who_the_hell_is (who_the_hell_is) wrote in we_coexist, @ 2015-03-06 21:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | ariel, james buchanan barnes, zz:status complete |
Security (Ariel)
They'd taken the car belonging to the woman that Steve interrogated. When Steve dropped him and Ariel off at their apartments, he'd tossed his keys without a word. Buck caught them in a flash of silver and gently led Ariel upstairs to the room on the key. Steve was right. Ariel's apartment was on the ground floor - too easily accessible. It was better to put her up at Steve's place, at least temporarily. They made a quick stop at Ariel's place to get the things she wanted. He also took the time to clean her up a little. His hands were gentle, though his eyes still hadn't softened from the moment he'd learned she was missing.
Still, once her hurts were tended and she had everything she wanted, he helped her carry things up to Steve's place. All of this was done in relative silence. Neither seemed to want to talk.
He was curious about the gesture she'd given him when he asked her what sort of power Eddie was referring to. All she'd done was pat her throat. Her voice, perhaps. He thought her voice was beautiful. He wanted very much to hear it again - laughing. He wanted to hear her laughing. The ache of want for that was great enough to hunch his shoulders, to overshadow the pain in his ignored hand.
When they were upstairs, he started helping her settle in. James was surprised to find sachets of tea in the cabinet. He made Ariel a cup and briefly considered one for himself, before his throbbing head determined that it was not wise. He avoided anything to eat or drink, knowing better than to test the limits of his body's tolerance while in this much pain. But he hid the pain from her as much as possible. She had other things on her mind.
At last, when he'd led her to the couch, tucked a blanket around her, and done a circuit of the apartment to familiarize himself with the layout, he finally came to her again. Though he didn't sit down - he was her sentinel until Steve returned - he was close enough to her that he could reach out and touch her shoulder if he wanted to. He did want to. But he didn't do it.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.