when he's sleeping. But of course she doesn't say that because like he wants to hear it.

But she wouldn't mind if he stayed the night. Not if his family wouldn't worry, of course. She finishes eating and stands to take the plates to the kitchen.

"Maybe." There are some things Kurt doesn't ever admit to easily; when he's hurt or in emotional pain, he often pushes it aside, insists that he's fine. He can take care of himself, it's the people around him he worries about most. But being tired, needing a little nap to recharge, he doesn't have any qualms admitting to that. Laying down in her bed, even for a short nap, feels so intimate and he questions whether he should agree or just stay out here. But he opens his eyes to half-mast, squinting and nodding as he stands and yawns.

So, that "maybe" is now a definite yes. "Just twenty minutes. Wake me up?" he rubs at his eyes a little, somehow completely comfortable with her even though they've never done anything like this before.

"Of course." Jane nods a little, it'll give her time to do the dishes, put the leftovers in the fridge and generally try to tidy up the apartment a bit so it looks a little less lived-in for her company. She feels a bit self conscious having him over for more than five or ten minutes, like he's going to notice the couch cushions out of order.

So once she's done cleaning up, she climbs the stairs to the bedroom and goes to check on him. Standing there with a smile. She was right; he looks absolutely adorable and it makes her melt. But she also doesn't want to startle him - he seems like one of those guys who might punch you if you do that - so she quietly sits beside him on the bed and gently nudges his shoulder.

Kurt's lips are slightly parted as he sleeps, clearly completely relaxed and content. He's not inclined to punch when startled, but he appreciates being woken up gently. His eyes open slowly and then a slow smile spreads on his face. "Hey," he murmurs, not committed to doing or saying more than that for the moment.

"Hey. You said to wake you up, so..." She trails off, because now she feels slightly guilty about doing it even though he told her to. He just looked so content and she doesn't think he gets that way often. So she leans down and kisses his cheek in a sort of nonverbal apology.

"I'm going to get a shower," she tells him as she stands, "and then we can, you know, do whatever you want." Of course Jane would not necessarily object to sharing said shower but who actually goes and says that out loud. She just stands and pads her way toward the bathroom, starting to peel off clothes.

"Yeah," he nods a little, something approaching a small smile appearing on his lips as she kisses his cheek. Truthfully, a hot shower sounds like the perfect thing right now. A nice way to loosen up some sore and stiff muscles, wash away the day and all the stress it's heaped on them. He's quiet for a full minute as she gets up and moves towards the bathroom, wondering if he should even ask.

But after a day like today?

"Want company?"

She pauses in moving, half-undressed and glad her back is to him so he can't see the surprise on her face. She's surprised he asked, because he's always such a gentleman and would probably worry about offending her modesty. But honestly she's not that modest. Not when her entire body is already catalogued in an FBI case file.

"Sure," she says, turning back to smile shyly at him. "If you don't take up all the hot water."

Fully aware that there's a possibility things could get hot in other ways. Considering that they're going to be naked and in a very small space with one another. She'd wager good odds that something might happen and frankly she would welcome that if it did.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject