Who: Nicholas Wolfwood & Bella Donna Boudreaux What: A bit of pampering When: 9/30, after Belle's mission to Rome Where: Chez Wolfwood Rating/Warning: PG13 Status: Complete
Belle was feeling a lot better by the time she made her way to Wolfwood’s place. She’d spent the day catching up with Vanille, and she’d successfully determined she was still crazy and still able to do crazy things. She had a fresh overnight bag on her shoulder and she was wearing jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt to hide the bandage on her left arm. Ten stitches wasn’t so bad, all things considered. The injection sites for her vaccines hurt worse.
She knocked and stepped back, humming softly while she waited for him to open the door.
He felt a fresh spike of nerves when the door sounded. While she was in Rome, he’d gotten the bright idea to sort of do something nice for her - she’d had a hell of a time lately, even worse than he had. He wasn’t much of a cook, but after a couple of terrified calls to his mom, he’d managed to put together a serviceable lasagna, salad, and even found a good wine pairing. He just hoped she didn’t laugh at him. The kitchen did kind of look like a bomb hit.
Belle inhaled deeply when he opened the door. “Oh, that smells wonderful, cheri.” She hugged him, smiling brightly. She liked to be around Vanille and her things, but being with Nicholas felt like being home. “I missed you.”
Wolfwood laughed, pulling her close and going for a kiss. “Thought I might try to do something nice since you were working all weekend. I’m surprised it sort of worked.” He smiled. “How’d it go?” He’d done a bit while she was gone, too, but it could wait.
“Well enough. Slipped up a little, but I was nervous so I rushed. I learned.” She chuckled a little. He’d see the burn and tiny punctures on her belly and probably the stitches on her arm later, there was no need to whip them out now. “How was your weekend? Busy?”
“Not too much, but I did get some stuff done. Started talking to Shepard about actually retiring from the Army. I’ll apparently get my honorable discharge.” He smiled, letting her go and beckoning into the kitchen. “Want a glass of wine?”
She smiled and followed him. “Yes I would, and I’m glad. You’ve put in a lot of service, you deserve t’ be compensated for it. And that rules out the military as our future employers, since she’d just have y’ transfer if it was them.” She thought, anyway.
“It rules out the Army.” Wolfwood went to the fridge, getting the chilled bottle of white. “I couldn’t transfer to the Marines, my rank wouldn’t hold. Shepard’s ex-Marines, so that might still be the case. But I guess we’ll see.”
“Ah, pardon. I don’t know everything, apparently.” She laughed lightly. “I dunno, I’m pretty sure she’s not military anymore. Not if she was married t’ a woman.” Belle looked for the wine glasses and handed them over. “At least not until recently, but I got the idea they’d been t’gether a while.”
"Oh, she isn't military anymore, at least, not on the books. She took a discharge over DADT." Wolfwood shook his head. He did smile as he set the wine down, though. "After dinner, by the way, I figured I might rub your feet." He liked it, so he figured that she might.
Belle whistled. “That’ll be nice. You’re really goin’ for brownie points, huh?” She grinned at him and sipped her wine. “What’id ya do?”
“I didn’t do anything. At least, nothing you’d be pissed off about.” Wolfwood laughed. In truth, it felt too weird to talk about; he’d had nightmares all weekend. Not Dreams, but standard nightmares - he’d dreamt of being shot, dreamt of watching Belle be murdered by Chapel the Evergreen from his fucking Dream world. But talking to her about it would look weak. So he cooked dinner, and rubbed her feet, and tried to replace it all with good memories.
“If there’s a dead hooker in the closet I’m gonna be pissed.” Belle teased. “I’m outta tarps right now.” Which was actually true. She made a mental note to get more tarps. “We should eat before we drink all the wine and decide t’ do something dumb.” She started toward the table, looking over her shoulder at him every couple steps.
“Thank you, by the way, for never being weird about that.” Wolfwood followed her into the kitchen, chuckling. “Some women would be upset, but I mean, I’m a man, and when you’re in a war zone for most of a decade, you have needs.” He went to get the lasagna from the stove, where it had been warming.
“Honestly I don’t care. I mean prostitution’s such a touchy subject, but in the end you’re right, you’re a man in a stressful situations an’ you had needs. There are a thousand worse ways for you t’ get out your frustrations. I’ve slept with a lot of men for my work, it would be stupid for me t’ say the rules don’t apply to me the same as you.” She shrugged. His past was only as relevant as they made it. Since he didn’t go out whoring on the weekends he was clearly willing to make it irrelevant, so she would as well.
“In Afghanistan, the women would offer to pay me for food or whatever in sex. There was no fucking way I’d do that.” Sex for money actually seemed more noble than that. “And we actually had a man in my unit who used to strongarm farmers out of crops in exchange for “protection” - I sat on that fucker’s court martial myself.” Wolfwood’s tone was grim, but he tried to shake it off. “Anyway. I don’t plan to make a habit of it, I’m just grateful that you don’t hold it against me.” He set the lasagna down on the table, going to get a corkscrew.
“Ugh.” Belle made a face. “See, that shit right there I’d break up with you over, but then again, you probably wouldn’t’a caught my eye in the first place if you were that big a douchebag.” She cut the lasagna while he tracked down the corkscrew. “No, your past is interesting, but it’s your present and future that interests me most.”
“I have standards.” Wolfwood wrinkled his nose. “But speaking of standards. What are yours like for apartments?” He grabbed the corkscrew and started to open the bottle of white wine.
“Floors.” Belle said with a laugh. “That’s non-negotiable. Uh, and, you know what’s actually pretty funny? I have no fuckin’ clue. I just get assigned places to live, and then I go there and barely see the place.”
Wolfwood laughed, getting the wine open and sitting down. “I’m pretty flexible myself, tell you the truth. I would like a second floor or higher - ground floors make me nervous after all this time - but other than that, I can’t think of anything that’s a deal-breaker.”
“Ooh, but not top floor either.” Belle noted. “For somewhat similar reasons. Uh, we want two bedrooms and do some kinda like. . . office I guess? Work related crap catcher room? We could just get a storage, too. I got nothing sensitive anymore.”
Wolfwood nodded. “Wanna say two bedrooms, but the second bedroom as kind of a combination study?” He chuckled. “If we ever fight, at least neither of us would have to leave home for the night?”
“Yeah, that’s probably best.” She nodded and served herself some food. “Maybe get some bookshelves for my books.” She didn’t generally keep many physical books, but the ones she had she wanted to be able to see. “I’d like a balcony, I think. Put some plants out there. That is the one thing I notice about the place I’m livin’. We gonna do any kind of pets?”
“A balcony would be good. So, no ground or top floor, with a balcony and high enough ceilings for your shelves?” Wolfwood nodded. “I think we can find that in Orange County. And as much as I’d love a dog, it’s probably not a good idea if we’re going off to God knows where every month.”
“That’s true, we don’t know how often we’ll be home.” Belle’s expression was slightly disappointed. “I always wanted a dog.” Maybe someday. “I’ll just hafta live vicariously through other people’s. The rest of that sounds good. There’s places with pools and stuff, which might be fun.”
“We’ll be the dogsitters.” Wolfwood smiled. “I’ll have you know, by the way, that I called my mom to make sure I was cooking this right.”
“Awwww.” Belle said with a grin. “It’s delicious. I was distracted by the dog thing.” She laughed. “Didja make the sauce by hand? It’s really good.”
“Yes and no. Premade stuff, then added what Mom told me to.” Wolfwood chuckled. “I didn’t mean to fish for compliments, but I’m just glad I cooked something that seems edible. Especially with you around; there’s a lot to live up to. Has it always been a hobby? We’ll have to make sure the kitchen’s really good in the new place.”
“I didn’t mean t’ withhold compliments you worked hard t’ earn.” She smiled at him, though the question made her sigh a little. “It’s kind of a survival thing. Couldn’t afford much prepared food, my dad and Julien were always, well, we’ll call it working for their sake. The lady next door taught me, and I’d go home and fix things up. Just got used t’ the routine.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But I like t’ cook, and I’d love a really nice kitchen. I need to buy a lot of things I’ve gotten used to over the years. Stock pots and shit like that.”
“Sorry.” Wolfwood knew she didn’t like to talk about her family. “We’ll have to hit one of those really nice kitchen stores, to load you up.”
She nodded. “I’ll make a list of what I’ve got at home right now. The place came more or less furnished, I think only the toiletries and clothes are mine.” Well, the box of books, too.
It was strange to think about, but he didn’t bring it up. “All this stuff is mine, courtesy of the VA.” Wolfwood quirked one eyebrow; gesturing grandly at stuff that didn’t live up to it. His furniture was livable, but not much more. He couldn’t afford all that much more, though maybe he could when his pension came through.
Belle looked around. “At least we won’t have two of everything.” Though in some cases they barely had one. “We should get a nicer bed.” Everything else would do for now. “I saved the part of my pay from Frost that didn’t go to cabs to and from here.”
“I’m not even saying this to make an innuendo, but the bed may be one of the things we’ll use most in a new place.” Sex, yes, but also the fact that after missions, he for one was likely going to come home and pass out. “So yeah, that should be a top priority. I don’t have a lot of savings right now, but I have a bit, and I will get a lieutenant’s pension once that goes through. I bet Shepard can expedite it, too.”
“My thoughts were similar. There’s been times I’m so exhausted after a mission that I’ve just gone to sleep on the couch ‘cause the bed’s too far away.” She figured she’d make a sincere effort to make it to the bedroom if she shared it with him. “And we’ll probably both keep workin’ at Frost, so that’ll just add to the tiredness and bein’ away from home.”
“Yeah. Life’s going to get a little crazy, isn’t it.” But that was okay with him. He smiled a little at her over the table. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. We’ll be okay.”
“We will.” She smiled back, taking his hand. “And if we’re not apart too much, I’m good with that too.” She squeezed his hand and finished her food. “The best thing about cooking a big meal like this is there’ll be leftovers for a couple days. That’ll be real nice.”
“I didn’t actually intend to make this much, just had the right amount of lasagna noodles.” He chuckled. “But yeah, leftovers are nice. Take some to work, probably.” He couldn’t help but feel weirdly pleased about the domesticity of taking home cooking to work for lunch. Hadn’t happened to him in a long time.
Belle was irrationally pleased at the idea as well. Taking something to eat that he’d made for the two of them to enjoy together felt pretty intimate. “I’m glad you did.” She said with a soft, loving smile. She scooted her chair a little closer to him.
“Kitchen might look like a bomb hit it, but oh, well.” He smiled a little. “I didn’t do much this weekend, so figured I’d do this. You were in Rome doing Winston-wrangling. Or dangerous stuff, or both.”
“Oh.” Belle let out a small, nervous laugh. “Uh, mostly dangerous stuff.” She moved her chair next to his and rolled up her left sleeve to show him the bandage over her dog bites. “I at least found out that I’m still prone t’ moving too fast when I’m nervous.”
Wolfwood didn’t get angry; she had a dangerous job, technically, still even now. Still, his jaw twitched. “Looks like it got taken care of, at least.”
“I got tazed too. That wasn’t any fun.” She frowned and stuck her tongue out. “I got all the proper medical attention. Mostly I’m just supposed to keep movin’ it and change the bandage now and then. Got some antibiotics and a ton of shots, too.”
"Tazed?" Wolfwood frowned. "Damn, you were playing with the pros." He didn't worry overmuch; she looked fine. Still.
“Yeah, my mission was t’ go to the Vatican Archives and steal something. By the time I got there I had too much attention t’ actually grab the thing, but I did make it in and back in one piece. Would have been fine with fewer dogs.”
Wolfwood nodded. “You look all right, and I mean, you know better than to try and be all oh, I’m fine.” He wasn’t being sarcastic; he meant it. She was a smart operative, and there was no reason to think that would stop anytime soon.
Belle snorted. “No, I’m a baby about being hurt.” She had no doubt she’d be complaining about the bite the entire time it was healing. “I know I messed up, but I know how I messed up too, so I figure I’ll be fine when things are for serious.”
“The point is, you’re not some stupid rookie.” Wolfwood laughed. He smiled a little more softly. “You’re as good as you ever were. Even with the damn dog. You’ll be a credit to Shepard’s outfit.” He laid a hand on her knee. “C’mere, gimme your foot.” He knew he didn’t need help getting laid, but the noises she made when she was relaxed were worth it.
Belle sighed as though he was asking her to do something difficult and slipped her shoes off. “I suppose.” She gently set her foot in his lap and maneuvered a little so he could rub it easily. She smiled at him and took another drink of her wine. “You’re spoiling the hell outta me.”
He did what he knew worked on him, just a little gentler. He gripped the ball of her foot and worked it with his thumbs, smiling. “I kinda like doing that.”
"I'm not complaining, believe me." She sighed softly, closing her eyes. "Dunno what I did t' earn this, but I'm not about to take it for granted." She still somewhat expected it to fall apart eventually. That was just how things went
“I just decided to be nice.” Wolfwood kept rubbing. “You got tazed and bitten by a Vatican guard dog; you deserve it extra.” He smiled a little.
Belle laughed. “That seems fair. I’ll just hafta return the favor when you get hurt.” Which was just fine with her. “Your hands are really nice.”
“I have one big callus here” - he ran his index finger over her skin - “but otherwise, they seem to be untouched. Go figure.” He kept kneading at the muscles, wanting her to relax.
She smiled. “Even if they were rough it wouldn’t bother me. It’s the intention that matters most, I think.” And his intentions were very nice. She sighed when he rubbed the arch of her foot. That was the best spot.
He liked hearing her sigh happily. “I don’t want you thinking like, I couldn’t live without you or something,” he said. “I’m a big boy. But I always figured if you like having someone around, you should show them.”
Belle laughed. “Oh don’t worry. I got no illusions you’re some lovesick puppy. Don’t like that kinda thing, anyway.” She cracked one eye, smiling serenely at Nicholas. “But I appreciate the way you take care of me, and I hope I’m doin’ a good job of takin’ care of you.”
“I could say I was feeling neglected, but unless you’re not feeling well, I’m thinking there might be sex later, so I’m just fine.” Wolfwood joked. But he smiled back just as peacefully. “No, just ... I don’t want to baby you or patronize you, but I’ve always figured if I’m seeing somebody I should try to look out for them.”
She laughed. “I’d need somethin’ a little more substantial than a dog bite and a little tiny burn t’ stop wantin’ you, cheri.”
All joking aside, he did appreciate that she had as healthy a libido as he did. Wanting too much or too little sex could be a deal-breaker in any relationship. Wolfwood grinned. “Before we go back to either food or fucking, do you want to maybe start going to see apartments later this week? I looked and I think we both have next Monday off.”
“Yes.” She said with a smile. “We can start lookin’ at listings and put together a list.” She put her foot back on the floor and leaned forward to kiss him. It was a slow, sensual kiss. She wasn’t in a rush to get straight to the sex. Just talking with him was fine with her.
That sounded fine with him. Wolfwood smiled, wrapping an arm around her. He liked how small she felt against his chest, even though she was as tough as him or more so. Dichotomy did seem to keep him interested. “Every time I say I love you, I worry it’ll come off as cliche the more I say it. But I do.”
“I love you too, and honestly I can’t hear you say it enough.” She slid into his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’ve never felt so attached t’ someone, or so cared for.” She kissed the underside of his chin, enjoying being close to him for now. The sex was amazing, but she could sit like this with him forever.
“It actually means a lot to hear you say it,” Wolfwood said simply. “I mean, Christ, you’ve seen what’s in the spare room now. You’re a smart woman, Belle. You wouldn’t put your chips on a sure loser.” He chuckled a little, shifting her a little so they would both be more comfortable. “Just ... thanks.”
“You’re welcome. And no, I wouldn’t be with a loser. That’s why I’m with you.” She stroked his hair softly. “Though I gotta admit that thing still creeps me the fuck out. We’re gettin’ a place with a closet big enough t’ store it in.”
“No arguments here.” It was hard to believe he’d come this far in just months - from friendless and alone to finding friends to talking about moving in with a fantastic woman who loved him. Wolfwood smiled a little, mostly to stop thinking about the Punisher cross. “I have to keep it, obviously” - who the hell knew what could happen if he didn’t? - “but I can keep it locked away.”
"It might come in handy, but I hope it doesn't." She lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Dinner was delicious and the foot rub was very nice. You got any other surprises for me before I work on returning the favor?" This was a better topic than basically anything to do with the dreams.
“Can’t think of any.” Wolfwood smiled. “Shepard got my retirement expedited and my pension’s due to start soon, if that’s a surprise. I’m officially retired First Lieutenant Nicholas Wolfwood.”
“So what'cha gonna do with your retirement? Pick up a new hobby. You could start knitting.” She chuckled and got to her feet. “I’ll clean up the kitchen and we’ll have dessert or somethin’.”
“What am I going to do with my retirement?” Wolfwood echoed, catching her with one arm and kissing her once more. “Work for Shepard. Do my absolute best to sweep you off your feet.”
Belle giggled into the kiss, returning it eagerly. She put her hands on her shoulders and grinned up at him when they parted. “Sounds like fun t’ me. We’ll have fun makin’ something of ourselves.”