Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

Sabastian's eyes only widened further at Vin's grin, letting out a sigh of relief when Vin finally spilt the beans about Sabastian being in the clear. The blonde tried to wiggle away from Vin when he kissed his neck. "Viiiin! You're going to give me another hicky!" He giggled and finally gave up, letting himself be pulled back against the man's body. If he hadn't just unloaded three times, he almost would have been up for another go from the way his groin was pressed against the blonde's ass. As it was, he could always use it as material for his next... private session.

Unable to meet Vin's eyes for a moment, he sheepishly looked away from Vin at the cell door and grumbled, "Well, I mean... I was about to cum, but you beat me to it. After all, it doesn't take me too long to finish when I'm thinking about you."

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Cora's little snirk made both of the men grin, Damien looking up at her and hoping that maybe it wasn't as painful as Maverick had hinted that it would be. He listened to her start to give him a double-hint but his grin dropped off his face in a split second when he saw her eyes water and her body tense.

The man looked from her to Maverick and back, wondering if they should stop there. Obviously she was in a lot of pain. Wouldn't it be better to simply let it go and come back to it tomorrow when it was loose from another rock massage. He was indecisive, not sure whether to step in and tell Maverick to fucking stop, or to trust that Cora would tell him to back off if she needed to.

His steely eyes looked concerned as she looked at him, but it was clear she wanted to continue the game if only to distract her. He thought for a moment without breaking eye contact and saying, "hm. This is tough. It sounds like a beauty and the beast type situation, but obviously that isn't a show."

"Is it that dude from 50 shades of grey? Rich, handsome, smart, and with a guarded personality. As my last guess, I actually think it's a pretty good one." Maverick commented, his hands sliding over her skin and still pushing insistently on her muscles. He was about halfway done, so they were almost through the worst of it.

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Tiffany pretended not to care, but she secretly watched Lizz as she walked away, her eyes almost pensive for a moment before she looked back at the office window.

 

[Drobabes]

"Viiiin! You're going to give me another hicky!"

He chuckled against his skin but let him go. If Sabastian didn't get so embarrassed about the hickies, he would have been more than happy to paint that creamy little body with his love, kisses and otherwise...

"After all, it doesn't take me too long to finish when I'm thinking about you."

Even though the tension had melted out of his muscles, that little proclamation made him smile with affection. His brown eyes stared down into his face, and he moved his hand up to gently pull his eye patch off, then he moved it down to cup his cheek as he stared at those two jewels. Bending down, he kissed him softly for a moment, his feelings for Sabastian almost overwhelming him. He wanted so badly to tell him he loved him, but, he wasn't going to do that in a bathroom stall of all places. Sex in a public place could be thrilling. Telling someone for the first time that you loved them, in front of a toilet, was not.

When he pulled back, he moved his eye-patch back in place and then bent down to gather up a bit of toilet paper in a little ball before handing it to him.

"Let's get cleaned up. It's getting pretty stuffy in here."
________

Her soft smile came back before she answered him.

"It is a little like beauty and the beast."

The massage was still hurting like hell, but the game was distracting her enough to take her away from those dark thoughts, so with a bit more courage than she felt, she pulled her hand out from under her side and laid it over his, giving his fingers a little squeeze.

"Is it that dude from 50 shades of grey?"

"You mean Fifty Shades of Shit?" she said with a bit of disgust.

"No. That guy is a manipulative asshole..."

She stared down at the table again for a moment. She had seen that movie, but only because a work colleague had drug her to it and she had wanted to try and make normal friends. However, she ended up hating the movie and getting up many times to 'go to the bathroom'. That character reminded her way too much of Kuznet, just toned down for a Hollywood audience.

"Alright, here's a few more hints. The main characters love interest is a detective, and they solve crimes together. The main character also has a side kick that is a women who loves wearing leather and totally kicks ass in every fight she gets into."

 

[Poprockz]

It was so nice to see Vin's lovely face with both of his eyes, the little man grateful that Vin had pulled it back so they could really look at each other. It felt like there couldn't possibly be any other outcome than that soft, tender kiss they shared, as though it was simply right. Unlike their previous ravenous make-out session, the kiss they shared in that moment was like one from the moves, a romantic kiss of affection and adoration, maybe even... love.

Sabastian felt like his heart was melting from Vin's soft lips, the blonde smiling warmly when vin pulled back and resituated his eyepatch. It seemed like Vin was as close to fire as he was ever going to get, the man's body being so hot physically and aesthetically, and his actions so warm. It set a fire in his heart that he couldn't extinguish. One of these days, he was going to have to tell Vin how he felt. Well, maybe in a little while. He was too afraid of it putting Vin off so early in everything that he decided they needed a bit more time before he sprung that on his long-haired hunk.

He accepted the toilet paper and cleaned the door, making sure to also get the drips that had come to the bottom of the door and onto the floor. It was a lot of cum, and Sabastian could only blush as he cleaned, using the toilet paper to make one final sweep before going to the sink and getting his shirt wet. He then put it around his shoulders to obscure the hickies and withdrew his appendage.

With that, he made his way to the door and held it open with a playful smile. "After you."

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Damien was very pleased when she gave him her hand once more, but a little worry nagged at the back of his mind that she might be pushing herself just to make him feel better. Regardless, he would never turn down the touch of her soft little hand. He squeezed her gently right back, a bit of a brighter smile on his face.

"No. That guy is a manipulative asshole..."

Her comment made Maverick shrug, "can't say I disagree with you there. Tiffany dragged me off to see it with the promise of head in the theater, but the movie sucked and I ended up not getting any head." The man sighed with disappointment. "Popcorn was nice though."

That story prompted Damien to give Cora a look as though to say, "that's fucking sad." And that was actually what he said immediately afterward. Maverick scowled at him and flipped him the bird before continuing on Cora's back. Though, the man wasn't petty to the point that he was going to take his annoyance out on her back. He was almost done, and he wanted to be praised for his good work.

Damien wanted to guess the answer correctly, but he was having trouble figuring out what it was. "It's not Lucifer, is it?" he asked hesitantly.

 

[Drobabes]

While Sabastian busied himself with cleaning off the stall door, Vin had stepped out to wash up at the sink and using a little extra water to wash some of the sweat from his body as best he could. He also thought it might be a good idea to come back with some empty water jugs and fill up-who knew how long the water would be running for.

He smiled down at him as he held the door open, stepping through with a "thank you kind sir". Once they were back out in the garage, he looked around, noticing Tiffany still didn't have a shirt on, but had now also added some short-shorts and bikini to the mix. That women was thirsty as hell, but he doubted she would be getting any attention from anyone besides her own boyfriend.

When his eyes then looked over to the office and through the windows, he started to look away but quickly took a double take. Crossing his arms over his chest, he let out a little "huh". It seemed as if Cora was getting a massage, but Damien was okay with it. Or at least, from what he could see.

"Well I'll be goddamned. I wonder what happened."

Cora didn't seem like the type to be touched by a stranger, and he knew Damien would have been a hot mess of jealousy, so something must have happened for Maverick to convince her to let him have a go at her back.
________

Cora actually had to bite her lip when Damien spoke up about it, not wanting to laugh and make Maverick any more annoyed. Still, it was pretty sad, and the couple certainly didn't seem to have much of a connection. Despite how flirty Maverick was, and rude, she wondered if he didn't deserve better.

"It's not Lucifer, is it?"

A slow grin grew across her face, but she waited just a few seconds before answering him.

"Bingo. Did you know he's also six foot three? Just about as tall as you. And," she said, her smile much more light and cheerful now.

"You both look amazing in a suit and tie."

Honestly, she hadn't thought of the resemblance between the two until just yesterday, when her and Sabastian were having a light-hearted conversation about the things they already missed. Her answer had been Netflix and popcorn.

 

[Poprockz]

Tiffany glanced up as they came back in, her eyebrow raising for a moment. They had been gone a while, to fuck, no doubt. Still, she couldn't do anything about the fact that they were a couple. If Vin were bi, she might have tried again, but she was still a bit put-off by his earlier reaction. Therefore, she simply accepted the fact that they were gay.

Sabastian heard Vin's soft little "huh" and his eyes followed the man's, seeing Cora laying down with Maverick bent over her. His eyebrows furrowed, the little man having half a mind to give the guy a black eye for coercing her like that. Where the fuck was Damien anyway? It seemed like he would be vehemently opposed to that creep putting his hands on her.

"Well I'll be goddamned. I wonder what happened."

When Vin commented out loud, Tiffany spoke up, "Cora fucked up her back, I think. Damien's in there too." Her tone was dismissive, as though she didn't care. The woman had since grabbed another little carton of raisins, eating them as well.

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When that grin spread across her face, he got excited, waiting with bated breath to see if he was close or maybe even if he guessed correctly. His eyes widened a little, his body leaning forward just a bit in anticipation of her answer. That was one of the best parts of a game, the exciting pause before one was either victorious, or proved wrong.

He soon found out that he was right on the money, a big, toothy smirk appearing quickly on his face. Damien looked immensely pleased with himself, the man feeling a bit of a rush from having won the guessing game, especially snice he hadn't expected to win in the first place.

"Wow, I can't believe I got that! Huh. Well, I have to say that I'm flattered that you think he and I seem very similar. I can't deny that I look pretty snappy in business-wear." He winked at Cora playfully, causing Maverick to roll his eyes.

Maverick massaged her a bit more before stopping, asking them to stay put for a moment before walking out of the office and out the station, quickly grabbing the rocks outside before coming back in and locking the door. He soon returned and gave her a short stone massage, letting her muscles relax into the places he had correctively put them in. When he was done, her back was warm and sore, but the pain was completely gone, her movement having been restored to her.

"There all done. What do you think?" He stood expectantly back, waiting for her to get up.

 

[Drobabes]

He looked over at her with a bit of a questioning glance. The women didn't seem very bothered that her lovers hands were on another girl, although then again, with the way she had been acting, maybe their relationship was over anyway. He gave a bit of a shrug and then turned to Sabastian.

"It's getting a bit late. Should we get our sleeping gear out of the car?"
________

Her own smile only grew as she watched his expression. She loved when he got excited like that, and smiled so genuinely. He looked happy, genuinely happy, and Cora hoped that she would be able to see him like that every day.

When Maverick announced he was done, Cora didn't waste any time getting off that awful table. While the game had distracted her, and Damien's gorgeous smile had left her heart melting, she just wanted to get the hell out of that office as soon as she could. She stood there for a moment, testing her muscles by moving her head slowly and then lifting her arms up a bit. It was still a little sore, but she had to admit, leagues better than how it had been. She could actually move now.

"That's a lot better."

She turned to him, and with sincerity said, "thank you Maverick. You did a really good job."

When she turned back to Damien, she looked up at him with a soft smile and took his hand.

"Can we go outside for a minute? I want a little fresh air. It's...stuffy, in here."

 

[Poprockz]

"Yeah, let's." Sabastian responded, glancing at the office before going outside with Vin. He could still sense some zombies within the town, but he couldn't necessarily decipher how many. The whole "zombie radar" thing was a bit hit-and-miss when it came to details. Like sure it was great to know when another zombie was nearby, but how many and where are they would also be good to know. He wondered if Robert would have been able to offer any input since he seemed to be a bit more in-tune, or maybe Robert just had a boosted signal.

The blonde started digging through the car before he sniffed. His eyes narrowed and he went to the front seat, digging under it for a moment before finding the frosting. "Damien, you sly dog..." A tiny bit of frosting had gotten onto his seatbelt, so it had been easy for him to sniff it out. Grinning at Vin, he popped off the cap, took a scoop of it, and put it back under the seat. Vin didn't really like artificial sweet things, but Sabastian surely did.

He licked the frosting off his finger until it was mostly gone, then sucked the remaining sugar from his skin. It was nice to have a sweet treat after their little session in the bathroom, kind of like having a cigarette.

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"Thank you Maverick. You did a really good job."

Maverick had the smuggest grin on his face also, even beating Damien's. He was super pleased that she thanked him so sincerely, proud that his work had paid off and that she was now able to move about normally. As long as she didn't sleep in any more chairs, she would be fine.

"You're welcome, sweetness. If you ever want to give me a tip, let me know and I'd be happy to work something out." He swaggered out of the office and noticed Tiffany sitting there, looking over at her and sitting down next to the woman. They chatted for a little bit before Tiffany got up and stomped to the back of the place again as Maverick said something like, "you're overreacting, babe!"

Damien took her hand and nodded, leading her outside into the twilight. Dusk had come and gone and now the day was almost given to the darkness of night. It was cooling off a bit, and Damien found himself grateful for that. He was used to having AC most of the time and while he could do without and had done without before, he very much preferred it.

Once they were out, he looked down at her and cocked his head to the side a bit. "Are you okay? It looked really painful from where I was sitting." He man reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, pausing to let his his hand rest at her cheek.

 

[Drobabes]

Vin was grabbing the sleeping bags, but when he looked over and saw Sabastian with the can of frosting, he tried really hard not to laugh. Not because Sabastian had a sweet tooth-that on it's own he found to be adorable, but because Sabastian wasn't really thinking about why Damien had probably hidden that little tub of sweetness. Who knew what kind of fingers had been digging around in that frosting.

He kept it to himself though, simply turning back to gathering up the supplies and trying not to let his mind wander back to Lizz and...well, he would deal with that pain later. Tomorrow, he really needed to sit that stubborn little women down and find a way to convince her to go home.
_______

Cora ignored Maverick's flirty comments, and she wasn't surprised at all when Tiffany went storming off. She simply let Damien lead her outside, and once they were standing outside the doors, she let out a sigh of relief and took in a deep breath. The cooler air felt fresh in her lungs and helped to clear her mind a bit.

"Are you okay? It looked really painful from where I was sitting."

She reached up to lay her hand over his, needing his comfort in that moment. Despite her best efforts, her fingers were still trembling slightly.

"It did hurt, but it wasn't the pain, it was the table."

Closing her eyes, she let her hand come down so that she could cross her arms. She knew that was super vague, and she wanted to let him in, she did, but...it was so hard to talk about. Still, he had been open and honest with her. She needed to do the same for him.

"It just," she said quietly, opening her eyes again and looking up at him.

"Reminded me of some bad stuff. He used to...he would handcuff me. To a table. My wrists and ankles."

She looked away, biting her lip a bit.

"Far enough out to where I couldn't move. All I could do was turn my head."

Cora wanted to say, turn her head and scream, but she didn't think that was a necessary detail to get her point across. Besides, the one time that she had ever went that far in describing something, Sarah had broke down in tears. She hadn't even realized how fucked up it had been until she had seen the way that sweet girls expression had absolutely shattered in pain.

 

[Poprockz]

Satisfied with his pilfering of Damien’s secret sweet stash, Sabastian went back to help Vin with stuff. He grabbed some of their packs in case anyone needed to change or access anything in them and then headed for the door. The other three they found in the shop probably had some kind of sleeping arrangement, hopefully on somewhat soft blankets or mattresses or something. Technically there was enough room in Vin and Sabastian’s for one more person. He had wanted to cuddle Vin, but if Lizz needed a place to sleep, he would be amenable to her coming in with them. Lizz seemed like a really nice woman, and he couldn’t help but feel really fond of her.

There it was again, that smell. He looked away from the station, his eyes scanning the houses. What the hell was it? Was he going crazy? People with brain injuries often smelled unexplainable smells at random times too, so maybe it was just a side-effect if the change he had gone through. Just like always though, the smell quickly vanished. Sabastian lingered for just a moment before heading inside.

Glancing at Cora as he passed, he wondered why she looked so sad and slightly disturbed. Perhaps the massage had been a difficult ordeal with how badly her back had probably hurt. The blonde set his stuff down and sighed, stretching slightly and wondering what they would have for dinner. Maverick watched him stretch, his eyes raking over his pale body when Sabastian wasn’t looking.

—————————————

Cora didn’t need to expand upon that visual, as Damien could imagine that what probably followed was nothing short of horrific. To be tied down with no way to move while someone touched you or hurt you, it sounded like an awful feeling. He had never been tied down himself, so he could only imagine how it felt.

The thought of her lying helplessly strapped to a table while some bastard played with her and tortured her made him very angry and repulsed. He would be damned if he ever let anything like that happen to her again. Not to that sweet woman who had a rare sort of kindness that was simply more than he deserved.

He gathered her smaller frame up in his arms and held her firmly against his bare chest, making sure to hold her more from her lower back with his other hand against her head so as not to disturb the work Maverick had done for her.

After a moment of silence he said, “I’m sorry. I can only imagine what that was like... the more I hear about this guardian of yours, the more I hate that he was ever given the opportunity to be in your life. Even if you get away from people like that, there are still ghosts that follow you.” He gave her a little squeeze and gently stroked her hair.

“If you ever want to talk about what he did to you, I’m here. I can understand if you want to deal with those memories on your own, but sometimes just speaking of things out loud can loosen their grip, I’m starting to find.” He kissed the top of her head softly, closing his eyes for a moment.

 

[Drobabes]

Vin also noticed Cora when they walked by, and while he was worried for her, he knew Damien could take care of her. He didn't know anything about her past besides her brother, though, so he just assumed it had something to do with that or maybe other family that she might have lost.

When they got inside, Vin started sitting their stuff down, and then his eyes started surveying the room. He hadn't yet gotten much of a chance to talk with Lizz past that painful conversation, and he wanted to have a more pleasant one before bed. So it was that when Sabastian started stretching, he caught the way that Maverick was staring at him, acting as if he was being covert about it. A scowl set on his face, a hot flame of jealousy running through him, and he stepped a bit closer to Sabastian as he continued to look at Maverick.

Unlike Damien, he had no qualms about challenging the horny masseuse. He would really rather not, as his jealousy had got the best of him before, but he had wised up since then and wouldn't just lose his shit like before. He would, however, get his point across that the looks he was giving Sabastian were unwelcome and he would not tolerate them. He had his own lover; he could focus his attention on her.
________

She leaned into him as he gathered her up in a hug, and her own arms went around his waist to hug him tightly. Cora had never realized how much she had needed that comfort of another person that wasn't her brother. Her and her brother were always very physically close, never having a problem with hugging or laying next to each other, but that was a different type of comfort. It was a deep seated comfort that they had both known since the day they were born, and had always just been. It had almost been taken for granted in a way. But this-this she had needed and never known it until Damien had scooped her up in his arms, that first night that she had been in his cabin and had that terrible nightmare. She needed comfort from more than just one person. She had needed friends, and love.

"I know you are Damien, it's just..." she hesitated, tears starting to stream down her face.

"It's so hard to talk about. Not just because it hurts, but because it freaks people out when I do. The few times that I tried to open up, I lost my therapist and had to get a new one, and then when I tried to talk to Sarah, she just...she just started crying."

She sniffed and leaned her face into his chest, letting out a shuddering breath before turning back so that her voice wouldn't be muffled.

"Sarah managed to listen to me the most though...I just couldn't go into too much detail. She tried. She tried really hard for me, but I guess it was just...too much..."

 

[Poprockz]

Maverick had thought that he wouldn’t be seen taking stock of the blonde’s slim frame, but as Vin moved closer, his eyes glanced up only to find Vin looking directly at him. The expression on Vin’s face wasn’t particularly welcoming either, Maverick getting the feeling that Vin was none too pleased about his gaze on Sabastian. He hadn’t noticed that they were a couple just yet, but that look was unmistakable. It clearly said, “eyes on your own girl, asshole.”

He raised an eyebrow and looked away, not particularly in the mood to start shit with Vin. After all, he’d already gotten a good look at Sabastian’s plump little ass, so he was satisfied for now.

The blonde in question looked up at Vin and saw him scowling at Maverick, prompting him to look back and forth between the two men before continuing what he was doing. He didn’t know why Vin was pissed at the guy, but he probably deserved it.

Tiffany entered the room, dragging a metallic pink mummy sleeping bag behind her as well as a metallic dark green one. She set them next to each other and sat down on the pink one. Lizz didn’t have any kind of sleeping bag, so they had been letting her use the blue one while Maverick slept on the leather chairs with a blanket. He had said that he ran way too hot for a mummy bag anyway.

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Damien listened quietly to her tears and her experiences with sharing her dark past. If a therapist was wanting to drop her as a client because of what had happened, then he knew that there were some especially twisted things that had happened to her. Therapists were trained to deal with trauma and with awful things in general, so if it was too much for them, then it put a knot of dread in Damien's stomach.

No one wanted to hear that their partner had been abused in the worst ways. To be told about it was almost like witnessing it and being helpless to do anything for them. You couldn't swoop in and save someone from a memory, from a situation that had long since passed. That helplessness might have been what her friend had felt, that deep sorrow of being unable to help the tremendous pain someone had gone through.

He would have to handle this delicately, the man silent as he thought of a response. When he did, he reached down and put his hand gently under her chin, lifting it slightly so she could look at him as he spoke. The man wanted her to believe what he was saying and to know that he meant every word.

"To hear you talk about your past and the things you went through will be painful for me, but I want you to be able to tell me about your experiences. I can't say that I won't cry or that I won't be angry at the man that did that to you, but your past is something I want to be able to look in the eye. I... don't want you to feel like you have to keep it inside because you're afraid of how I'll react, or afraid that I'll leave you. No matter what you say, your trauma will never be a burden to me." He looked at her earnestly with softness to his steely eyes, hoping that he had gotten his point across.

 

[Drobabes]

Satisfied that his point had been made, Vin let his shoulders relax and he gave Sabastian a gentle rub on his shoulder before walking over to where Lizz was.

The light in the shop was starting to dim, so she had set up an old fashion candle so she could see, not wanting to waste batteries when they might need a flashlight at a more pressing time. Below the dim flickers, she had another bit of parts and wires, and as Vin looked over her shoulder, he noticed that it didn't look like car parts.

"Is that from the generator?"

"Ah! Oh, goddammit Delvin! How do you manage to stay so quiet when you're so freakin big!"

He flashed her a toothy grin, eliciting a little grin of her own before she smacked his arm with the back of her hand.

"Yea, it's from the generator. I honestly don't know what the hell I'm doing, mostly just winging it here."

She stuck her slender fingers down between two pieces of metal and tried to pull out a little tube, having to wiggle it back and forth quite a bit before she could finally free it. Once she got it out, she sat it on the bench. Delvin was still standing next to her, simply watching with curiosity, but Lizz didn't mind. That was kind of their normal, and even though Lizzy preferred the buzz of conversation while she worked, Vin had always been more the type to get completely engrossed in watching what what she was doing without making a sound. He had told her once that it was like watching a show on how things were made, the way the parts all fit together or came apart being very interesting to him.
________

She listened quietly as he spoke, and when he was done, she gave him a little nod.

"Alright" she whispered, her lip wobbling slightly. There really wasn't anything else she could say, as she had already chose to try and not hide things from him. It didn't mean that she needed to unload everything all at once, but, if she needed to talk about something... she didn't have to be afraid with him.

Reaching up, she wiped her tears away on the back of her arm and sniffed again.

"I might struggle with opening up, for a while" she said slowly, looking back up at him.

"Old habits are hard to break. But, I'll try, ok? I want to be open with you."

 

[Poprockz]

They hadn't had dinner yet, so Sabastian was going to wait until to then to go to sleep. Still, he was looking forward to being cuddled up against Vin during the night. He had half a mind to slip out and do some moonlight zombie-slaying to clear the way for them tomorrow since he could see in the dark, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight, he just wanted to be there for Vin.

He looked over to where Lizz was tinkering and Vin was watching. The blonde himself wasn't super interested in watching her work since he wasn't super mechanically minded, so he hung back. Not only that, but he wouldn't be able to get close anyway until Lizz put that open flame out. Just thinking about coming over there and leaning over made his stomach lurch. It was frustrating that such a tiny bit of flame could intimidate him so much.

Since Damien and Cora were outside and Vin was hanging out with Lizz, the only other two people to talk to were Maverick and Tiffany. Of the two, he found Tiffany to be the less annoying. Tiffany was thirsty and catty, but Maverick was just a horny asshole. He wasn't aware that the man's interests also extended to men, but his mind didn't even entertain thoughts about Maverick's sexuality since he was obviously hitting on all the women.

The little blonde shuffled into the office, looking for anything that could relieve the boredom. At the top of a shelf was a game of checkers and his eyes lit up. He reached up, trying to grab it but couldn't, the little man wishing he could use an appendage to grab it. Perhaps he would just grab a chair.

"Trying to grab the checkers, shorty?" Maverick appeared next to him, reaching up and easily grabbing the game before holding it out to Sabastian with a smug look on his face.

Sabastian scowled and grabbed the checkers game roughly out of his hands, saying in a very annoyed voice, "do you do anything other than be a colossal asshole and creep on women?"

The man shrugged, taking a step back and leaning against the desk, so that he wasn't blocking Sabastian in. If there was one thing he didn't want, it was Vin to think he cornered the little man. He could easily overpower the blonde if he wanted to, but he wasn't about that life. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't flirt with him; he wouldn't mind a threesome if Sabastian was so inclined. And if the answer was no now, it didn't mean it would continue to be no in the future. "I mean, I also give a mean massage, have a good sense of humor, and appreciate handsome guys..."

Sabastian was prepared to give him an eyeroll, but that last bit caught him off-guard. Was Maverick bi too? Was he trying to hit on him. After a moment of stunned silence, he glared at him and replied, "yeah? Seems like a shitty sense of humor to me."

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"Whenever you feel you need to talk about it, it will be fine with me. After all, I don't plan on going anywhere." He gave her a little smile and looked up at the sky. The moon was still bright, though it was starting to wane from the full moon at the lake. Whether the moon was blazing bright or hidden in shadow, it was still there in the sky among the stars when the night came.

"Even the moon can't be bright all the time, so just give it time." He chuckled softly and looked back at her, lifting his thumb and wiping some of her tears. "Although, the moon doesn't have to deal with the kind of shit we deal with, so really, you're much better than that hunk of rock. In fact, at the risk of sounding like an idiot, I would say that you're the sun in my life. I always thought those types of comments sounded really contrite, but you really make me want to say all of those over-used comparisons." He gave her a grin and leaned down, kissing her softly before pulling back and simply watching that beautiful face of hers.

 

[Drobabes]

Vin had been planning on waiting until tomorrow to bring up the subject to Lizz, but the more he watched her tinker, the more it kept weighing on his mind. His thoughts were coming so heavy now, that he wasn't sure if he could sleep tonight if he didn't get this settled.

"Lizzy...tomorrow, after we get the car repaired, what are you going to do? Do you have a plan?"

She had been trying and failing to work a new piece of tubing down into where she had pulled the old piece out, but when he spoke up, she paused and looked over her shoulder at him.

"You want me to come with you?"

"I want you to be safe."

Lizz sighed and put the parts down, turning around to face him fully.

"Alright, spit it out. What do you want me to do?"

Delvin was quiet for a moment, trying to think of how to word it so she wouldn't immediately shoot the idea down. He leaned over against the work bench and crossed his arms, letting out his own small breath between clenched teeth as he looked down at her.

"I want you to go home Lizz."

She gave him a look like he had just said the stupidest thing that she had ever heard.

"Delvin...I was home. I just ran from home."

"No, Lizzy, I mean I want you to go home."

The look that came over her face as she realized what he was saying actually made him nervous, as he was pretty sure there was a fifty fifty chance that she was going to pick up a wrench and start swinging it at him.

"You want me, to go home? Back to that backwoods, intolerant, redneck little town where they still hang the fucking confederate flag up on the walls of the bars and sing karaoke about shooting anyone who doesn't think like them?"

"Lizzy, don't-"

"No!" she yelled, her voice starting to get louder as she glared the big man down.

"Don't you 'Lizzy' me! I am not going back there Delvin! How the fuck could you even ask me that? Or do you not remember how much shit that town put us through? You might have been able to hide it Delvin," she said with intensity, stepping up and giving him a shove in the chest, which made him put his arms down and start to step back up from her.

"You! Might have been able to play it off because you were big and scary and cool, and people didn't want to fuck with you, but I," she pointed a thumb at her chest, still glaring him down.

"Couldn't. I couldn't take their bullshit, and I sure as hell can't take it now. Especially now. They've probably already formed their own little mob of intolerant fuckheads ready to hang anyone that doesn't think like them."

She turned away from him then, grabbing the part off the table and the candle, and then storming off across the shop to a new workbench, trying to get away from him. He wasn't going to make it that easy, however, as he just followed closely behind and waited until she sat her things down. Then he put a hand on her shoulder and made her turn around to face him.

"Lizzy...for once just let me finish my goddamn sentence, won't you?"

He put his hand down, the anger evident in the scowl on his face, but she didn't care. She crossed her arms and glared him down with just as much intensity. For a few moments they stood like this, the tension between them building until Lizz finally let out a frustrated breath and threw her hands up.

"What?! What, Delvin? You said to let you finish, well here I am. I shut up. Freakin talk already..."

His hands had formed into fists at his sides, as he wanted so badly to yell at the stubborn little women, but instead he closes his eyes and brings his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, letting out a growl between his clinched teeth.

"I want you to go home Lizzy, but you don't have to go to town. I want you to go stay with Damaris. She wouldn't come with me when I left, because she's just as, fucking stubborn as you are!"

The hand that had been holding the bridge of his nose comes down to slam against the bench, causing the candle to wobble and almost fall over. It didn't though, and when the light finally steadied itself once more, the shadows slowing their mad dance, Vin let out another sigh.

"Please Lizzy. Will you please just do this for me? I'm not even saying it has to be permanent, but... look if you two are together, where I know where you both are, then I can come back. I can come back after things are more settled, when the world isn't falling to shit around us, and then we can figure out what to do. And in the meantime I'll know you're both safe."

Lizz had looked down at the ground when he had slammed his fist down, her arms crossing over her chest out of nervousness. She knew she shouldn't have been so angry with him, but goddamnit, she had just lost both her parents. Anger wasn't exactly something she was having an easy time controlling right now either.

"I'll think about it" she said quietly, and then she stepped up and wrapped him in a tight embrace. Immediately the tension left him and he hugged her back.

"I don't want to lose you too, Lizz."

"I know you big bear. Don't worry, I won't do that to you."
________

"Although, the moon doesn't have to deal with the kind of shit we deal with, so really, you're much better than that hunk of rock."

She had closed her eyes again to better feel that tender touch, but his words made her chuckle and open them to look up at him with a soft smile. And after they shared a tender kiss, she smiled again, her eyes simply roaming over his face.

"Well...I'll keep your dorky references just between us" she chuckled, letting her hands slide up to the small of his back where she held him gently.

"I love you so much baby. Every day that I wake up and see you, it makes me so happy. It makes me want to get up, and be happy, and be better. You saved me, Damien" she says with sudden intensity.

"And you keep doing it. Every day."

Her hand comes up to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking him gently.

"Every time you look at me like that."

 

[Poprockz]

Maverick seemed amused, "does it now? I usually end up having people rolling around on the floor... laughing, of course." He grinned, letting his eyes roam Sabastian's body once more. The blonde didn't have his shirt on, so he could see every detail of his pale chest, those cute pink nipples on full display.

"I-I highly doubt it!" Sabastian sputtered with a scowl, feeling a bit flustered from the attention from Maverick. He shifted, wanting to get out of that office, but he suddenly heard Vin and Lizz get into their little argument. They both froze for a moment, each of them wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation. Sabastian moved nearer the door, Maverick continuing to listen while leaning on the desk.

So Damaris was his sister's name; Damaris and Delvin. He found it a bit cute that they had both been named with D's at the front. From what he could hear from the conversation, it seemed like Vin wanted her to go live with his sister so he could keep tabs on them both to know that they were safe. He wondered how Lizz was supposed to get there though. Maverick and Tiffany might not want to go that way, so Lizz might have to travel on her own which certainly wasn't safe.

The little blonde thought to himself that he couldn't remember a time when Vin had gotten so angry before, the man losing his temper with her like one only could with family for the most part. It was a side of Vin he hadn't seen, and he had to admit that Delvin was very intimidating while he was angry; he would hate to have that anger directed at him, though he couldn't imagine doing anything that would make him so upset.

Near the end, Maverick softly said, "ooh, your bear daddy is so angry, isn't he? I bet that's tough to deal with sometimes. The jealousy, controlling behavior, gruff demeanor... I bet the sex is great though."

Sabastian turned to him, mouth agape. He did not just say that. Walking up to Maverick, he got closer to him and glared into his face, the smug-looking masseuse simply crossing his arms and leaning back with a grin.

"You need to shut the fuck up. You don't know anything about him. For one, I've never seen him jealous, two, he's not controlling and he trusts me, and three, he's only angry because he just lost someone close to him." Sabastian all but hissed at Maverick. Hearing the man shit-talk Delvin was really pissing him off and he wasn't going to let it slide.

"Hm... So I was right about the sex though, right? Ha." The man sat back on the top of the desk, spreading his legs a bit to presumably get more comfortable, leaning back a bit so he could bait Sabastian into coming closer. "I bet he keeps you on a short leash though, little pup. You sure you're not just his side bitch until he goes back to town?"

The blonde clenched his teeth, one of the few times that his face got red not from embarrassment, but from anger. He took a step closer to Maverick, pointing a finger into his chest as he replied, "who I have sex with is none of your goddamn business and never will be, fuckface. He doesn't keep me on a leash, I act the way I act with him because I want to. And-and no. He cares about me, so you can fuck off with your bullshit."

"Mm... At that moment, Maverick leaned forward, their faces inches apart, "I'm sure you do it because you want to and not just because you're just trying to cater to his appetites, right?" His breath smelled like mint gum, the man still sitting with his hands crossed despite their closeness.

------------------------------------------------------------

At her words, Damien felt overcome with emotion. Gratitude, love, contentedness... Things he didn't think he would be able to call his own. He gathered her up in his arms again and this time he just hugged her tightly at first before drawing back and advancing on her lips. He pressed his lips urgently against hers, holding her to him before he drew back with a heartfelt look.

"I feel the same way. You are all I had never dared to want, the person I didn't think existed. I didn't think there was anyone out there who would accept me despite the things I've done." His eyes watered and he looked away for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady himself before continuing. "By all rights you should hate me, but... you chose to forgive me and then took it a step further by loving me. You save me each time you tell me you love me, and I can only hope that you know how much I love you too."

At that point, he couldn't prevent a few tears from falling, the man sighing and wiping his face to try to do away with those pesky tears. Turning his head, he kissed her hand and smiled at her, knowing in his heart that she was everything to him.

 

[Drobabes]

After she let him go and stepped back, Vin let out a sigh, apologizing for getting angry, which prompted Lizzy to shrug.

"It's not like it came out of nowhere Vin. But anyway..." she sighed.

"How am I supposed to get back? I'll need a car at least, but that's still a long drive. At least a full day if I don't stop."

He rubbed the back of his neck, not having thought that far ahead. She was right though. She would need a vehicle, one that wasn't going to break down, and plenty of gas in it. Definitely not a truck that would require her to stop and fuel up-she would need a little car or something equally as efficient on gas.

"Let's figure it out in the morning. I think we've both been through enough shit today, let's just try and get some sleep."

She nodded, then turned and picked up the candle. She then went over to the pile of stuff and started laying her bedding down and grabbing herself some food. Granola bar and water wasn't the best dinner in the world, but she didn't exactly have a great appetite.
________

She was a bit surprised to see him so overcome with emotion, and it brought fresh tears to her own eyes. When he kissed her hand, she took his and kissed him back softly.

"Then I'll say it every day. I'll say it every night and every morning, and I'll never stop saying it. I, love you."

She smiled again, and then backed up. Cora still kept his hand in hers though, and she started to gently lead them inside.

"Let's get some sleep. I can't wait to wake up in the morning and tell you again."

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian hesitated and Maverick's grin only grew wider. "So you're not even sure? And here I was sitting here thinking you guys might be thick as thieves. Though I imagine you have enough thickness between you to have a really good time..."

The blonde quickly recovered and hissed back, "I am sure, asshole. I do it because I like the things he does, which again, is none of your fucking business, nor is... Well, just shut up!"

Maverick chuckled and got a bit closer to him. "Hm. What if I made it my business? It sounds like you're pretty satisfied with him right now, but don't you ever wonder what it might be like to be on your hands and knees, your stud behind you while you polish another man's rod with that little tongue of yours? Do you ever think about what it might be like to have your body rocked back and forth between two men as they use you like a cock sleeve? Does that idea get you going at all?" He leaned slightly to the side and blew a cool breath toward Sabastian's ear.

The breath made the blonde shiver, unsure of how to proceed in the conversation. Honestly, the thought of a threesome between two men did turn him on. It was a fantasy he didn't think he would ever really pursue, and he didn't think Vin would like either. It was the type of thing one never expected to happen in real life. Still, he would never do such a thing with Maverick. While the man did have the type of body Sabastian found attractive, the man was simply too much of an asshole for him to even entertain the thought of it.

"I- fuck you!" Sabastian had half a mind to give the man a good smack just for saying such things to him.

"I mean, that's the idea." Maverick replied. "I bet you're too scared to even bring up that kind of thing with him... Too bad." He leaned back again, waiting.

Sabastian leaned forward with his teeth bared and his eyes flashing, "I'm going to fucking smack you if you keep being a disgusting piece of shit!"

"Kinky. Don't hate on me for simply saying things that might be true." Maverick shrugged.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Well then... if you keep saying it, then I'll keep looking at you like you're the most beautiful, kind-hearted woman I've ever met, and the only woman I will ever love." He followed her, looking forward to hearing those sweet words from her when he woke up in the morning.

Upon walking in, he surveyed the room. Tiffany had stolen another raisin box, chewing as she sat on her sleeping bag. She too was interested in Vin and Lizz's conversation, enjoying watching their drama. It was the closest thing to TV they had at the moment, and she was always up for watching an argument if it wasn't one she was participating. Plus, she was a bit interested on what Lizz planned on doing since she was traveling with them.

Damien saw Vin and Lizz tiredly doing their own thing, his eyes going to the candle she had. Speaking of fire... he looked around for Sabastian, wondering if he was in the bathroom. However, he soon saw him in the office, leaning over Maverick looking pissed as hell while Maverick had a shit-eating grin on his face.

 

[Drobabes]

Despite telling Lizz that they should sleep on it, his mind was now buzzing with that new dilemma. Even if they managed to get her a car and enough gas, what if something happened on the road? Maybe he should go with her. It wouldn't take that long really, a two day, maybe three day trip max. But just as quickly as that thought came, he dismissed it, remembering that they were being followed.

Lizz noticed that he hadn't moved from his spot on the bench, and now he was worrying. Even in the dim candlelight she could see the way his body tensed. Hadn't they just said they wouldn't think about it till tomorrow? Grabbing an extra granola bar and water, she walked over to him and threw it at his chest, forcing him to get out of his head a bit.

"You barely ate anything earlier."

He held the granola bar up with a smile.

"And this is supposed to count as dinner?"

"It's better than nothing, isn't it?"
________

Cora looked up at Damien and then let her eyes travel to the office where she also spotted Sabastian.

"Oh boy..." she said quietly.

"Should I go get him, or do you want to? I don't think Vin noticed, but if he does, a fight might break out."

She looked up at him with a worried expression. While she appreciated that Maverick had helped her back, she kind of didn't want to be anywhere near that flirty man if she could avoid it.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien sighed and shook his head, "I'll go get Sabastian. If you could, would you ask Vin, Tiffany, and Lizz if they've eaten and if they might like me to make something." He kissed her head before walking away and toward the office, intent on breaking up whatever was going on in there.

"What you say isn't true! It's just- well it's just fucking bull-" Sabastian looked up as Damien entered the office, the tall man looking slowly from Sabastian to Maverick with a neutral expression.

"I'm not sure what's going on here, but clearly you're getting worked up, Sabastian. If I didn't know better, I would say that Maverick here has been trying to provoke you. I'll probably be making dinner, and Vin looks like he could use some support right now, so maybe it would be best to take a break from the conversation." Damien said in a cool-toned voice.

The blonde took a step back and frowned. While Damien was probably right, he didn't like the way he was butting his head into their argument as though he was the protector of the peace. He could handle himself and his own affairs, and he didn't need Damien or anyone's help. "Mind your own fucking business, Damien." Sabastian grumbled, reluctantly walking around him and out of the office.

Damien didn't take too much offense to it, knowing that Sabastian was simply pissed from his conversation with Maverick. Speaking of which, the horny man sighed and got up from the desk, looking disappointed with how things had turned out. At the very least he had Sabastian questioning his own desires, so maybe the blonde would come around eventually.

"Now, you listen here Maverick. I don't particularly care for you, since you seem to have a hard time keeping your eyes and hands to yourself. That being said, you did help Cora immensely. For that reason, I'll count this as us being even. Otherwise, I'm sure it wouldn't have been long before Vin came in here and beat you to a pulp, and I would do nothing to stop him." His steely eyes looked seriously at him while Maverick frowned.

"Oh come on. I could take him. Anyway, I wasn't doing anything but talking. I didn't even touch the little sub." He walked past Damien, walking over to Tiffany and sitting down next to the woman. Damien watched him go, thinking to himself that Maverick was going to get himself in trouble one of these days. With a sigh, he checked to make sure Sabastian hadn't run off, finding him sitting in one of the leather chairs with an extremely pissed look on his face.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora nodded, smiling a little when he kissed her head. After he went into the office, she walked over to Lizz and Vin.

"Hey, did you two eat anything yet?"

She looked at their hands, then back up to their faces with a little grin.

"I mean, besides granola bars?"

Lizz grinned and opened her mouth, almost ready to make a sex joke, but she stopped herself at the last second. As much as she thought it would have been funny, Cora had probably gotten enough of that today from Maverick, and she didn't want it to come off like she was being serious and actually trying to flirt with the beautiful women. Not that she wouldn't have loved to, but she had some basic respect and didn't go trying to steal other peoples lovers.

"No, I don't think either of us have eaten since Damien made that soup. Which, by the way, amaaa-zing."

Cora grinned at the women, nodding her head. It certainly was good, and she had been learning a bit of skill just from watching her hansom lover work.

"What about you Vin, can you eat?"

"Yea I could probably get a little more in me. Does he need any...did something happen with Sabastian?"

He leaned away from the bench, getting ready to go over and check on his partner, but Cora quickly interrupted him.

"Yea, I think Damien said he did need some help. I don't know if there's a way to make heat right now, so if you guys decide to do a fire or something, I would really appreciate it if you could go out with him and watch his back. I don't think any zombies would come near a fire, but you know, other people."

Vin peeled his eyes away from Sabastian and down to Cora, and after a moment of hesitance, he smiled softly and said "right", before heading off to find Damien. With that dealt with, and really not wanting to see a fight break out, Cora quickly excused herself and went over to sit by Sabastian. She took a seat on the floor instead of in the leather chair-still a bit peeved that she had messed her back up so badly.

For a moment she didn't say anything as she tried to think of how to pull him out of his grumpy mood.

What would Quint do?

Suddenly she looks up at him, and with a very serious expression, she say,

"Sabastian, how do you get a squirrel to like you?..."

She then leaned in a bit close, took a slow look around the room with her eyes before she looked back at him, and she whispered,

"...you act like a nut..."

 

[Poprockz]

Damien was satisfied that he had prevented a fight, the man turning his attention to what to do for dinner. Cora would have seen if they were hungry by now, so he walked over to them and looked from Vin to Lizz and rubbed his hands together slightly.

"So, what's the verdict? I'm trying to decide whether we should make some kind of fire to heat up some chili, or maybe we could do the clam chowder instead. For cold things though, we could do beef jerky, mandarin oranges, and some pickles. Not the most exciting dinner, but it'll do the job." He knew he could make the chili or chowder taste better, but the others were a bit straightforward.

Tiffany piped up from her sleeping bag, "honestly, I'm just starving. I think maybe it would be better to do the stuff that's already ready. That's just my take though." She looked at her nails, Maverick shrugging as though saying that he didn't care.

-----------------------------------------------------

Sabastian stewed in his seat, arms crossed as his mind raced. Fuck that fucking asshole. What the fuck did he know about Sabastian or Vin? It was true that the man hadn't actually insulted him per se, and hadn't even touched him. Still, the things he said were so provocative.

It made him so fucking pissed when he had talked about Vin as though the man was some kind of asshole dom with only the desire to fuck and control Sabastian. He couldn't be further from the truth; Vin was a dom partner to be sure, but he was the sort of dom that guided but always gave one a choice. He took good care of him and could be so gentle and tender when he wasn't being confident and breathtaking.

He looked up as Cora came over, not really wanting to chat at that moment as he was still steaming. His face was set in a scowl, but his face softened just a little for her, not wanting to take out his irritation on her. When she spoke though, he became confused, not sure where she was going with that when she started out the joke.

Upon her leaning forward with that serious expression, he found himself leaning forward as well. The punchline made him blink, simply staring at her as he absorbed the fact that she just made such a dumb joke.

"Pfft! Jesus, Cora. That joke was pretty bad." Sabastian couldn't help but chuckle, his mood lightening.

 

[Drobabes]

Vin looked at Lizz, who just gave him a shrug, so he looked back to Damien.

"Jerky and pickles is fine by me. I think we all just want to go to bed honestly."

He looked over towards Sabastian again, still a bit worried about the man, but it seemed as if Cora had at least gotten a smile on his face so he relaxed. Still, he wondered what had happened in that short amount of time to get him so angry.
________

She watched his face, his expression slowly turning to confusion, and it made a slow grin form on her own.

"I know, it's an awful joke. Quint used to do that to me when I was mad, and it would just make me more mad because I just wanted to stew for a minute."

Cora leaned back a bit and crossed her arms, then looked back up at him before whispering.

"So what did Schwarzenegger's ugly twin say?"

 

[Poprockz]

Damien nodded and dug around in their food supply, coming out with the jar of dill pickles and the bag of jerky. He had rinsed off the red cups earlier to prevent wastefulness, so he have them each a couple pickles and several strips of beef jerky. Seven cups were now laden with "dinner," the man taking the first two cups to Maverick and Tiffany.

They accepted the cups and Maverick hugged his between his legs so he didn't have to hold it. "Thanks! It's been slim pickings around here."

Tiffany took out a pickle and made eye contact with Damien at the same time, sliding it into her mouth and sucking the juices off before licking her lips and saying, "yeah, thanks. It'll definitely hit the spot."

The steely-eyed man had simply stood there as she did it, the idea of having picked a less phallic food item having not occurred to him. That woman was thirsty as hell, he thought to himself. If he wasn't with Cora, maybe he would have fucked her since she had a nice body. Her personality left a lot to be desired though, and as far as he was concerned, nothing was worth losing Cora. The short pleasure of sexual gratification simply couldn't compare to the connection he felt with his hazel-eyed lover. The bond they had was everything to him, even if Cora had told him that she never wanted to fuck him again. As long as her lips and heart were his, he would jerk off happily by himself.

----------------------------------------------------------

The blonde smiled in amusement at her description of Maverick, thinking to himself that it was quite fitting seeing as how buff he was; the man wasn't ugly, but he liked the insult regardless since his ugliness was more on the inside.

His face became slightly annoyed as he thought about the conversation in the office. "At first it seemed like he was testing the waters between me and Vin, trying to insinuate shitty things about Vin to piss me off. He said some gross things to me too. Near the end though, I think he was angling for a threesome with us. As if I'd do that sort of thing with him even if Vin was involved." Sabastian rubbed his ear, still feeling a bit gross about the way Maverick made him shiver with his cool breath.

"It just really pissed me off because the guy doesn't know jack shit about Vin, and needs to keep his perverted thoughts to himself. The bastard was so goddamn smug too." He narrowed his eyes at Maverick before his gaze returned to Cora. It was only then that he noticed that her eyes were slightly puffy and red, as though she'd been crying a bit.

His face became concerned, his sapphire eye focusing on her seriously. "You look like you've been crying. You... wanna talk about it?"

 

[Drobabes]

Lizz had went to sit on her sleeping bag while Damien got dinner ready, the little candle sat nearby. Once she sat down, Vin didn't really know what to do with himself, but he didn't want to interrupt Cora and Sabastian, and he sure as hell didn't want to talk with Maverick. Finally he decides on just moving his own sleeping bag in front of Lizz's so they could talk.

"Do you remember that one time Demmy kicked me off the dock? And I knocked my head on the post on the way down?"

Lizzy looked up at him and grinned.

"Yea. Dad had to jump in and save your sopping ass. What did you do to her, anyway? She looked pissed."

Delvin grinned and leaned forward a bit.

"I got her a birthday present and left it on her bed for her to find. It was a big tyedye moomoo with a peace sign on the front."

Lizz looked at him for a second, and then she burst out laughing, her high pitched voice echoing throughout the shop.
_________

Cora listened and the more he explained, the more her expression twisted into a scowl.

"What a fucking prick," she said quietly.

"If he's not careful he's going to end up getting his ass kicked. Damien looked like he wanted to...I think the only reason he didn't was because I hurt my back and I needed that massage. Well, that and, I think he's trying really hard to be better..."


At the mention of her crying, Cora looked up, then quickly looked away. She looked down at her lap as she started to speak, but then Lizzy's laughter filled the shop and she looked up again. For a second she just smiled, but when she did turn back to him again, it faltered a little and her shoulders slumped a bit.

"Honestly not really. But if you're worried, I'm ok. Damien talked to me outside for a bit."

She fiddled with her nails for a moment, then looked out across the shop.

"I just um...you know, I just have certain things that trigger some bad memories. It makes me anxious. Kind of like what happened at the base when that guy tried to drug me."

Her hazel eyes looked up to him and she gave him a bit of a crooked smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"Years of therapy only helped me live with it; it didn't actually make anything go away, you know?"

 

[Poprockz]

"What a fucking prick."

"Yeah..." Sabastian answered with his own scowl. It felt nice to feel vindicated about his own annoyance with the man. Both Maverick and Tiffany were difficult to get along with, and he wondered if that might be why they were actually a couple. Maybe they were the only people who could stand either one of them.

At the bit about Damien, his mind thought back to what she had told him when she got bitten. Honestly, he still didn't know how he felt about it. Could someone's slate truly be wiped clean? Did he not deserve some sort of retribution for what he had done? One might argue that his upbringing was the cause of everything he had done, but there were plenty of serial killers who had shitty childhoods, and they hadn't received any mercy when caught.

That being said, it did seem like Damien was really trying for Cora, his direction in life having been altered by their chance encounter. Whether the guy truly had changed, only time would tell, but the fact of the matter was that if he got out of hand, Sabastian would be there to protect them. Something told him things wouldn't come to that though.

Sabastian nodded at her with a pensive expression. He remembered her saying something about her previous guardian doing terrible things to herself and her brother, things that would make Margaret blush. He really didn't want to know what they were, but he could understand why that sort of thing would haunt her for a very long time.

"I hear you on that. Just let me know if you ever need a hug or some shit, okay?" He offered her a soft smile.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Damien cleared his throat and nodded to them, giving them a short, "you're welcome" before grabbing two more cups and walking over to Lizz and Vin. As they were having a conversation, he left the cups right next to them and simply nodded at them before grabbing two more cups for Cora and Sabastian.

He walked over and offered the cups to them, "your dinner is served. Only the finest beef jerky and dill pickles for my lovely lady and our resident heavyweight champion." To anyone else, it might seem like Damien was making fun of his size, however the three of them all recognized that he truly meant it for what it was.

Sabastian eagerly took his cup, happy to have something to munch on before bed.