Who: Derry Acklery & JJ Monroe What: They had to talk in person after this When: Backdated to August 29 Where: Derry's room at the Bunkhouse Warnings: Fluff!
Derry was pretty sure he was smiling so much it would hurt after awhile. He was looking at his replies with JJ. They did need to have that conversation in person, and he was waiting for her to come over to his room.
Every day was a new step, but he was relieved to see that JJ was doing better. The hike into the mountains had been fun and it had felt like one of their first dates again. Derry knew that probably would have been a perfect place to talk about how they felt, but any time was good really.
It had taken a great deal of effort for JJ not to actually sprint through the Bunkhouse hallways like she wanted to, but after the hike and the way that she sped toward his room, she was definitely out of breath by the time she knocked on his door. The pounding of her heart had absolutely nothing to do with physical exertion. As soon as the door opened, she grinned, and said, "Hi!" and, "I love you!"
Derry stood up to go to the door. He would have said something to JJ that it wasn’t necessary for her to knock… she was getting right to their more important conversation as soon as the door was open. He laughed and Derry’s face was all smiles. He reached for JJ to pull her into his room. “I love you too,” he said leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.
She melted against him as soon as he'd pulled her close, and totally lost herself in the warmth of his lips, the strength of his arms, and the steady thrum of his heart against her chest. JJ wasn't even quite sure how long she stayed like that, one hand at his back and the other climbing up his neck and into his hair. A little shiver went through her when they broke for air, and she gazed at him in open wonder. "You really mean that." It wasn't a question; she grinned all over again and laughed, giddy with it. "Oh, my goodness me, this is actually happenin'!"
It was a relief to feel JJ move in against him. Every moment together after she’d been let out had been a relief. He couldn’t take that for granted, and he wasn’t going to hold anything back about how he felt. Before his arms wrapped around JJ, he reached to push the door closed behind them. Then he held her. It was a comfortable embrace while that soft kiss became something more as JJ held onto him, and he felt her hands on him. His neck had green climbing up in his veins, but was free of bark.
When their kiss broke, he stayed leaning in with his forehead resting against hers. He smiled at how happy she was, and Derry knew she was happy. “You solve my soul, overflowing always with such unrelenting joy that is my love,” he said brushing his thumb over her cheek.
A shiver ran through her body, but she couldn't bring herself to step away at all. Her emotions manifest in the tears that welled in her eyes. "If you're not careful, you're gonna make me faint clean away. Can we...can we lie down for a bit? I really was gettin' ready to think about goin' to bed when we started that little exchange. I mean, I'm glad we did. It worked out really well for me. For us. Because I do. Love you. I wasn't really sure what that meant or what it felt like, but I do now."
Derry reached to take a hold of JJ’s hand so he could lead her back over to the bed. “Yes, we can lie down,” he said keeping his answer shorter compared to JJ’s which kept going. He got on the bed, and laid his arm out so JJ could come curl up against his side.
She nestled in close and immediately insinuated her hand under his shirt until it came to rest directly over his heart. Flinching away from or even steering clear of any of his bark patches didn't even occur to her. It hadn't occurred to her for a long time now. JJ sighed as her head settled against his shoulder. "If you'da told me that this was where I'd be now a couple of weeks ago, I'da said you were crazy."
Derry wrapped his arm around JJ when she settled in close to him. He leaned over to place a kiss on her forehead and smiled as he felt her hand moving under his shirt. “Two weeks ago… I was wishing you were here. And I’m glad that you are now,” he said as his other hand brushed over JJ’s back.
A sigh left her in a warm gust of air that brushed his throat. JJ leaned her head back to study his profile. "Sometimes I wondered what it was like for you. Out here. Havin' all this evidence against me. Even I thought I was guilty. That I'd done all these terrible things and then just took my own memories. I wouldn't blame you if you doubted me. I doubted myself most of the time."
“I was really worried.” That seemed to be the easiest explanation. “I was worried about you being alone, and not believing in yourself,” he said, reaching to brush a hand over her cheek. “I mean… I could have believed you were guilty after I knew what happened to me. But it just… I knew it was something you wouldn’t do.”
"Could do. Did do." She shut her eyes tight and pressed her mouth against his shoulder for a moment. For once the sadness didn't come, but the first stirrings of anger for this thing—these horrible things—she'd been made to do kindled deep inside of her. It was a novelty, and JJ didn't even really recognize it for what it was. Leaning so that it was her forehead pressed there instead, she reiterated his point. "Wouldn't do. Not if I'd—not if I'd had any shred of control."
Derry didn’t want JJ to be upset, especially after what they’d just said to each other. “I know,” he said and held JJ close to him. “I believe you, JJ. I love you, and I know you wouldn’t hurt me willingly.” His feelings and those haunting images in his mind had created such a conflict that it made him ill, but Derry liked to think that loving JJ won out.
"I won't. Ever again." She was resolute in this, and she leaned up to seal this promise with a kiss. "And I love you too."