canncnball

[canncnball]

[canncnball]

his head nodded when she asked if he could be joining her in the bath. "i think we could both use it, baby." taking another few bites to finish off his own bread, the glass was lifted for a sip of wine before placing it down and leaning back as his wife climbed into his lap. a soft hum slipped past his lips, brow quirking as hands rubbed lightly along her sides. "you say no funny business, then you find yourself right here." with a grin in place, he leaned closer to ghost his lips against her own. "not that i mind one bit." his lips then captured hers in a slow, deep kiss with arms curling around her petite frame to hold her close. it was taking a while for her to get better, but he understood why and knew he'd be no better in her position. another quick kiss was pressed to her lips before his head tilted to meet her gaze. "i'm not pushing you on funny business, but ... you know you don't have to do any work, princess. you just sit back and i'll take care of you, no matter how you need me."

"i promise, i'm taking it easy. this is the first time i actually got out of bed in what feels like weeks..." she pouted and took another bite of her bread. she leaned into his touch as he rubbed her back and she hummed when he mentioned a bath, "that sounds heavenly, honestly. are you getting in with me?" she asked, giving him another pout before she finished off her bread and her water. she rubbed her hand along his back this time, scratching a little with her nails. she raised her eyebrows at him, "i promise, i won't try any funny business. i don't know if i even have enough energy for any funny business, as much as i'd love to make funny business happen." she wiggled her eyebrows at him and shifted to climb into his lap. dominique tipped her head to the side and grinned down at her husband.

[canncnball]

[canncnball]

[canncnball]

a low chuckle slipped out at her words before his face dropped a little when she continued to speak. his gaze softened, eyes dropping for a brief moment before looking back at her. her eyes used to be so bright, so full of life, but he could see the darkness behind them right now and hated it because it's not her. "what do you need, baby?" his frame is still pressing against hers, keeping her pinned between him and the wall, but his touch is soft as hands lift to cup her cheeks. "do you want to talk about it? tell me what's going on in that head of yours?" both of his thumbs brush beneath her eyes and he leans closer to press a kiss to the tip of her nose. "maybe tell me about those bad things in general."

"i love you, too." when he pinned her between him and the wall, she inhaled sharply. her head tilted back and she smiled up at him as his hands ran up her sides. when he said he wanted to talk all about what she'd said out of the shower, her smile widened and she nodded. "i know," she whispered before his lips were on hers once more. she hummed softly into his mouth and she dragged her fingertips down the length of his back. her hands pressed against his back to keep him as close as possible to her. "you keep kissing me like that and we're not gonna get very clean," she chuckled against his lips and she wrinkled up her nose at him. "not that i would completely mind that. at all. it's just something to help me not think about tonight or bad things in general."

[canncnball]

his eyes were on his wife the entire time, watching as she took small bites before taking a bigger one that had him smiling. ever since they got back and she nearly collapsed after what needed to be done to jameson so she could feel better, he'd been so worried about her. the only other time he'd been so worried was when they were back in school and he saw her so sick the very first time. it changed the way he saw things and had ever since then. "i know you do, princess. you just need to take it easy until you're better," he spoke while leaning closer to brush a kiss to her cheek. a hand reached out for his own slice of bread and he took a couple of bites before chewing it down as his hand rubbed over her back. "what about a bath tonight, hm?" he asked, eyes trailing over his wife. "how does that sound?"

when he cupped the side of her face, she smiled gently and leaned into his touch before turning to press a kiss to his palm. his lips were on hers, then, and she hummed into the kiss. her eyes drifted shut as he kissed her forehead and she nodded, "i will," she murmured and grabbed her plate to nibble at the bread again. she closed her eyes and tipped her head to the side as she chewed. she hadn't eaten very much lately, so everything tasted incredible - like she was eating it for the first time again. she sighed and sipped from her water before setting the glass down and taking a bigger bite from the bread. "her bread is always so good. i love the crispy crust." she wiggled and looked over at her husband. "it will give me more energy. i hate being so low on it."

[canncnball]

[canncnball]

"if you're lucky, i'll give you the best massage you've ever had, baby." with a low chuckle, he watched her clothes fall to the floor and eyes trailed after to see her disappear into the shower. it's seconds later when his clothes are discarded and he steps in after her, soon stepping a little closer. his arms wrapped around her, holding her frame flush against his as they kissed and he breathed heavily into her mouth. then she pulled him under the water and he ran his fingers through his hair, soaking it with eyes slowly trailing over her as her back pressed against the tile wall. "i love you," he spoke and inched a step closer until he's pressed against her again. pinning her between him and the wall, his head tilted with hands trailing up her bare sides. "i want to talk about all of those things with you, babygirl. i hope you know that," he whispered the words against her lips before capturing her lips in another deep kiss.

"we haven't, but we will. soon. maybe later tonight or something." when he eased her back to her feet, she smiled up at him and nodded. "a shower sounds really brilliant right now," she chuckled and followed him into the bathroom. "well, damn. a massage, too?" she laughed and peeled her shirt and jeans off. she removed her bra and her underwear before climbing into the shower and stepping beneath the showerhead. she closed her eyes as she wet her hair and let the warm water just fall over her. when her boyfriend joined her, she wrapped her arms around his frame and sighed as she pressed kisses against his chest and down one of his sides before her lips were on his and she ran her fingers through his hair as she kissed him, deeply. she pulled him under the water with her before her back pressed against the tile wall, she watched him get wet and she took a deep breath. the blood on her hands was washed away and she was okay forgetting about tonight for a little while.

[canncnball]

even with his food and drink set down, his attention was solely on his wife while leaning into the way she rubbed at his scalp. "yeah? fourteen more, huh?" with a grin, he pulled back enough to meet her gaze. the look on his face softened in the slightest and his hand lifted to caress the side of her face, fingertip brushing along her jawline. "but you're starting to feel better. that's good." a kiss was pressed to her lips and he lingered for a few seconds, then another kiss was pressed to her forehead. "eat up, princess. it might give you a little more energy." she hadn't been eating so well lately and it worried him, but she was starting to get better and that meant she was starting to eat better, too.

she smiled when he brought her bread and water and she wiggled a little. her smile widened when he kissed the side of her head and she grabbed her plate to take a small bite of one of the pieces of bread with a hum. she didn't even look twice at the wine and focused on her food and water. he set his stuff on the coffee table before he was nuzzling into the curve of her neck. she set her plate down and tangled her fingers in his hair. she massaged his scalp and nodded her head, "i'm definitely feeling a little better tonight. i could still sleep for fourteen hours, but i'm not running to get back into bed yet."

[canncnball]

what? me? jealous? never.

———

it was their first time out since the attack, since they got back from france, since they took care of jameson, since his wife recovered. since everything had happened that had turned their lives upside down for a while. dominique was no longer covered in bruises that reminded her of the pain she'd went through and the same bruises that made everyone do a doubletake in his direction. while he hadn't cared about those looks in the slightest because he only cared that she got better, they only seemed to make her feel worse and he was glad that was in the past.

now, there were no more of those looks, but the two of them going out brought other looks in their direction. the guys he hung around knew better than to flirt with dominique because they knew luca had no reason to hold back his fists. not that he needed to be jealous, not when the two of them were married and no one else mattered to them, but those friends of theirs still knew better.

unfortunately, the girls they hung around knew better and didn't always hold themselves back so well. the moment alessia walked towards him and started chatting with luca, his gaze drifted towards his wife to see the way her brow quirked from where she stood. the pointed look she gave him made a chuckle rumble deep within his chest, eyes on dominique the entire time.

"alessia," he spoke the woman's name, head turning to look at her. the way she gazed at him a little dreamily only made him sigh with eyes rolling. "you know better." "well, if you want.." before she could say another word, his head quickly shook. "i don't." there was a frown on her lips, as if she were pouting, but he didn't stay close to see it for long before turning on his heel to stride over to his wife.

"oh, now you wanna come over?" brows pull together with a tilt of his head as he met dominique's gaze. there was no stopping the smirk that curled at the corner of his mouth, especially when he heard her huff. "i thought we were over the jealousy, princess." that had her brows lifting. "what? me? jealous? never."

his head fell back then as luca inched a step closer and arms curled around his wife. "baby." his voice was low and he felt the way she squirmed in his hold. his right arm stayed wrapped around her frame and his left hand lifted, showing off the white gold band wrapped around his ring finger. "i am not jealous." the only response he gave her was a soft hum with a quirked brow, seeing the way she rolled her eyes at him.

"good because you have no reason to be." though, there's still the slightest bit of jealousy radiating off of her and he can tell. leaning closer, his lips brushed against her ear. "i got something for you today." that made her eyes light up a little, even with the mess of people around them right now. it didn't matter because they didn't see a single person around them other than each other. "what is it?"

a chuckle slipped out at her reaction and he inched a step back, letting a smirk take over his features. one hand trailed down and he tugged his shirt up just enough to show a new tattoo etched along his skin that had her letting out an audible gasp. "is that...?" his head tilted, seeing the way she looked from his tattoo and back up to meet his gaze. "my wife, those are your lips tattooed on my hipbone."

hearing the light giggle from her was like music to his ears and it made him feel entirely comfortable, but he could see and feel the same sense of comfort that radiated off of her, too. his shirt was dropped back down and he felt her hands cupping his cheeks to pull him closer before their lips were pressed together in a deep kiss. "i love you, baby." the words were spoke against his lips and he smiled into the kiss before stealing another quick kiss from her lips. "i love you more than anything."

[canncnball]

it didn't take longer than a few minutes before he followed along after her into the living room, setting down a plate with a few pieces of warmed up bread and her garlic butter, then he set down a glass of water, too. with a small smile, his head shook and he leaned closer to press a kiss to the side of her head. "you never have to thank me for this, princess." turning around, he walked along to grab his own plate and a glass of wine for them to share if she wanted some. once he was back and sitting beside her with his things on the coffee table, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and nuzzled into the curve of her neck. "how are you feeling, baby? a little better now?"

"i can never say no to maman's bread, ever." she laughed softly and rubbed at her face as he kissed the top of her head. she sighed when he ran his hand over her back and nodded her head. "mkay," she said and smiled when he cupped her cheeks before he was kissing her. "yessir..." she mumbled and ran her fingers through her hair as she made her way over to the couch so she could get comfortable. she ran her hands over her face again and she yawned before watching her husband get her bread and drink ready. when he approached her, she gave him a tired smile and took the plate and glass. "thank you, baby. you don't know how much i appreciate this. you. like every single day."

[canncnball]

with a small, soft smile on his lips, his arms wrapped around her to hold his wife close and he felt the way her body relaxed against his touch. "i was hoping you would say yes to something and i knew you couldn't say no to her bread." since they got back and everything happened, it felt like eating was impossible for her as she recovered and her eating habits had been worrying him for years. his hand rubbed lightly along her back and he leaned down a little to press a kiss to the top of her head. "you go sit down and i'll bring it over to you, okay?" his hands trailed up to cup her cheeks, then he tiled his head back to press a kiss to her lips. "i'll bring you something to drink, too. go on."

she gave him a little smirk and shrugged, "i always have been," she murmured and bit into her lower lip. when he turned back to her, her smile softened. "sort of?" she asked and raised her eyebrows before nodding her head. "ah, okay. uhm, i could have a couple of slices with a little bit of garlic butter." dominique leaned forward and rested her head on her husband's chest. her arms curled around him and she closed her eyes as her body instantly relaxed.

[canncnball]

there wasn't a doubt in his mind that she needed more time to recover, but he also knew how stubborn his wife was and wasn't surprised when hearing soft footsteps and an even softer voice. "you're a stubborn woman," he mumbled, head turning to look over his shoulder at her with a quirked brow. "baking. sort of." turning to face her, hands reached out to rest against her hips. "maman brought over a loaf of bread and i thought i'd heat it up. in case you actually got hungry."

a closed starter for my heart, @canncnball, for dominique & luca.

she had gotten better and she was finally out of bed. she took a couple of pain pills and she made her way downstairs. she smiled when she saw her husband in the kitchen. "hi," she said softly and slowly made her way over to him. "...i felt like i could get out of bed, so." dominique shrugged and she swallowed thickly. "what're you doing?"

[canncnball]

"you wouldn't dare kick me." then he felt he flick to his forehead and winced a little, a hand lifting to rub over the spot before he pushed himself up. strides carried him after her, walking into the kitchen and he leaned against the counter. "yes," he spoke the single word, even as she went on speaking. his head nodded, seeing the way she raised her brows at him while looking in his direction. "it's like you don't know me at all. you're asking me if i want food. come on, baby." a low chuckle slipping past his lips. "have you met me? have you met my family?" steps were taken to slip behind her, arms wrapping around her figure and he leaned closer to press a kiss to the curve of her neck. "i want the works."

she smirked as he spoke and she rolled her eyes as he kissed her. she nodded as he requested what burrito he wanted before he was kneeling in front of her with his hands on her stomach. he pressed a kiss to it before he was talking to the baby and she smiled gently. she gave another roll of her eyes, "you're just trying to save your ass because i can still kick it while i'm pregnant." she flicked his forehead before stepping around him and heading into the kitchen. "do you want any toppings when it's finished cooking?" she asked and placed the burrito in the microwave. she opened their refrigerator, "we have guac and sour cream. but it's the spicy guac mom made and we have sauce...cheese. lettuce and tomatoes." she looked over her shoulder at her boyfriend and raised her eyebrows.

[canncnball]

"no, we haven't, have we?" so much had happened and it felt like talking about what they wanted for their future wasn't an option. the only thing he knew was that he wanted his future with her in it. a voice in the back of his mind said everything else would fall into place as time went on and he wondered if this was things starting to fall into place. with a soft hum, a quick kiss was pressed firmly to her lips before he pulled back to meet her gaze. "i think, after the night we had, we could use a shower." as the words passed his lips, his arms stayed wrapped around her while pushing himself up, then he eased his girlfriend down onto her feet. "let's start there," he spoke, lacing their hands together to guide them along towards the bathroom. once there, the shower was turned on with his shirt tugged off before he turned towards her. "if you're lucky, i might even give you a massage." there was a teasing tone to his words, knowing he would gladly do it.

when things started between them, she never thought she'd fall as hard and as fast as she did for him. this was a new kind of normal for her now and she wanted it all with him. "i do. i wanna get married and have kids with you. we really haven't had the chance to discuss what we want within our relationship. everything has been kind of a whirlwind, you know?" she breathed and smiled as he rubbed his hands up and down her sides. when he leaned in for a kiss, she curled her arms around his neck and returned it with equal fervour. she hummed softly and smiled against his lips. she nodded her head and brushed her fingers through his hair before leaning up for another kiss. "okay - you can take care of me tonight...i'll allow it," she teased him and chuckled. her lips ghosted over his again and she took a deep breath as she pulled away. "what do you wanna do first?"

[canncnball]

his palm rested against her back, slowly rubbing up and down in a way to comfort her as best as possible because he knew how tense his wife was about everything. he could feel it in the way he touched her now and hated it. all he wanted was for her to get a break and they both got that a little while they were away, but it didn't last nearly long enough. "i love you more than you know, princess." his head tilted while he leaned closer to nuzzle into the curve of her neck for a split second. a few soft kisses were pressed to her skin and he lingered, pressing one more there before turning enough to meet her gaze. "eat up, baby. we've got hours before we're back home."

he said 'hey baby' and she looked up from her food before they were left alone again. he faced her better and cupped her cheeks and she smiled gently. she leaned into the kiss and he rested their foreheads together. "i know you will, baby, and i love you so much. you are fucking amazing." she swallowed thickly and pressed another kiss to his lips. her arms wrapped around him and she pulled him close to her, bending one of her knees to be able to lean in close to him. her ribs are healing better now, but she was still in a great deal of discomfort. that didn't stop her from getting close to her husband, though. "i love you. more than anything."

[canncnball]

marriage and kids. two things that had never really crossed his mind in the past because it seemed so far beyond what he could have. working with his father and getting his hands dirty made it so he kept a certain distance between himself and attachments. a one night stand or a quick relationship that never really went anywhere was all javier even offered himself. however, he was completely screwed when he walked into the hospital and looked into her eyes. "is that what you want? to get married and have kids? because i think we've been through so much lately that we haven't even really gotten the chance to talk about that." hands rubbed up and down her sides and he let out a soft breath before leaning loser to press a kiss to her lips. "i love you. you have no idea the way you turned my world upside down, baby. you've done more for me than you can even imagine possible," he spoke against her lips before tilting his head to nudge his nose against hers. "so, let me do that for you tonight. let me take care of you, babygirl."

she sighed against his lips as he sat on the edge of the bed and she smiled gently into the kiss. her fingers brushed through his hair and she bit into her lower lip as he spoke. "i understand because i feel the same way...everything just feels like it fell into place the moment i met you. like literally the first time you came into the hospital, it was right then. you may have irritated the hell out of me at first, but it really did fit together. we really did." her hands cupped his face and she pressed another kiss to his lips. her arms curled around his neck and she rested their foreheads together. she nudged her nose against his and she inhaled sharply, "you saved my life, baby, and more. and i'm so happy to be here with you. to love you. to make a life with you. whatever we decide to do in the future. get married. not get married. have kids. not have kids. i want everything i could ever possibly have...with you." she smiled and wrinkled up her nose. she bit into her lower lip and chuckled, "i love you. i always want you to know that. my family loves you. seryn's kids adore you. you're everything to me."