Who: Jason & Zel Where: Jason's apartment When: Sunday night Rating: minor violence/language
It had been a few days since Thanksgiving. Jason was on high tension and Zel could tell, So Her coat slipped off, as she came to let down her red hair. Zel really didn’t think much would happen when she got home, since this was a normal thing for them. “Hey.” Is all she said to Jason as she leaned against the door frame and started taking off her heels.
--
“Thanks, yea. Keep me updated.” Jason said into his phone as he saw Zel walk in. He’d been pacing in the bedroom, his voice had been hushed as Morgan was already in bed. “Hey.” He said to Zel, walking up to her to give her a gentle kiss hello. “Late night at work?”
-
She’d returned the kiss for the moment as she placed her shoes to the side. “Not really, was busy.” Is all she said as she came to run her hand through her hair once more, returning it to the short blond look she wore when around Jason. Her shirt gripped at as she started to take it off. “Keep you updated about what?” She asked as her jeans came off next, leaving her in her bra and panties for the moment.
--
Jason shook his head slightly. “Just work.” He replied, still trying to distance her a bit from the goings on of Camelot to protect her, and because of her affiliation with The Wire. He brushed a hand through his hair. “You missed class today.” He’d been pleased, and a bit insistent she keep up the self defense classes since the kidnapping and now that the Cybermen had stepped on their home, even more he wanted her to be able to protect herself.
--
She nodded when he said it was work related. “I had some things to do.” She said with a shrug of her shoulder. In truth, she’d spent the day at work at the Cafe and then with Merr. Since it was the perfect distraction from what had happened in Avalon. Of course though, her eyes would be glossed since she had taken score before coming home to just sort of relax her for the night. “You really don’t need to keep tabs on me Jason. “ She added.
--
“I’m not going to have you hurt again.” Jason said, as if that were all that mattered. “Things are getting more and more dangerous.” They had more knights staying at Avalon at night to keep watch, just in case the Cybermen tried something again. “I knew something was going to happen.” His fist clenched on the bed beside him.
--
“You can’t stop me from getting hurt, it’s part of life.” She said shaking her head as she crossed her arms under her breast. Her head shaking as she noticed him balling his fist for the moment. With her cleavage exposed more, the visible marks of hickies could be seen over the curve of her breast going up towards her neck, along with bite marks on the curve between her neck and shoulder blade. “And you did all you could to prevent it.” She said sitting next to him.
--
“No, no I didn’t. I could have had a bigger team out. I could have armed them better.” He shook his head, he could think of half a dozen things he could have done that night. “When they called in potential Cybermen in the area, I could have sent more men out.” Not that the call hadn’t been agreed upon by Lancelot, Kaye and Guin. But hindsight had him second guessing his instincts. “Then those kids would still be alive. And it’s just a sign that they can get to us anywhere.” His eyes raised to the wall that the room shared with Morgan’s. “And who’s to say they won’t try to get to me through him again, or you.” Jason shook his head and looked over at Zel. “They’ve already shown they’re willing to take advantage of a situation like a holiday…” He was already trying to re-organize their normal Christmas event. His eyes caught the marks down Zel, trying to remember the last time they’d been together and no… they weren’t his.
--
When he looked to the wall that connected to Morgans room, all she could do was exhale. Her frame coming to a stand as she moved to grab a pair of small sleeping shorts and a shirt as she started putting them on. “If you feel that strongly then why don’t you just go and attack them, like they did you?” She suggested, since it was something the Wire would do. A cyber attack was always fun to do, especially when it came to hacking into the cyberman chromes.
She did notice his eyes stare at her marks, which caused her to lower her shirt quicker. But the bites on her neck were still visible for the moment.
--
“You don’t think I don’t want to?” He asked with a small laugh, careful not to get too loud. “But that’s not the example I need to set for those kids who look up to us.” Jason knew this was right. Camelot had been built upon the ideals of protecting their community, not war. “I will not seek out quarrel with those outside my community.” He quoted from his oath, but had the quarrel sought him out? Would he be breaking his oath to retaliate? Somehow he thought that might be looked upon as looking for a reason to justify war. But he knew there were those who wanted to attack, go on the offensive.
--
Zel came to shake her head. “No, instead you let them make an example out of you. Let them show everyone else that they can come into your territory and kill a bunch of kids and you’ll do nothing about it. Great example.” She said snapping at him a little. Her voice hushes as she shook her head.
--
“I am doing things.” Jason snapped back. “You have no idea what it’s like to have so many people looking to you for leadership, for protection. Choices you have to make impacts so many. Just because I’m not marching over there and shooting anyone who gets in our way doesn’t mean I’m not doing anything.” His voice struggled to stay hushed. “And those kids don’t need me needlessly throwing them into situations they’re not ready for. But that doesn’t mean I’m sitting on my hands.”
--
Zel listened and watched him as she shook her head. “So what are you doing, hrm?” She said as she tried to keep her voice down. “They broke into your house, kidnapped your son, and killed four innocent kids.!” She said angrily at him but still hushed. “So what the fuck are you doing about it Jason. Seriously?!”
--
Jason’s eyes narrowed at her. “That’s not for you to know.” He snapped. “That’s Camelot business.” While he wanted to trust Zel, he did on many things, he also knew she wasn’t actually Camelot. He couldn’t risk their plans getting out. The guns they’d acquired, the Hoods reconing. None of it.
--
“Oh fuck you.” Is all she said as she came off the bed. Already moving as she removed the shorts and sleep shirt. Moving to grab at a pair if her sweats and tank top. But she didn’t stop there as she moved to grab at a small overnight bag as well. “When you’re done being a fucking dick, I might think about coming back.” She said already grabbing at some of her clothes.
--
“So, just running away again?” Jason shook his head. “You know why I can’t tell you.” He got up off the bed. “Just like you don’t tell me what you do at your ‘other job’.” He said, reaching out to put his hand on her shoulder. “It was the deal, remember? That part is separate.” The community events, self defence, that was one thing. Those were public, he brought her as a member of the community. The rest? That were things most the community were kept in the dark about. All they knew was that they were protected.
--
When he mentioned her other job, she’d snapped as she threw her bag on the floor and turned to shove him roughly, followed by smacking at his chest as hard as possible. “You wanna know what I do at my ‘other job’?!” She said shoving him again. “I get bent over a desk and fucked.” Her face at this point was beat red from how angry she was with him. “Just like you go out and you get fucked every week. So don’t fucking judge me for doing the same shit.” One of her hits had managed to catch him in the face.
--
After she struck him he managed to grab her arms and held them down to her sides. She had learned a lot, but when it came down to pure strength, he had a leg up on her. “That’s not what I was talking about.” Jay snapped angrily. His grip on her was firm, but not one meant to hurt as much as just restrain. “I don’t care who you fuck.” He did, a little. His eyes narrowed at her a moment before he released her with a slightly bit of force and moved across the room. He’d been so busy he’d not been out in about a week. Honestly, the anger he’d felt had been amplified by his addition without him truly realizing. As he took a moment to consider it, it was probably why he’d been pushing his students harder. He thought it was because of the increase need to protect themselves, but he’d come down pretty hard on one of the kids… no wonder Esme had given him that look when he’d blown up in class.
Didn’t matter though, wasn’t important at that moment.
--
When he’d gripped her arms she struggled a bit. Only to look up at him as he yelled back. So when she was released and shoved back slightly, she came to glare at him as she watched him walk away. Her frame moving towards him from behind as she’d run slightly and came to hit him in the back of his knees with her bare foot. Yeah. Zel had learned alot from her training. So when Jason came to the floor she latched onto him.
--
She’d caught him off guard, not having expected her to attack as she had. Jason knelt on the floor, buckled by her strike, with her knee in his back and arms around his neck. His hands gripped at her arm as she held him. “What’s your plan Zel?” He snapped, catching his volume at the last minute. “You don’t want to do this right now. Not with me.” His voice was calm, despite the situation, certain.
--
“Oh please. You’ve already shown anyone can do anything to you.” She said as she gripped his hair and yanked his head back and soon shoved him as she came to yank herself free of his hold and off his back. “You’re fucking soft, Jason. If this was my gang, I would have fucking slaughtered them the moment they took my kid from me. And I mean all of them.” She said slapping and punching at his back at this point.
She was angry, that much was clear. Angry he wasn’t doing more, angry that a bunch of kids got killed. Angry at this whole damn war.
--
They’d been training together for a bit, but that’s all it had been, training. When training Jason never gave it his all, because the point was for her and his students to learn, not just be defeated. As they became more advanced, the harder he challenged them. Zel had pushed. There was a reason he’d been selected to be king. In one move he got to his feet and turned on her. His bright blue eyes seemed darker as they narrowed upon her.
Jason struck out at her, she managed to block a few, but he had been training much longer and managed to catch her in the chest with a strike intended to knock the wind out of someone. This allowed him to grab her by the arm as he threw her to the bed, face down, and pinned her arms behind her. “If this were your gang, you’d be too fucking high to do much of anything to anyone.” He said flatly, regretting it the moment he said it as his eyes softened for a moment as his hold loosened. Jay pushed off her and stepped away from the bed, he was shaking. “You think I don’t want to do that?” He asked, finding it hard to keep his voice down. “But going into the red half cocked is a suicide mission. I’d be getting others killed, or myself. And while I would give my life for every one of my men, being stupid and hot tempered is not going to keep them safe, won’t end the war.” And he couldn’t take both parents away from his son for nothing. “It takes planning and strategy and god help me patience.” He clenched his fist again in frustration. “But we’re doing it, and when the time comes… may god have mercy because we sure won’t.”
--
Zel wasn’t an excellent fighter but she was holding her own with the training sessions, and for a moment it paid off against Jason right now. Until that hit to her chest came and she stumbled back. Soon, feeling her frame shoved and pinned as she once more struggled, only to hear his words about her being high all the time. So, when he got off her and he went into his speech about what he wanted to do and planning she let him finish. Her frame rolling back to her back as she glared at him. “And I don’t.” She replied as she came to kick at his stomach as she came off the bed.
Sure, Jason might have been making sense in what he said but when anger took over a person, nothing else mattered but getting it out and right now that meant against Jason. So when he doubled over from her hit, she’d made sure to smack him as hard as she could across his face, to the point where he could of possibly been bleeding from his lips.
“And while you do that, they’ll keep killing innocent kids! I may be a drug addict but at least I’m not a fucking pussy.” She said as she went to try and kick at his chest with her knee.
--
Thankfully he knew how to take a hit, so both her strikes weren’t as bad as they could have been and when she attempted to knee him, he grabbed her leg and forcefully pushed her down. His hand reached up to his mouth and pulled away a drop of blood. Jason was about to take another action when he heard a door open and a voice.
“Dad?”
The sound of his son’s voice broke through his anger. Jason turned away from Zel and moved to the door. “Pack your bag and leave.” He said without looking back. Jay opened the bedroom door and moved over to Morgan. “Hey buddy.”
“I heard noises.” The boy said, rubbing his eyes.
“It’s nothing bud, come on, let’s go back to bed.” Jason lead Morgan back to his room and into his bed. He covered the boy up and sat on the side of the bed, brushing his hand over his hair. His son had become his world, he had to keep fighting to keep him safe.
-
With her back hitting the floor she groaned a bit as she watched him clean off the blood from the side of his face. But the minute Morgan's voice was heard, she looked up to the door starting to open, and soon Jason’s words came next. Watching as the man came to his feet and left the room with his son. Zel, soon rolled over and came to her feet. Unsure what the ache in her chest was, but she did as told.
Grabbing at her bag as she pulled all her clothes off the hangers and out the drawers, shoving them into her bag as best as she possibly could and slipping on a pair of sneakers. The bedroom door would be heard slamming shut as she stormed towards the front door, only to open it and soon slam it shut behind her.
Once inside the elevator, she broke. Her face buried in her hands as she screamed and cried in private.