Who: Luke and Quinn What: A late-night visit. Where: Aubade 506. When: Way backdated to before the blackout. Warnings: None.
It had been difficult to get back in the mask, despite her determination. She was frightened, even if she wouldn’t admit it. She was scared for Gwen every time she left the house that something would happen. This Mockingbird person was, admittedly, getting under everyone’s skin. The only way Quinn knew how to deal with the tension was to be out and that just lead to more of a chance of something happening.
She had patrolled most of the evening, but for a Saturday the streets were quiet. She couldn’t keep herself out on the streets with the silence of a comm line. No one was really using them anymore out of suspicion of each other and whoever Mockingbird was. Quinn had wondered if it had been Arrow who was really Mockingbird. He seemed intent on sowing the seeds of doubt in everyone else.
With a shot of her grappling gun, she decided not to head directly back to Bathos. Rather Nyx moved above the bright city lights towards the towering building of Aubade. She hesitated as she landed outside a familiar window before she rapped at the glass at the window for Luke’s bedroom.
For the first time since the network was established the comms were practically dead, and it was far more unnerving than expected. Luke was getting absolutely nowhere with his Mockingbird search and was seriously considering contacting Rorschach over the forums, but for now he did what he could and patrolled in the meantime. The only reason he’d returned to Aubade earlier than usual was because he realized that he was starting to take out his frustration on whatever criminals he came across; when he didn’t want to stop even after he’d broken a guy’s arm and dislocated his jaw just for an attempting mugging... well, it was time to take a break.
The apartment was quiet tonight since Thomas and Max were still at the hospital. He’d visited a couple of times but for some reason he always had this uncomfortable sense that he was intruding, even though he knew it was completely stupid and irrational to feel that way, but it wasn’t like there was much he could do anyway. Amanda was premature and only time and the doctors could help that.
The TV was on and Petti was curled up on his chest when Quinn rapped at his window, and even if he hadn’t heard it the feel of the kitten’s claws through his shirt was enough to alert him. Luke grabbed his staff from under his bed and approached the window warily, but it only took a couple of seconds to recognize the figure outside. “Quinn?” He opened the latch and pulled it open, allowing her room to get inside. “You really know how to make an entrance, huh?”
Quinn climbed carefully through the window, heavy boots thudding on to the carpet. In the light, her suit for Nyx was still intimidating -- sleek black kevlar and a facemask that was blank except a row of stitching where the opening for her mouth should be. Quinn peeled the mask off, face flushed and strands of hair sticking to her sweaty cheeks. She gave him a big smile and leaned in for a hug, arms curling around his midsection.
“Hi,” she told him simply, more as if she was mumbling it in to his shoulder.
The suit that had once intimidated him didn’t anymore, not now that he really knew the girl beneath the mask, but it was still a relief to see Quinn’s face rather than an expressionless black piece of fabric. “Hey,” he said in return, the hint of a laugh in his voice as he returned her hug. They hadn’t seen each other very often aside from brief periods of time between his classes. “How is it out there?”
Quinn pulled back and shrugged her shoulders a little. “Quiet. Nothing weird,” she explained, which she wasn’t sure whether she was glad or not about. Sometimes, she’d rather have a glowing trail to clues than the apparent silence of the streets. Quinn stepped back to take off the gloves and gauntlets first as she continued to talk, “Frustrating. Everything makes me wanna hit. But...worried about too violent.”
Luke nodded, unsure of whether he should be relieved by the quiet or worried. It was kind of sad that he found it hard to believe that things had really calmed down without suspecting some kind of sinister motive for it. He closed the window behind Quinn so Petti wouldn’t be able to get out, tossing the staff onto the bed since he no longer needed it. “I know how you feel,” he admitted. “I was out there for a while, but... I figured I’d take a little break.” He sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. “The comms are quiet. It’s weird.”
“Cause no one trusts,” she sounded unhappy about that as she spoke. “New one...Arrow? Not helpful. Make everyone doubt. All...high nerves and distrust. Cause all need is more distrust.” Quinn fidgeted in her suit before she asked, “Okay if get comfortable? Suit’s hot.”
Without actually listening to Luke’s reply, she was undoing the kevlar pieces. Beneath all the weight of kevlar, she had on a tight black thermal undershirt and leggings. She kept talking as she undressed, “Oracle working around clock. Find Mockingbird. But...” She hesitated to say it out loud, “May be better than Oracle.”
Although Luke was still undecided on where he stood concerning Arrow, he had to admit the man had reason to be distrustful - but so did the rest of them, even more so. “I know, but he kinda has a point. How are we supposed to trust the comms when Mockingbird could be listening in on everything we say?” He wasn’t sure if he’d even put his faith in isolated channels anymore. Maybe nothing was private by this point. Without thinking he nodded at Quinn’s question, assuming she had clothes on under the suit... which she did, though leggings and an undershirt were less than he was expecting. Thomas’ awkward attempt at ‘the talk’ echoed in the back of his mind but he pushed it away, trying to remain casual like it was no big deal.
“Maybe,” he agreed. “Especially if Mockingbird isn’t working alone... Oracle’s great, I’m not saying she isn’t, but... there’s no leads yet.”
The last thing she unlaced were the boots and kicked them off before she flopped down on to Luke’s bed, smiling up at him. “Trust Oracle. Trust who work with,” she said with a shrug, “But risky. Always risky. Just have to take it. Not...fight and complain.” She sighed and reached for Luke’s wrist, tugging him to lay next to her.
“Oracle’s one of best. This is bad news,” she said seriously to Luke, “if we can’t find. Which means being prepared for worst.”
Luke just shrugged. “I guess.” He knew he had to tread carefully around Quinn when it came to Oracle, and he didn’t want to imply that he didn’t trust her. It was the network he didn’t trust, since the mole had clearly gained access even despite the security measures, and there was nothing stopping them from continuing to listen.
He let himself be tugged and lay back on the bed, frowning. “I know it’s bad, but we’ll be prepared. Mockingbird isn’t going to win.”
Quinn just sighed heavily again, a huff with a quick rise and fall of her chest. “Take down Mockingbird, but there’s stuff behind them,” she explained. “That unknown? Much more worry than Mockingbird.” She rolled on her side to face Luke, reaching out to walk two fingers up his arm with a little hint of a grin.
“But we’ll win,” she was certain of that. “Then we take care of it. And maybe have mask vacation after.”
“I know that too.” Luke was all too aware of how bad the situation was, and from the very beginning he’d suspected that Mockingbird wasn’t alone. The lack of information combined with the possibilities just made it that much worse. “I get that it’s bad, but we have to keep fighting. Giving up is what they want.” He propped his head up on one elbow so he could face her, shifting until he found a comfortable position.
His frown relaxed into a smile at the suggestion, and his sigh was more wistful this time. “I wish. A vacation would be really nice... and it’s not like we don’t deserve it.”
Quinn kept walking her two fingers carefully up his arm and pulled a face. “Never stop fighting,” she agreed. For the first time, she thought of the future of their mask careers. Of them fighting for years to come, perhaps as partners. She walked her fingers up over the curve of his shoulder before she gave him a smile, “On a beach. And go swim.”
Luke turned his head slightly and wrinkled his nose teasingly as she made her way up his arm, finding it increasingly more difficult to keep his attention on the topic at hand. “Never,” he agreed with a nod. He liked knowing that no matter what happened Quinn wasn’t about to give up hope either. “Yeah. Somewhere warm, where’s just water and sand instead of buildings all over the place.” He reached out with his free hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Maybe someday, right?”
Quinn wrinkled her nose right back at him as she carefully walked her fingers over his collarbone before she stopped, resting her hand on his chest. “Would be nice,” she agreed before she smiled at him, “Parents will never allow.” It was teasing, but still a little true. She didn’t think they’d let the two of them outside of Seattle without a chaperon until they were thirty.
She leaned in to his hand a little with a tiny sigh. There was a long pause of just them quietly enjoying laying next to each other. Quinn finally asked, “Luke? You..um. Can ask you something?”
“Probably not.” He pulled a face, though Luke couldn’t imagine Thomas letting him out of the city unless he had a chaperon, but even then he’d probably be in a panic the entire time. He also realized that he’d be just as worried about Thomas while he was gone, even with the knowledge that there would be others around to make sure he didn’t fall in another storm drain. “We’d have to bring them with us. Can you imagine that?”
He brushed his thumb across her cheek without thinking and nodded. “Yeah, sure. What is it?”
“Of course we would,” she sounded amused, “Oracle worry about what would happen.” It was nice to think about getting away where it was just the two of them. In reality, it wouldn’t be for a very long time that it would even seem like a possibility. “Maybe when older,” she said with a little smile now. “Probably after, ah, 21 then? Few years til vacation.”
Her smile was soft at him when he touched her cheek. She paused before she asked him, “Can stay here tonight?” She followed it quickly, “It’s okay if not. Just wanted to ask.”
“They could probably use a vacation too,” he said with a laugh. “But I think I’d like it better if they went on one by themselves instead of tagging along with us.” Despite being out of their teen years it was painfully obvious that both he and Quinn were still treated like kids, though he was beginning to understand why a little better than he had before. “Definitely after 21. We can plan something then.”
Luke hesitated, torn between what he wanted and what he knew Thomas would say if he were here. There was no way he or Max would approve, but they weren’t going to do anything. Besides, it wasn’t like he could call them up and ask while they were busy with Amanda. In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t that big of a deal. “Okay,” he said after a pause. “Thomas wouldn’t like it, but he’s not here and neither is Max. They won’t be coming home for a while.”
“Probably work all vacation,” she said with a laugh, scooting closer before she started a trek again of her fingers up Luke’s side.It was strange how she was okay with them treating them like kids when it came to Thomas and Gwen. They were family anyway, so it made a lot more sense.
Quinn gave him a little hesitant smile, “If not trouble. Would like to.” She relaxed a little though when he did say yes. She knew it was “bold”, but she hadn’t really wanted to say that she had been having trouble sleeping. She was hoping Luke would be the good luck charm to get her to sleep without waking up screaming. “Slumber party,” she teased a little at him.
“Probably,” he agreed. “I bet they’d even find a way to fight crime on the beach.” Luke let out a snort of laughter when he pictured the Bat somewhere like Hawaii, standing amongst the sand with waves lapping at his feet. Had Thomas ever taken a real vacation in his life? It was highly doubtful.
“It’d be better if Thomas didn’t find out,” he admitted. “But I don’t think he’d mind too much. He’s preoccupied anyway.” He shifted back into a sitting position and nodded, reaching casually for his pillow before gently batting her with it. “I haven’t had a slumber party in forever,” he laughed. “It’s about time.”
“Worse than Oracle,” she teased a little about their inability to get a room to themselves for longer than a few minutes. She wasn’t exactly sure why they were all so worried. Both her and Luke were responsible and thought everything through. Really, there was some adults that were worse than they were. She propped herself up on her elbows, and mock scowled at him when he hit her with the pillow. She gave him a devious look, laughing at him before she suddenly dived for him.
Quinn’s hands sought his sides while he was off guard, searching for a spot where he was ticklish. “Teach you,” she laughed, “Take that for hit me.”
“He’s worse than everyone.” It wasn’t said with any real resentment or annoyance, but rather an almost fond sort of acceptance for the kind of parental figure Thomas was. Worry was an accepted part of his life now, though in some cases Luke thought the adults didn’t give them enough credit. Being reckless and being stupid were two different things.
He kept hold of the pillow and grinned, though he failed to notice what she was planning until it was too late. Luke wasn’t as ticklish as some people were, and he could withstand a lot, but that didn’t mean he was superhuman. “No fair,” he protested in between laughs, giving a halfhearted effort to fend her off and find her own ticklish spot at the same time.
Quinn wrinkled her nose at Luke, “Fight you on that. Oracle GPS’d me.” She felt like her mother was always watching, which was actually true for her. Never say Oracle never kept an eye on her child.
She laughed in return at Luke’s attempts until he found her ticklish spot right on her side. She practically squeaked and flailed her arms at him, laughing. “No!” she tried to keep tickling the places he was ticklish in her own retaliation.
“Thomas did too,” he countered with a grin. “And Max makes me check in. I bet if I didn’t touch base for more than an hour they’d go looking for me.” It was better to make light of the humorous side of their parents’ overprotectiveness, and at least it meant they cared.
Luke was rather proud of himself for finding her ticklish spot without much trouble, and he focused in on it relentlessly even in the midst of his own bouts of laughter. “I think yes,” he teased, trying to catch hold of her wrists and pin them to the bed to avoid her flailing.
Quinn’s face was pink with laughter, not even caring that he grabbed hold of her wrists. When he pinned them to the bed, she pulled a face at him. “Unfair. Strong boy,” she teased at him, but leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek.
It was obvious that Quinn wasn’t putting up much of a fight, since he doubted he’d be able to keep her pinned for long if it they were actually sparring. Luke didn’t mind this by a long shot, though, and he grinned down at her with a smirk that wasn’t the least bit serious. “It’s fair,” he told her, leaning forward to kiss her properly instead of on the cheek.
“Nuh uh, unfair,” she retorted, but couldn’t help but to smirk back at him. It was clear though she was allowing herself to be pinned. She pulled a face briefly up at him, sticking her tongue out at his devious little grin. “Cheating,” she teased, but leaned up in to him to kiss him back being equally as forward as Luke was.
Though there was still a hint of uncertainty beneath the surface, Luke wasn’t half as awkward as he would have been if Thomas or Max had been in the apartment. He had a very bad feeling that one of them would’ve been inclined to check on him during some point, and if they found Quinn in his bedroom... well, he knew how that would end. A long moment passed before he drew back, trying to act casual instead of overthinking like he usually did. “I can stop if you want,” he suggested, eyebrows raised.
Quinn tilted her head to the side as she regarded him. Her face dropped in to a look of confusion at Luke when he suggested to stop. “Why stop?” she asked, curiously. Did he not like kissing? Kissing, Quinn had found out, was actually pretty nice. Maybe he didn’t like to kiss? “Not like it?”
Luke immediately looked dismayed by Quinn’s confusion, which hadn’t been the reaction he was going for at all. “No, I didn’t mean... I was just kidding.” Maybe he’d done too good a job of pretending to be serious. “I like it,” he added sheepishly. “Don’t you?”
Quinn wanted to kiss the dismayed look off his face. It didn’t, however, stop the laugh that bubbled up. “Do like it too,” she agreed, leaning up to kiss him sweetly for a brief moment. She pulled back and gave him a look, “Thought you didn’t. Silly.”
“I wasn’t being serious,” he said with a mock pout. Luke figured it would’ve been obvious by now that he liked being with her, otherwise he wouldn’t have been - leading her or anyone else on was something he’d never do. “Besides, how could you think I don’t like... this? You’re the silly one.” He shifted his weight so he was in a more comfortable position and pulled a face, kissing her again before she could respond.
Logically, Quinn knew that Luke had to like her on some level. Yet, if she was being completely illogical she was still comparing herself to every other girl, including Bunny. She wasn’t as pretty or girlish as anyone else he could have dated, so sometimes it just was there lingering. Quinn pulled a face back at him, “Cause not cute girl as other girls.” She couldn’t get out her laundry list of whys, instead lost herself again in his kiss. She gently touched his jaw, running her fingers down it as they kissed.
Luke could have pulled back to tell her that she was wrong, that he didn’t care about that and he thought she was cute just as herself; yet it seemed simpler and more effective to just keep kissing her instead. With most of his weight centered on one arm it was easier to move the other, one hand sliding up to brush her hair back with almost absent strokes before dropping it to her shoulder. It felt as though moments like this were rare lately, and he knew another crisis could pop up and more days would pass until he managed to see Quinn again.
Quinn leaned up in to Luke before she gently pushed him back. She was smiling as she guided him to more properly sit with her, back against the headboard. She practically sat in his lap as she grinned at him, one arm sliding around his waist. “Ask you something,” she said quietly, her other hand came up to rest on his chest.
It was admittedly easier to sit up instead of supporting his weight on his arms, which were now draped loosely around Quinn’s waist. “Another something?” He asked with a laugh, though it was clear he didn’t mind. “What is it?”
Quinn lifted her hand and gently touched the part of his neck not covered in fabric. She looked serious for a moment, eyes downcast and was quiet. She finally asked him, “I have...nightmares. A lot. Do you still..?” She never had actually approached him to talk about what happened to him, even though he listened to what happened to her. She wondered if he would if she asked.
The question was unexpected, so he didn’t have time to stop himself from tensing up instinctively. Luke knew he hadn’t dealt with the kidnapping in the right way, and after his outburst in the warehouse with Max and Thomas he hadn’t said a word about it. Unhealthy or not, it was easier to pretend it never happened, though there were still things that reminded him about it. “Sometimes,” he shrugged. “There are little things too. When I’m out there at night, sometimes the guys... they look like them. Or I’ll think I hear her voice but it’s just some woman I’ve never met.” It was clear this wasn’t something he was thrilled to talk about. “How bad are the nightmares?”
Quinn dropped her head to his shoulder and planted a little kiss on the tense muscle, soft and encouraging for him to talk. She didn’t feel comfortable telling Gwen about everything, but talking to Luke who may have experienced something similar helped. She wished she was the same in return. “See his face,” Quinn said, “Always worried he’s watching. Um. Paranoid? Nightmares are bad. Um. Wake up crying. Shaking. Always about hurting or....sometimes it’s you. Like, he caught you. Or mom. And hurting you. And it’s worse...”
“We haven’t heard from him for a while. Maybe he’s gone.” It was a little too optimistic even for him, yet it was still possible that Night Terror wouldn’t be showing his face in Seattle anymore. Not that him moving somewhere else was any better, but there weren’t many ways to actually get rid of him if death was ruled out. “Even if he’s not gone, he can’t hurt any of us. Not you, or Gwen, or me. We’d stop him,” he said reassuringly, tightening his hold in a half-hug. At the very least Corbinian would.
Quinn shook her head a little and leaned in to his arms. “He could be out there. Do same thing to others. Doesn’t make me feel any better.” She paused before she said, “I get mad. You and Wren...saw them put in jail. I didn’t. Doesn’t...feel fair.”
Luke didn’t know what to say to that, and it was becoming increasingly obvious as time passed that he wasn’t very good at providing comfort. The only thing he really knew how to do was cling to a positive outlook, yet that never seemed to go over very well with anyone. Instead he leaned his head against hers and sighed quietly. “It isn’t fair,” he agreed. “He should be in jail right now.” It made a big difference that his kidnappers were in jail, he couldn’t deny that, but it didn’t make what they’d done any easier to think about. No amount of jail time could make him forget what it was like.
Quinn closed her eyes and leaned her head against his. She rest one of her hands on his, turning it over to show the thin lines of scars that run all over her hands. Pressing her lips together, she finally said, “Wish you would talk too. Think you need...much as I do.”
So many of them had scars. It was a reality Luke never had to face back in Musings, where his life was uneventful and painfully ordinary, but here everything was so different. “I have talked about it,” he said quietly. What good would it do to bring the past back up now? “I’m fine now. I don’t need to go over it again.”
“Never talk to me,” she told him, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Ask me all time. Tell you things. Say you listen to me. And I want...want same for you, Luke. Want you have someone who always listens.” She may not be good at advice, but she’d listen for him. She wondered if he really ever did talk to anyone. Sometimes she didn’t, but she had Gwen who was much more open than Thomas. “Want to give you same thing. Not...good with words, but could be good with listening.”
Luke started to protest but thought better of it, grudgingly acknowledging the fact that he wasn’t the best at opening up to people. Wren had been the one he’d shared the most with, but she was gone now, and while Max was an occasional confidante there were some things he couldn’t tell her. Thomas wasn’t the best at actual conversation, and anything beyond things like school always seemed awkward and forced. It probably wasn’t intentional - that was just who he was. “I know,” he admitted, after a thoughtful silence. “I’m better at listening than talking. I guess I’m just used to... putting everyone else before myself. You, Thomas, Max and everyone else - you’re more important.” He shrugged. “I don’t... want to be a burden. I know it’s stupid,” he added, pulling a face.
“Not a burden,” she said fiercely, her arms tightening in a hug around him. “Luke. You’re very important. One most important to me.” She didn’t know why he would think he was a burden to anyone. Everyone adored Luke who met him. She couldn’t see anyone may think differently. She huffed and leaned in to kiss his jaw so gently, “You mean lots. And lots. Never think burden. Not to me ever.” She placed another soft kiss a little higher, right beneath his ear. She didn’t seem to be aware it was so intimate, being that close in his arms and kissing like this.
“Not to you, maybe, but…” Luke let his sentence trail off and sighed. He doubted he could find anyone who would come right out and tell him he was a burden or an obligation; but then again just because they didn’t say it didn’t mean it wasn’t thought. He always tried to be careful about what he did and didn’t tell people, aware that practically everyone he knew had an abundance of their own problems to deal with on a daily basis. Quinn’s kisses went a long way to derail his train of thought, even coaxing out a smile despite himself. “No fair,” he teased, shifting a little to pull her closer. “Now I can’t remember what I was saying.”
“Not to important people,” she reminded him, “Everyone would listen to you when you need it.” She smiled a little as he trailed off, pressing another kiss against his skin. She smiles widely at him and told him, “Fair is fair.” She sighed gently against his neck before kissing again the skin closest to her lips. “You’re special, Luke.”
Luke didn’t have in it him to argue, not right now. He could deal with his stupid fears of being a burden and an obligation on his own. “M’not really,” he said quietly, only half-focused on what she was saying. He’d probably never understand what was so ‘special’ about him, which was due to genuine confusion rather than some kind of attempt at modesty. “You’re the special one.” He turned his head slightly and pressed a kiss to her forehead, mimicking one of her earlier movements and sliding his fingers up and down her arm.
While Luke didn’t understand why she saw him as special, Quinn couldn’t see how he didn’t know he wasn’t. There was so much that she wished she had the words to explain to him. She snorted a little in laughter, “Not special. Reckless and weird.” She tilted her head up to look at him with a smile. “Bias.”
“If you can say I’m special, then I can say the same about you.” Luke flashed a teasing grin and leaned down to kiss her, alternating between light brushes of his lips against hers and lingering ones. He’d told her before that she wasn’t like any other girl he’d ever met, and that was the truth. It was almost funny to think that just a few months ago Quinn had been a complete mystery, not to mention more than a little off-putting in her intensity. Like Thomas, though, he learned there was a lot more to her than met the eye.
“Not special, just crazy,” she said with a little grin, wrinkling her nose at him. Quinn leaned in to him, kissing back with the same single minded purpose she usually had for anything else. She wanted to express how much she cared, even if she couldn’t find all the right words. That she didn’t know she could care about another person like this...in this very strange way that makes her heart pound in her chest.
It was moments like these, he realized, that helped keep him sane in the midst of all the crises that seemed to happen simultaneously one after the other with very little breathing time in between. Luke was emboldened by the knowledge that they had the apartment to themselves and something else he couldn’t really put his finger on, the hand that wasn’t making its way up her arm sliding down to rest almost hesitantly on her hip. In contrast there was little uncertainty when he kissed her, letting his mind go blank and focusing on her instead. Just her. “Remember back when we first met,” he said between breaths, “and you kicked me in the head?” The start of a laugh was muffled when he kissed her again. “Who would’ve thought we’d end up here?”
The more comfortable she became with Luke, the closer she seemed to melt in to his touch. She shifted closer to him, legs across his as she sat almost halfway on his lap. She returned his kisses with a little hesitation before she deepened one, only pulling apart to breathe. Quinn’s face split in to a hesitant smile and said, “Bad costume. Needed to teach you.” She laughed a little as she brushed her lips against the corner of his. “Couldn’t keep up then. But now...definite can.”
Thinking about his old costume now made him want to cringe and laugh at the same time. He still had it, hidden away in his closet, unable to get rid of it for some unknown reason. “It was pretty bad,” Luke admitted. “I didn’t have much to work with.” Somehow he’d actually thought a thrown-together costume and determination would be enough. He leaned in for another kiss before raising his eyebrows. “Of course I can. I’m badass now.” It probably would’ve been a lot more effective if he hadn’t laughed afterward.
“Didn’t have one,” she pointed at herself as she grinned, “Remember? Just scarf.” Back when Quinn had no one but Oracle. When she thought she wasn’t worth much of anything for the deeds she had done. It still was confusing and wonderful at the same time to think there were people who cared. She wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue at him, “Not very badass.”
“You were still a better fighter.” Luke pulled a face. “I could barely take on two guys by myself. Besides, no costume is better than a stupid one. I looked like I was out for Halloween early.” The funny thing was that he hadn’t realized just how bad it was until he’d started wearing the one Thomas gave him. If he’d never met him or Quinn; never gotten any training or become part of a network - how different would his life be now? “I guess we’ve both come a long way,” he said thoughtfully, leaning his head against hers.
“Only good cause ability, not training right,” she told him with a shrug. Her training down was more disciplined and, in some ways, more extreme ways she pushed herself to her limitations. She always thought about how her life would’ve been if she hadn’t met these people. They were bleak, unhappy thoughts that she kept buried. “Long way together,” she told him, with a tiny smile. “Help realize...that ‘m not bad person. That...can move on.”
If it hadn’t been for the memories Luke would’ve had no idea why Quinn ever could have thought that she was a bad person, but he remembered what he’d seen all too well. “Of course you’re not a bad person,” he said, quietly yet firmly enough to sound convincing. “You sacrifice yourself to help other people just like the rest of us. It would be easy to not care, or to become one of the bad guys, but you didn’t.”
Quinn couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth as he spoke. She wished she could believe him as readily as he was to certain. “Only cause of good people,” she said finally, “That I was good. I try though. Every day. Be good person.” She looked up at him as she gently nudged him, “Think I do good job?”
“Trying counts for a lot,” he told her, tightening their embrace slightly. “It means you care.” Luke had seen what Quinn’s father was like, and she could have easily chosen to follow in his footsteps to become the kind of person he fought against. “I think you’re doing a great job.” He grinned down at her and confirmed it with a kiss, gentler than the others had been.
She gently nudged him, leaning up in to their kiss a little more insistently. She couldn’t think of another way to both thank him and stop him from telling her how different she was from her dad in one swoop. Sometimes she worried that she was still like him too much, that she would wreck the bad guys before knowing when to stop. Every day she worried when the next time she snapped and go too far would be. Quinn put a quick stop to that train of thought by letting herself get lost in kissing Luke, her hands going up to gently cup his face.
He was a little surprised by her insistence, but he definitely wasn’t complaining. Luke figured her past was something Quinn probably didn’t want to talk about, even if he didn’t think anyone would hold it against her, especially since a lot of the vigilantes had dark pasts they’d prefer to forget. For a brief moment he hesitated before relaxing, leaning forward to deepen their kiss and letting go of whatever else he’d wanted to say. It didn’t matter. His arms curled around her waist almost instinctively, just firmly enough to keep her close.
Quinn wanted to get lost in the present and the now with Luke. Not to think any more about where she had come from. If she could, she’d pretend nothing but this mattered for now. She only pulled back to smile at him and gently, “Tired.” She told him with a little chuckle. “Stay like this? Sleep?”” She felt surprisingly safe in his arms and she didn’t want to pull away any time soon.
“Yeah. Sleep sounds good.” He didn’t get much sleep even on good nights, but even a little was better than nothing. “It might be kind of weird to sleep sitting up, though.” Luke grinned and managed to maneuver himself so he was lying down, half propped up on pillows, without breaking their embrace. “There. Now we can sleep.”
Quinn snuggled in to his arms, resting her head on his chest and closed her eyes. “Thank you,” she said into the silence that settled between them. “My Luke.”
“Don’t thank me,” he said quietly, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “Night, Quinn.”