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bihanspookies · 2 months

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Fine Lines

Summary: A time skip of five months since Alora and JJ have been secretly meeting up and the lines of their boundaries are starting to blur.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅••❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

Five months have gone by since Alora decided to make seeing JJ a sort of regular thing. They agreed to not do it every week, being sure to not see each other on the same day as last, careful to leave different sized gaps in between meetings.

But they always met at the bar.

JJ was usually there first; ordering their drinks and happily sitting in their booth waiting for the Black Dragon merc to show up. Trying to not stare at the door, anxiously bouncing his prosthetic leg while he scopes out for that familiar head of hair and those frosty eyes.

Five months they’ve been doing this and every time he’s afraid that she won’t show. Not because he doesn’t trust her— because anything could happen to her in the blink of an eye and he would have no idea about it until it was probably too late.

So every second he spends waiting is torture for him, like water in his lungs that prevents him from breathing until he sees her step through the bar door.

And once she does, everything feels alright.

It’s like second nature at this point, their eyes automatically locking with one another when she comes into the bar, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips as she crosses the room. Wordlessly, he holds out her drink once she’s close enough, his smile growing as she takes it and downs it in one go.

Before, by this point, she would’ve been tense still— dropping into the booth and nervously tapping her fingers on the tabletop. She would’ve been stiff in her posture and kept darting her gaze from him to the door, fearful that someone would recognize her and she’d have to fight her way out.

But now? She plops down with ease, shrugging her jacket off and tossing it next to her while attempting to reach for JJ’s drink. He snatches it away, mock surprise on his face before throwing it down the hatch and slamming the glass on the table. Alora scoffs, eyes rolling dramatically before she turns and flags down Sandy, holding up two fingers and then turning her attention to JJ.

Her shoulders are still a bit rigid and every once in a while she does glance around the room to spot any familiar faces.

But so far her uneasiness hasn’t come true and JJ waits for the day she can fully relax without having to cast a fearful glance over her shoulder.

“You seem to be in a good mood.” Alora remarks, leaning back against her seat and crossing her arms over her chest lightly. Sandy comes over and puts their drinks down, offering JJ a wink before departing back to the bar top.

“Course I am. You’re here.” His smile is soft, fingers wrapping around his glass and preparing to bring it to his lips.

It’s comments like these that send Alora’s heart rate through the roof, lighting the tips of her nerves in a white fire that burns bright like a falling star. She fights to keep her face steady, JJ’s smile growing as he studies her pretty features. In typical Alora nature she rolls her eyes, grabbing her glass to give herself something to do.

“Wait wait now hold on—“ He leans forward and holds his drink out to her, giving a small gesture with it. Alora lifts and clinks her cup to JJ’s, the small chime easing her out of her nerves the smallest bit.

It races back up when JJ’s finger extends and brushes over her the entire underside of her pinky before they depart glasses. He smiles over the rim as he drinks, enjoying the brief contact of her warm skin against his. Alora quickly swallows hers, being cautious into not shattering the glass once she places it on the table.

“Yeah you seem to be in a real fucking good mood.” She mutters under her breath, her mouth twitching and threatening to form into a smile. JJ’s chuckles, nodding in agreement. He casts his eyes across the bar, taking in the other patrons that are also here.

Alora takes the opportunity to look at his side profile, as she’s done discreetly so many times before. She finds herself lost in the gorgeous color of his eyes— always reminding her of a crisp autumn leaf that’s being shined on by a ray of sunlight. Her gaze trails down the length of his nose, admiring the prominent feature that she finds herself looking at often.

His mouth is something she finds herself thinking about way more than she’d like to admit, his lips so pink and inviting, surrounded by that beard that she’s been curious about touching.

She doesn’t even realize that her head has tilted, features softening until JJ is raising an eyebrow and waving his hand in her face.

“Did you hear me?” He asks with a laugh.

Alora blinks out of her daze, fixing her posture and furrowing her eyebrows together.

“What?” It comes out harsher than intended.

He laughs again, shaking his head and jutting his thumb to the dart board.

“Wanna play?”

A few drinks and rounds later, JJ is officially feeling buzzed from all the alcohol, laughing more and getting braver and braver with his touches to Alora. He ‘accidentally’ bumps knees and elbows more times than he can count, letting his fingers skim across hers whenever he finds the opportunity to do so.

It doesn’t go unnoticed, Alora finding herself allowing more of them to go by without a reprimand. It wouldn’t be the first time things have gotten like this but usually JJ stops himself from letting it go any further, chugging water to clear his head and to not mess things up with her.

She knows that their fine line between being ‘friends’ and something else is thinning, unsure of how to deal with it all. JJ’s handsome obviously, not to mention sweet, charming, kind and…

On the complete opposite side of the law that she is.

They’re sitting back down at the booth, JJ’s legs extended out and locking her foot in between his. His elbows rest on the worn table in front of him, chin set upon his knuckles as he smiles tipsily at Alora.

Silence falls between them as the bar hums with activity, the clatter of pool balls and the idle chatter blending together with the music that carries from the battered jukebox in the corner. Alora traces the rim of her glass with one slender finger, focusing on the bar lights that dance in the rippling liquor. A new song shuffles onto the jukebox and JJ snaps his head up, eyes gleaming with something Alora can’t quite place.

The lyrics warble through the air and JJ bobs his head, his lips set in an attempt to keep the lyrics trapped behind his teeth.

It's late in the evening

She's wondering what clothes to wear

She puts on her makeup

And brushes her long blonde hair

Alora wrinkles her nose at the cheesy love song and JJ chuckles, fingers rapping on the table in time to the gentle beat.

And then she asks me, "Do I look alright?"

And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight"

Alora looks back to JJ who is staring a hard line right through her; her face heats under his gaze, but she can’t seem to look away. He extends a hand, palm up and cocks his head in question.

“Dance?”

She almost laughs out loud at the request. He has finally lost his damn mind, clearly, but he’s not wavering, hand still held out waiting.

“C’mon, sweetheart-” the pet name makes her heart do a somersault, “Nobody knows us here.”

Alora chews the inside of her cheek; his request is so out of her depth, so beyond her comfort level that she can’t even conjure a venom-laced retort. Still, JJ smiles from across the table, head tilted to the side and hazel eyes locked on her.

It feels as if someone else is piloting her body. Alora pulls desperately at the emergency brake in her mind, but her hand extends and falls into his all the same, soft fingers brushing against his calloused ones. Stop, she urges herself, panicked brain battling desperately against her fluttering heart.

JJ’s grin widens when her hand hits his; he’s suddenly overtaken with the urge to kiss the back of it, but he resists, afraid of throwing away what he’s managed to accomplish. He moves from the booth, fingers closing around hers to pull her along with him as he makes his way toward the small dance floor.

It feels so natural to lace his fingers with hers. His free arm loops high around her waist, hesitant as she tenses for a moment at the unfamiliar contact. JJ glances down at her and smiles reassuringly, his own confidence suddenly rattled by her closeness- he can see every detail in her face- the scars, the faint freckles, and the true beauty of her eyes.

JJ swallows thickly and shakes his head to clear it before finding a rhythm with Alora, his feet still recalling the movement, even after all the years since he’s danced. To his surprise, she follows his lead, letting him guide them in broad swaths across the faded wooden floor. The other patrons watch in amusement as they dance, a few of them offering wolfish whistles and exaggerated claps.

Alora can hear none of it, her mind is too busy thrumming with the sound of her pulse as it races through her veins and pounds in her ears. JJ is so close that she can see the fine lines in his face and the small patches of gray at his temples. If she focuses, she can feel his heartbeat thudding away in his chest pressed close to hers.

“You really are pretty,” JJ practically whispers, his hazel eyes softening as they find her icy blues.

“And you talk too much.”

He chuckles at that, face breaking into a smile that almost makes her return it. She comes so tantalizingly close, dances agonizingly on the edge, but forces it back down. Alora feels as if she’s losing control of the situation, but she can’t seem to stop the ride, her body unwilling to shove him away and sprint for the door.

The song lulls to a close and fades out, leaving the two of them in the middle of the dance floor, feet now still and gazes locked. JJ squeezes his fingers in hers and his lips part, just barely, eyes fixed so steadily on hers that it feels as if he might burn a hole through her.

He wants to kiss her. God, does he want to kiss her. His mind is on fire with the idea- he would cup her face, lean down, brush his nose against hers-

The bright lights that signal closing time flare to life and Alora uses the momentary distraction to put distance between them, her heart hammering away at her ribcage. She’d almost fucking kissed him. She needs to get out, and fast.

She bolts for the booth to grab her jacket and JJ follows, stumbling over his words. She slings her jacket on and makes for the door with him hot on her heels. She hears him swear as he remembers he still has to pay, fumbling for his wallet in his jeans and thrusting a $100 bill into Sandy’s hands before sprinting through the door after Alora.

“Alora!” JJ calls after her; her form is already growing smaller under the orange glow of the street lights, “Please-”

Alora stops, fists balled at her sides, but she doesn’t turn toward him. She no longer trusts herself, is afraid that if she looks at him, she won’t be able to turn back. The line is no longer thin, it’s almost nonexistent. JJ reaches her and she can hear his heavy breaths as he comes to a stop just a few feet away from her back. She closes her eyes, exhaling shakily, but she still doesn’t turn to face him.

“Please,” JJ says again; there’s a wavering edge to his voice that makes Alora’s chest tighten, just a little, “I don’t…I didn’t mean to cross a line.”

You didn’t, she thinks with a jolt.

Alora finally turns to face him, her gaze cast downward at the cracked concrete at her feet. JJ’s hands flex at his sides, the desire to reach out and grab her shoulder burning through him like a live wire.

Her lips part but nothing comes out, her words stuck in her throat because she has no fucking idea what to say. It’s all unfamiliar territory to her, this song and dance completely out of her zone and she has no clue how to navigate it.

JJ patiently waits for her to speak, swallowing hard as he watches the storm form in her eyes from the internal struggle she’s facing right now. In the short time he’s known her, he's never seen her so frazzled, a different kind of fear in her eyes.

Alora takes a deep breath, takes a deep breath, feeling the way her heart pounds in her chest and finally looks up at JJ.

“You didn’t cross a line.” Her tone is low- steady and even but he catches the way she focuses on not letting it shake. She runs her hand through the loose strands of hair framing her face and pushes them back, holding them as she thinks of what to say next.

“I-“ She scoffs, hand coming down and hitting lightly against her thigh.

A part of her is screaming to get the hell out of there, to scramble away from the hole she’s dug herself before she falls in and can’t get out.

But another part just wants to throw it all to the wind, to say fuck it and allow herself to have this one small moment of freedom.

To run right into JJ’s arms and kiss him, lock her hands behind his neck and breathe in the scent of his cologne so deep that it fills and makes a home for itself within her lungs.

“I’ll see you next Thursday.”

She spins on her heel quickly to avoid seeing the way his heart breaks, tugging her jacket tight as she picks up the pace.

JJ’s arm hangs in midair, a poor pathetic attempt at stopping her from running away once again. He could scream right now, pull out his hair and kick over the trash can for just how utterly stupid he feels right now.

Five months down the drain he thinks. Gone within the blink of an eye and vanishing in the wind- just like her.

It takes a moment for her words to sink in, a jolt in his heart when he realizes exactly what she said.

“See you next Thursday.” He repeats to himself quietly, a small sigh of relief coming from him when he registers the promise.

—-

It’s nearly closing time and JJ sits at their booth with two glasses of Everclear, full and untouched. He sighs for the umpteenth time, looking at the door once more before returning his gaze back to his drink.

Alora hasn’t shown and if she hasn’t by now then…

JJ’s first instinct is to think the worst; that Kano caught wind of her and where she was really going. Probably made an example out of her, shot his laser right through—

He groans audibly and shakes his head, turning to look for Sandy and wave her down. He doesn’t need his potential last memory of Alora to be gruesome, preferring to deal with the heartache that she’s still alive rather than six feet under.

“No pretty girl, huh?” Sandy says with a sad smile, placing his bill on the tabletop. JJ quietly sucks his teeth, thumbing through the folded cash in his pocket before giving Sandy a crisp $50 bill.

“Now honey, you know damn well these two drinks ain’t cost nearly $50.” She smirks, plucking the bill from his fingertips.

“I know,” He smiles up at her, gathering his jacket and standing up.

“Thanks for taking care of us, Sandy.” His arms slip through the sleeves, a heavy sigh through his nose with one final smile before he departs towards the door.

It’s happened once or twice, Alora not showing up and sending a panic through JJ. They usually just meet the upcoming Saturday since that was their regular before but he wasn’t so sure that was the case now, not with how things went last week.

JJ walks towards his truck, gaze to the ground and so absorbed in his thoughts that he doesn’t see Alora leaning against the passenger side, arms crossed and drumming her fingers on herself. He stops once he notices her, eyes going wide and mouth opening to say something but she puts her hand up to stop him.

“You’re not dead—“ He can’t help himself from saying it, the relief flooding through his body like a tidal wave. Alora’s face scrunches up at his statement, straightening her posture and unfolding her arms.

“No I’m not dead—“

“So why didn’t… why didn’t you come inside?” He steps closer, nearly toe to toe with her boots. “Thought somethin’ happened to you.”

Alora locks eyes with him, rehearsing her words that she’s been thinking about since the moment she left last week. She draws in a deep breath through her nose, giving a weak shrug of her shoulders.

“Was scared.” She whispers so softly under her breath, fingers playing with a loose thread on her pants.

JJ feels the silence between them fill his ears, the idle chatter of people coming and going fading into nothing as he replays her words in his head.

“Of me?” He keeps the same volume, afraid to shatter the glass bubble they’ve blown around themselves to give them this one moment. She shakes her head, feeling her insides twist and turn, a mute pounding in her ears as she takes in the worried look of him.

“Of this. Us.”

Naturally his body fills with dread, his heart turning to lead within himself. But then her words sink in and something starts to shift in JJ’s body in that moment; her quiet demeanor, the nervous ticks, the subdued look in those pretty blue eyes that he’s come to get lost in. It all clicks together at once for JJ.

JJ knows Alora is frightened at the possibility of being caught with him, that much is obvious. But as he replays last week's events in his head, remembering the subtle changes in her face, the minuscule way her fingers flexed around his, the minor adjustment to tilt her head upward…

It’s amazing how quickly his fear melts away, how the anxiety and stress of the situation morphs into something warm and lighthearted.

She had wanted to kiss him.

Alora notices a twinkle in his eye and cocks her head to the side as a muscle ticks in his slow progressing smile.

“It’s dangerous JJ—“

“You like me.” He grins, placing his hands on his hips, a bit of a smug demeanor taking over now.

JJ nearly wants to laugh when her eyebrows knit together, scoffing and recrossing her arms across her chest.

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

And there it is.

JJ points a finger at her with an open mouth grin, his heart now bashing against his ribcage for an entirely different reason.

He thought he’d scare her off with his actions, stacks on stacks of worry that he screwed up big time. Only to realize that she isn’t necessarily scared of him.

She’s afraid of her growing feelings for him.

“Ah! You’re cursing. You only really curse when you’re upset and given the situation—“

“Shut the hell up, Mitchell—“ She growls, pushing his finger out her face.

“I think it’s safe to say,”

“Stop it!”

“That you!”

She puts a hand on his chest when he takes that final step closer, his rapidly beating heart nearly matching hers. skyrocketing when he leans down a bit closer.

“Like me.”

It’s like white noise in her ears, drowning out everything else and forcing her to focus on him; the crinkles in the corners of his eyes, the gray patches in his hair, those hazel eyes sparkling with mischief.

“I do not.” Alora hisses through her teeth, curling her fingers into the material of his shirt. The scent of his cologne infiltrates her, nearly making her eyes flutter shut. She remembers how just last week she wanted that same smell to fill her lungs. JJ reaches a hand and tentatively brushes a lock of her hair behind her ears, letting his fingers linger on her jawline.

“I meant every word I’ve ever said to you; you’re so fuckin’ pretty, sweetheart.” He whispers so softly, trailing his touch under her chin and taking a gentle hold of it. Alora takes a shaky breath, tightening her fingers into his shirt to hold her steady.

She’s at a loss for words, swallowing to quench her dry throat. Her other hand rests on the truck behind her, the cool metal a welcomed contrast against her skin.

“Can I kiss you?”

The tenderness of his voice makes her feel lightheaded, causes her features to soften up and her body feel fuzzy.

“Please.”

She can barely recognize her own voice, the desperate plea and such a difference to her usual harsh demeanor. She doesn’t get time to dwell on it because JJ lets out a sigh of relief before pressing his lips against hers.

His fingers slide further back, threading into her hair and slightly messing up her braid. She doesn’t care right now, too engrossed in the softness of his lips and the way his beard scratches just right against her cheeks; just as she imagined.

He’s gentle with her, taking care to not lose himself in their kiss but god does he want to, it’s everything he ever pictured.

He pulls away, just enough to keep their noses touching, slipping his hand out of her hair and caressing his fingertips along her jaw once more. Alora opens her eyes (when did she even close them?) and feels the last bit of her breath hitch in her throat when she sees just how blown JJ’s pupils are.

“Been dreaming of that for awhile…” He whispers, smoothing his thumb up and down her flushed skin, his other hand coming to cup her hip. Alora lets go of his shirt, now wrinkled from how clenched her fist was around the material.

“I couldn’t tell.” She remarks with a swallow, her throat clicking as she tries to fall back into her sarcastic demeanor to ease her nerves.

There’s a few beats of silence between them, JJ admiring Alora’s details more closely. He noticed them last week, but now he’s really taking in the sprinkle of freckles across her nose. He wants to kiss them, leave his mark over every single dot and any other marks that she might have on her body.

“Can’t believe an old man like me has you so flustered, sweetheart.” He snickers, moving his hand to clasp the back of her neck. Alora rolls her eyes and sucks her teeth, giving a weak hit to his chest.

“You are not old…” She mutters, the heat increasing on her cheeks and spreading down to her neck. He laughs through his nose and massages where he has his fingers, the fond smile on his lips making Alora’s heart skip a beat.

“But I have you flustered?” He’s being cheeky now, putting his forehead against hers and running his other hand up and down her hip. Alora tenses her jaw, sending another light hit to his chest with no actual hurt behind it.

“Shut up,” She grunts. JJ gives a playful squeeze to her hip, ready to interject. “And just kiss me again.” She cuts him off, her lips already tingling from the anticipation of feeling him once more.

His grin grows impossibly bigger, curling his knuckle underneath her chin.

“Yes ma’am.” He dips again, pouring everything he can into their second kiss, wrapping his hands tighter around her body.

Tonight he has her finally, and he never wants to let go.

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JJ: @chadillacboseman

#yEEEEHAAAWWW PARDNER!!!!!!!!!!!l #the Bull and the battering Ram #mk jj #mk alora #mk oc #hotshot

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