Timelined right after Monkey Green with Envy
<Shinobi> Lunch was good, but what was even better was the ability to move freely and to go out with her in public. Not even David's presence and the security precautions really dampened the mood. Shinobi opened the door to usher her back inside - it was damn cold!
<Hope> Moving back into the house, Hope wriggled out of her coat, hanging it up beside the door. "Look at us. We had a date!"
<Shinobi> "We did - it's amazing." He laughed and shrugged out of his own overcoat, hanging it up. "Although, I'm not ashamed to say I was kind of looking forward to seeing David tackle some photographer down."
<Hope> "So was I. Kind of disappointed that didn't happen." She laughed and slid her hands onto his neck to warm her hands.
<Shinobi> "I'm sure he'll find a way to take it out on me next ti- cold!" He ducked, still laughing.
<Hope> Laughing again, Hope gave chase.
<Shinobi> "Hey! Hey!" He dodged and caught her wrists. "Keep your icy little fingers to yourself! I thought you were immune to the cold anyway."
<Hope> "Not immune... I just don't get cold very easily. And you're warm," she laughed, then smirked at him.
<Shinobi> "I thought we established it was more than warm." He returned the smirk and drew her hands under his jacket to his ribs instead, bringing her closer in the process.
<Hope> Hope smirked and slid her hand further around him and up his back, leaning up to kiss him softly. "We did."
<Shinobi> "Mmhm." He smiled in the kiss, and when they broke apart he grinned. "Better?"
<Hope> "Yes," she grinned, stealing another quick kiss. It was cut short when her phone vibrated. Pulling it out, she immediately sighed. Another text from Tony.
<Shinobi> "Your dad?" he guessed, taking a step back to give her some room. His own father had been... surprising, frankly. But he still wasn't sure he trusted it.
<Hope> "The asshole one, yes." She told him, reading the message and rolling her eyes, texting back.
<Shinobi> "That bad?" He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, then moved to scrub both hands over his face. "Sorry."
<Hope> Phone back in her pocket, Hope captured his hands and moved them to her face. "No. I don't want you to be sorry."
<Shinobi> He nodded, not wanting to argue with her over his rather fatalistic view of the situation.
<Hope> Hope kissed the palm of his hand, looking up at him. "There's actually something unrelated I need to talk to you about."
<Shinobi> "Oh yeah?" Smiling at the kiss, he moved his hand to her cheek. "Well, you want to go upstairs and get a drink? I don't think I have anything downstairs right now."
<Hope> "I need a drink. Definitely need a drink." She nuzzled his hand.
<Shinobi> "Sounds good." He tucked her hair behind her ear and took her hand to go upstairs.
<Hope> She slipped her fingers through his, already anxious and nervous about telling him what she needed to.
<Shinobi> Upstairs, he glanced over to the area where Luke had fondled her this morning. "So, I guess you have to order dresses pretty regularly for your dad's events, yeah?" He led her to the sofa and nodded for her to sit. "I can get the drinks."
<Hope> She did as instructed, taking her seat and watching him. "Yeah I do. Usually Peter comes out himself, but Luke does great work too."
<Shinobi> Shinobi made a face at the liquor bottles. "Yeah, I bet." Sebastian wasn't locking the cabinet anymore, so he located two tumblers and the good scotch easily, pouring their drinks.
<Hope> Looking down, Hope fiddled with her fingernail. "Yeah."
<Shinobi> Curious at her tone, he paused mid-pour, wondering now if perhaps Luke had been expecting a bonus based on previous experience. Dismissing it, he finished and picked up the glasses, handing her one with a smile and setting his down on the table.
<Hope> The thought of downing that drink was powerful. She forced herself to sip on it. Setting the drink down she rested her head against him, soaking up the last part of time before he knew this horrible truth. "I completely forgave your past... but I kind of need you to do that for me too. I did something that I wish I could erase."
<Shinobi> She caught him off guard just as he was taking off his jacket, so he took his time in tossing it to the back of the sofa. Rolling up his shirtsleeves, he thought about this. "That... seems like the least I could do," he said carefully, and finally sat down beside her. "What's wrong?"
<Hope> With him seated, she readjusted to rest her head on his shoulder. "There's a lot of backstory to it. The former Lord Imperial erased Sebastian's memories not long after he and Jess got married."
<Shinobi> "Yeah, I've heard about that. Mostly from Jess." He took a sip of his own drink and shifted to slide his arm around her. "They ended up hiding out with that Viper woman for a while. She's the one who got me out... poisoned me, too."
<Hope> "She did what?!" She questioned, but quickly put her anger aside. First things first. Then she could deal with Viper. "Tell me later. Sebastian and Jess left for Viper after he figured out who he was again... but before that... he didn't know they were married. He didn't know who she was. He barely knew who I was."
<Shinobi> It wasn't hard to figure out he wasn't going to like where this was going. "I see..." Another drink was required.
<Hope> "I'm telling you this because you deserve to know. It's highly possible it will be thrown at me or you by certain individuals who can't make like Elsa and let shit go." She paused to down her drink then poured another.
<Shinobi> "Meaning your ex?" He watched her go get the bottle, and stared at his own glass, considering downing it.
<Hope> "Yeah. Him. Or his homely new girlfriend, not girlfriend, whatever." She took another sip. "So he and I were fighting because he was high all the time. Sebastian thought he wasn't married. I thought he was getting divorced. We started drinking at the club... and..." She couldn't say it. She couldn't fucking say it! She downed that drink.
<Shinobi> His stomach twisted and he did the same.
<Hope> "I don't really know what happened. I don't think he does either. We don't talk about it. We pretend it didn't happen. We wish it hadn't happened. We woke up in his bed at the New York penthouse." She went for the bottle this time, shaking.
<Shinobi> The bi-weekly chats about his feelings didn't cover how he should handle this. He nearly dropped the glass, then decided he didn't care and let it go. Sinking back into the sofa, he pulled up his legs and covered his mouth with his hand, while the crystal tumbler thumped to the carpet. The scotch had been a bad idea.
<Hope> Choking on her own sob, Hope hid her face. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry."
<Shinobi> "So... you told your ex this same story and then you came here of all places, right to the cause of the problem? Right to the guy you fucked? And who you call dad of all the weird fucking things?" He shook his head, fighting down the shock and hurt to go straight to rage.
<Hope> She blinked at him, backing to her part of the couch. "That was a really bad idea," she admitted softly. "I can't change what I did... but I will do whatever it takes to fix it now."
<Shinobi> "Right," he spat, and jumped up from the sofa to pace the room.
<Hope> She pulled her knees to her chest, pressing her forehead to her knees. Bad idea, bad idea. She was full of these lately! She could try justifying it, but she couldn't. It was horrible.
<Shinobi> He made a circuit of the room, flashing her confused glares. "I'm not-" No. "So you just-" No. There was no way to say this. "Does Jess know?"
<Hope> "Jess knows. He told her long before I could tell Chris. Obi... please... things are completely different now. We still hadn't really defined our relationship. We have now." She couldn't look up at him. She couldn't risk him seeing her cry. She kept her face hidden against her knees.
<Shinobi> Her tone though, it was telling. If she wasn't crying, she was about to. Shinobi stopped pacing and stared at the bottle.
<Hope> "I'm so sorry," she repeated, rocking slightly. "Do um. Do you want me to go?"
<Shinobi> "What?" That made him look at her instead. There were a dozen terrible things he could say to her right now, but he found he didn't want to. "No... of course not." Shinobi circled the coffee table and sat back down beside her. Still, he took a moment to pick up his glass and place it carefully on the table.
<Hope> "You have every right to be angry. And say terrible things. Just please don't to him. I shouldn't have told you. You two are finally fixing things, and I just destroyed that."
<Shinobi> "Yeah, I'm not sure I'd call it fixing. Tolerating, I guess." He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face again, then left them there, elbows braced on his knees. It was very possible she'd heard every terrible thought running through his head anyway, since though his shielding was better, it wasn't great.
<Shinobi> And he'd gotten used to not shielding against her.
<Hope> She sniffled and peeked out at him, though wished she hadn't. She hid her face and just let herself cry silently.
<Shinobi> "Hope, don't cry," he finally said with another hefty sigh.
<Hope> "I'm not," she lied, trying to turn it off quickly.
<Shinobi> The chuckle he let out was a little choked as well. "Yeah, I can hear you. I might not have his super hearing, but I can hear that..."
<Hope> "Why would I be crying? I only ruined your relationship with Sebastian and me in one fail swoop."
<Shinobi> "No. No, you didn't..." Shinobi gave his eyes a savage rub and slid over to her. "I get it."
<Hope> She gave him a doubtful look, reaching for his hand. "And how didn't I?"
<Shinobi> He took her hand and did one better, sliding his arm around her to try to get her to relax. "Well, because you told me."
<Hope> "So... you don't hate me even though I'm a huge idiot?" she questioned, sliding closer to him.
<Shinobi> "There's no way I hate you." He smoothed her hair back and kissed her damp cheek. "It's... well, it means something... that we're real enough for you to want me to know, so there's not this big secret just waiting to come out."
<Hope> "Of course we're real!" She nuzzled him, wiping her face. "I told you because I love you and I don't want anything or anyone to come between us, and I knew that would."
<Shinobi> The word didn't process at first, and when it did his heart nearly stopped. Shinobi caught her arm and moved to see her face, stunned.
<Hope> She gave him a puzzled expression until the word caught up with her too. She swallowed and rested her forehead against his gently. More bad ideas. More mistakes. What else could she derail today?
<Shinobi> He swallowed, his eyes locked on hers, out of breath for no reason, and completely afraid to ask.
<Hope> Cautiously, she met his eyes, getting lost there for a moment.
<Shinobi> "You... mean that?" His voice caught.
<Hope> She nodded slightly. "Yes."
<Shinobi> His chest ached and he closed his eyes, still seeing hers.
<Hope> She smiled softly. He wasn't freaking out. She relaxed, her body physically representing that.
<Shinobi> Tilting his head just slightly, he brushed his nose against hers and then kissed her softly.
<Hope> She smiled in the kiss, returning it and sliding a hand to gently touch his cheek.
<Shinobi> His hand was already back in her hair and he had to break the kiss to laugh a little, then pulled her into him. I've never... no one has ever said that to me before.
<Hope> That made her heart break for him. She moved to his lap, nestling into the crook of his neck. "Then let me repair my statement." She tilted her head back up, looking into his eyes. "Obi, I love you."
<Shinobi> There wasn't time to be ashamed of the sound he made, and he knew he was grinning like an idiot. "I didn't mean it to sound so pathetic..." He shook his head and gave her a swift kiss. "It's not as if I've had a lot of real experience with this, but what I feel for you..."
<Hope> Hope just smiled and nestled into the crook of his neck again. "You don't have to say anything right now," she assured him. "You're still here. And you don't hate me." That was enough for her.
<Shinobi> "No, I want to say it." It was somewhat easier now that she wasn't looking at him, so he held her closer. "You know what it's like, too... wondering if you'll ever hear those words. Why would I make you wait? I love you. Of course I do."
<Hope> Unable to hold back her emotions on that one, she kissed him deeply as tears slid down her cheeks.
<Shinobi> He felt it, and knew it had to be her newfound telepathy again. When they broke apart, he experimentally shared his own feelings, both the hope and the fear.
<Hope> She laughed a little, giddy. She smiled and kissed him softly. "You have nothing to fear, Obi." Hope ran her fingers through his hair.
<Shinobi> "Gitmo?" He laughed a little.
<Hope> Hope kissed the tip of his nose. "Like hell am I letting that happen."
<Shinobi> "What was he saying this time?" He smiled at the kiss and curled around her.
<Hope> She grumbled and took out her phone to reread their trolling war. "Did you absorb his soul? Harry is cuter. Hashtag gingers." She looked up at him. "Who the hell taught him how to use hashtags?"
<Shinobi> "This is what you two have been arguing over text message? Is that how he's going to make the decision to ship me off for water boarding?" It was more than a little horrifying.
<Hope> "He's not going to water board you!" She told him, exasperated. Her phone vibrated again. She cringed before looking at the screen. [Oh God, is he gonna steal my kidney and sell it?] Hope rubbed her face. It was like arguing with a twelve-year-old. She couldn't even share it with Shinobi, because he would literally flip shit.
<Shinobi> "Well, not him personally. He's probably got some guy with no neck to handle that shit." And there was the phone, right on cue. "What is it this time?"
<Hope> "You don't want to know." She texted him back, [What is this 1990? #urbanlegends].
<Shinobi> "A lot of guys with no necks..." He blinked, then shook his head, fighting back the flash of a memory. "More about my soul? I'm surprised he thinks I have one."
<Hope> "Yeah kinda." She looked down again. [#finaldestination] She glared. [#nursinghome]
<Shinobi> He tried not to look at her screen, though he was curious. "So... it's all like that?"
<Hope> "It's been like that since yesterday. It was more heated before that." She nuzzled his cheek, waiting for Tony's reply. When it came, she snorted, figuring Shinobi was now reading them with her. [#boardingschool] "Bit late for that one." She thought for a moment before texting back. [At least the Shaws want me with them.]
<Shinobi> "Boarding school." He laughed, turning his head to trail kisses along her cheek to whisper in her ear. "I definitely want you."
<Hope> She bit her lip as she grinned, squirming in his lap a bit. "You do?" She asked, turning to kiss his jaw.
<Shinobi> One hand on her hip, he held her tight against him and hummed his affirmative response.
<Hope> Smile in place, Hope kissed along his jawline until her phone went off again. [I know they do, but things are different now. I have to protect the one thing that I can't live without. That's you.] She just stared at the screen. They didn't do emotions, and there he put lots of them into that text.
<Shinobi> She seemed stunned, so he twisted the screen just enough to read the message. Closing his eyes, he let his head thump back against the sofa.
<Hope> What the hell did one do with that? Hope tried to get her mind to think. A smile spread slowly across her face. [How fortunate that I have a boyfriend who'd do anything to keep me safe.] That should shut him up.
<Shinobi> The typing drew his attention back from the litany of disastrous scenarios running through his mind. When he saw the message, he smiled and gave her a squeeze. "I would."
<Hope> "I know you would," She confirmed, stroking his cheek softly. She leaned her head against his, smiling to herself.
<Shinobi> "Especially from assholes like me," he added with a wry smirk.
<Hope> She laughed and nodded. "Especially." Her phone went off again, forcing her to look down. [Bet your life on that?] She looked up at Shinobi, studying him. She considered everything he felt and she felt and everything she had seen in his mind. She smiled. [Absolutely.]